Original subtitles

You gonna get that?

They're selling magazines. Whole block's getting calls.

Did you get my suit?

They said it's ready. I'll pick it up on the way home.

Thanks.

That guy, Stan, called again. I told him you were with a patient.

You got to admire his persistence.

Yeah, I don't know, hon. It's tight.

Does it look tight to you?

You're not looking.

They said they let it out as much as they could.

Those fucking magazines.

You screwing someone behind my back, Candy?

Hello?

Hello?

Listen,

I don't want you answering this phone until after the trial is over.

You got me?

Okay.

Sullivan, let's go. I don't have all day.

I told her to get you a clip-on. You wanna get those first?

Your Honor, can I just have a moment with my client?

Come here.

It's fine.

It's not.

Okay. Look.

Relax, because there's not a person in this courtroom whose opinion counts.

Not yet, anyway.

Let's flip it. Easier in the mirror.

There.

Now you look like an upstanding citizen.

- We're all set, Your Honor. - Bring in the jury.

All rise.

Good morning. My name is Patricia Richards.

I'm a Manhattan assistant district attorney

representing the State of New York.

And as Judge Posner already told you,

the burden of proof in this courtroom is on me.

I welcome it.

I welcome it because the proof in this case is indisputable.

Undeniable.

There is video. There are witnesses.

The only thing there isn't, is doubt.

On May 18th of this year, the defendant, Daniel Sullivan,

aimed a .38-caliber pistol into a crowd and fired six times.

Three people were wounded. The rest were lucky.

Make no mistake, the only reason this isn't a murder trial

is because Daniel Sullivan is a lousy shot.

He belongs behind bars.

But with evidence so provable, so irrefutable,

one wonders, what will the defense do?

They cannot deny the facts,

so they will divert you from them by making unfounded and unproven claims

about a condition they call multiple personality disorder.

Let me be clear,

there is no such thing as multiple personality disorder.

It is a made-up condition from a Sally Field movie, no less.

They might as well claim the defendant is a flying nun.

The defense blames Mr. Sullivan's actions on what they call an alter.

Now, I can admit, I get the appeal.

Don't we all wish we could blame our mistakes on someone else?

Run a red light? Blame an alter. Bounce a check? Blame an alter.

Cheat on a spouse?

Well, let's see how that one flies.

But can you imagine our judicial system

if every time someone committed a crime,

they could simply say, "It wasn't me."

That's what's at stake here.

These arguments from the defense, they're more than desperate.

They're dangerous.

Because they undermine a bedrock principle of both our legal system and our society:

personal responsibility.

We are responsible for our actions.

The defendant is guilty, and that guilt demands punishment.

Otherwise, there can be no justice.

Thank you.

Mr. Camisa, for the defense.

Indisputable. Undeniable. Irrefutable.

You know, makes a guy wonder, "Why am I even here?"

That was some opening from the prosecution.

Bedrock principles.

Well, here's a bedrock principle for you.

He's innocent.

He has the presumption of innocence. It is his right.

Now, this bears repeating because of everything that you just heard.

So, let me begin by saying it clearly and as a simple statement of fact.

Danny Sullivan didn't shoot anyone.

He was there. He admits as much.

But he didn't pull the trigger.

Danny's a good kid, but he's a sick kid.

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, no one is making up a condition.

Now, I get how it sounds.

Multiple personality disorder.

You know, at first, I had a hard time wrapping my head around it myself.

But instead of making flying nun jokes, which is easy,

I kept an open mind, which is hard.

And that's what I'm asking of you.

To keep an open mind.

Listen to the experts.

Listen to the witnesses, because if you do,

you'll arrive at the same indisputable,

undeniable, irrefutable conclusion that I did,

which is that Danny had no control over his illness or his alters.

Yeah, he's got alters.

He's got alters because he was hurt in unimaginable ways that broke him.

It broke his mind into pieces.

And no, they are not some get-out-of-jail-free card.

They are real, and they are not Danny.

To send Danny to prison for a crime that one of his alters committed

would be the same as you going to jail for a crime that I committed.

Now, Danny's illness is rare,

and it is the result of being exposed to sexual abuse as a child.

Frankly, he's lucky to have survived. This illness is how he survived.

I get it. It's weird. It's hard.

But please, keep an open mind.

Now, the prosecution was right about one thing.

This trial is about responsibility, but it's not personal responsibility,

it's societal responsibility.

I mean, you wanna talk about bedrock principles?

How about how we just take care of each other?

How about how we take care of the most hurt

and the most vulnerable among us?

Everybody has failed this kid.

His parents, his teachers, his neighbors, his friends, his community.

All of us have failed him.

So now it is on us to make it right.

Now, I'm not asking you to set Danny free.

I am only asking that you spare him prison

and instead send him to a hospital to get help.

The help that he needs. That is our responsibility.

Thank you.

We'll take a 15-minute recess and then proceed to the State's witnesses.

Officer, escort the jury out please.

You were actually pretty good in there.

Yeah? Pretty good doesn't matter.

Goddamn it! You know, Candy's not returning my calls,

and she ignored her subpoena, by the way, which is a crime.

She's scared. She's guilty.

There's so much shame, she might not even admit it to herself.

In all fairness, do you think I give a shit how she feels?

This case turns on the diagnosis,

and the diagnosis depends on showing the jury that Danny was abused.

I just said it in there.

If we don't get someone to testify to this in open court, we are done.

And I'm handcuffed, 'cause I can't put my client on the stand

'cause of that bullshit he pulled in the hearing.

- That was Jack. That wasn't Danny. - Whoever it was,

he's going to deny the abuse and admit to the crime

which would be bad.

I am well aware.

- You? - You know I can't testify to his abuse.

Technically, Danny never said that he was abused. He never told me that.

- Only Adam? - Only Adam.

I... It's fucking useless.

What are we gonna do?

You gotta convince her.

But that's not up to me, Stan.

Doesn't a mother have to love her kid, for Christ's sake?

No.

But in this case, that's what we have going for us.

What?

That she does love him.

The State calls Marlin Reid.

How would you describe your relationship with your stepson?

Strained, it pains me to admit.

Look, I'm not perfect.

And maybe sometimes I've been too hard on him.

Maybe other times, not hard enough.

The kids I see up at Osterville, most never had a father, not a real one.

And I wanted to be that for Danny.

Tell me about Osterville. Tough job?

Rewarding job. These kids have had every disadvantage.

You wouldn't believe what they've survived in their homes, on the streets.

Sure, they've made mistakes.

But the thing I love about my job is they're still kids,

and it's not too late for them to find their way back.

You feel that way about Danny?

I'll never give up on Danny, but he's not a kid anymore.

Given your relationship with him, you have any idea why he did what he did?

I honestly don't.

Truth is, with Danny, there is no "why."

When he was picking fights at school, or stealing from me,

or dealing drugs or using, the "why"...

Why is just Danny.

Just one more question, Mr. Reid.

At any point after you were shot,

did you report your stepson to the authorities?

- No. - Why not?

Because I wanted to protect him.

Because in spite of everything…

I love him like my own son.

No further questions.

A dramatic first day in court as nine different witnesses

identified Sullivan as the Rockefeller Center shooter,

including his own stepfather,

Juvenile Correctional Counselor Marlin Reid.

Were you the intended target?

I don't know. But the toughest thing you learn in...

Smells good.

Needs another 20 minutes.

How did he seem?

Thin. I don't know. It's not like we talked or anything.

How'd I look?

- You're kidding, right? - What?

I'm just trying to do the right thing.

The kid shot at me, Candy.

Jesus.

Taking a shower.

Stop calling here. I'm not testifying.

Mom?

Danny.

I meant to come see you.

It's okay.

I'm sorry.

Baby, this is not your fault.

I'm sorry.

It isn't even a real diagnosis.

It's just a fringe theory amplified by a TV movie.

Then what do you make of Danny?

Well, I'll tell you the same thing that I told the jury.

That I believe that Mr. Sullivan is a malingerer.

Acting in bad faith to avoid criminal consequences.

In layman's terms? For the folks at home.

He's faking it to keep himself out of jail.

I tried to get him to be reasonable.

How'd that go?

Not what you would call ideal.

He blindsided me, broke my nose and stole it anyway.

Did you attempt to retrieve your gun?

Yeah, I did. I went to his house. I was pissed.

But we had history. I figured we could work something out.

Got as far as a hello though before he attacked me with a baseball bat.

Then he shot at me.

- No further questions, Your Honor. - Mr. Camisa.

Yeah, just one question. Mr. Ruiz, you've known Danny for years.

In all that time, has he ever seemed normal?

Normal?

That boy's nuts. Craziest son of a bitch I know.

No further questions.

I was scared.

I'd never seen Danny like that before.

Then I heard the shot.

What did you think when you heard that gunshot?

I thought that he killed him.

You believed Danny Sullivan to be capable of murder?

In that moment, yes.

No further questions, Your Honor.

Hi, Annabelle.

Was Danny ever violent with you?

No.

- He ever make you feel unsafe? - No.

Was he mean? Abusive?

No. Never.

Then what was he like, the Danny you knew? Your friend.

He was sweet.

He was quiet. Shy.

Mostly.

- Mostly? - He was, yeah, sometimes not so shy.

He was a little all over the place.

I'd like to refer the witness to defense exhibit four.

Go ahead.

You recognize this drawing?

Yeah, Danny drew it.

It's you?

Yep.

It's good.

Yeah, it's good.

Danny really cared about you, didn't he?

I cared about him too.

Earlier in your testimony...

Now I'm referring to the night with Mr. Ruiz...

You said, "I'd never seen Danny like that."

How do you reconcile that night, that Danny, with the boy that you knew?

The sweet and quiet, never violent, shy but sometimes not.

The boy who drew this picture.

Doesn't seem like the same person, does it?

No.

No further questions, Your Honor.

- State requests a redirect. - Proceed.

To the best of your knowledge, in the time you knew him,

was the encounter with Mr. Ruiz

the only occasion that Danny Sullivan was ever violent?

Objection, irrelevant.

The question speaks to the defendant's history of violence.

Overruled.

Was the encounter with Mr. Ruiz the only occasion

that Danny Sullivan was ever violent?

No.

Back in high school, I had this boyfriend, Bill.

Danny got jealous.

He beat him pretty bad. He put him in the hospital.

Another kid too.

At the time, I told myself it was this freak thing.

Maybe Bill deserved it.

Now I'm not so sure.

No further questions.

They're off to stalk your son at the side exit.

Apparently, perp walks sell papers. Even the same perp walk twice a day.

Do you wanna see him? I can walk you around.

No, not like that.

I'm glad you came.

There's a shitty bar around the corner.

It's mostly lawyers, but at this hour it's not that bad.

I don't know what you people want from me.

Please tell me that you convinced her to testify.

She came, didn't she? That's progress.

Progress is for people with time.

They're painting a picture of a kid

who goes after his perfectly nice stepfather,

shoots up a bunch of innocent people in the process,

and now he's pretending that he hears voices so he can get out of jail.

It's pretty compelling stuff if you ask me.

Whose side are you on, Stan?

Right now, the losing one.

Is it too late to switch?

So she sees it today, her kid on trial, and she goes back home to him.

Stays with him.

God, how does that even work?

Maybe we're just not built to survive alone.

I mean, did you know that our brain has these chemical receptors

that light up when we make human connections?

- Oh, yeah? - It literally turns on

to make us feel like we're safe.

Only, sometimes other people aren't safe.

Yeah, amen to that.

I feel like you're gonna make an ex-wife joke.

I was considering it.

Go on anyway.

There's a whole world of ways that people hurt each other.

Yeah, you don't know the half of it.

Too much pain, in rare cases like Danny's, the mind shatters.

But most people, they...

They find conventional ways of avoiding the pain,

like booze and drugs, sex, that light up those receptors.

- Those things work. - And also being with the wrong person,

because at least the pain is familiar to them.

If you ask me, I think that if a relationship can break you,

then sometimes a relationship can also heal you.

Please tell me you're not saying love is the answer.

I actually am.

It's like that arrow story that Jack told Danny.

Fear of pain is worse than the pain ever was.

Jack? You mean make-believe Jack?

Yeah.

We've all been hurt.

Some more than others.

And we can have a tendency to stay in relationships that are bad.

Those receptors are firing, telling us not to risk losing what we have.

Come here.

Even if it's to find something better for us, healthier for us.

We stay with the hurt we know rather than risk being hurt again.

But we have a choice.

The truth is, we always have.

We just have to remember to try to keep making it.

To remember that other people can hurt us,

but they can also help us.

That to reach out, to let someone reach back,

is a way out of pain.

That doesn't mean it's easy.

It's hard.

Terrifying.

We need to be brave like Danny was brave,

and ask for help.

We don't have to be alone.

Lights out.

We met at Danceteria, this club on 37th.

Tell me about her. What was she like?

Ariana was something else.

The way she moved. The way she smiled.

Iridescent.

Everyone wanted to be with her.

The boys, the girls.

And she knew it. She worked it.

Mr. Williams, do you see Ariana in this courtroom?

No.

No?

The thing is, he's not her. Not anymore.

How can you tell?

Everything about him is different.

Like the way he sits, curled in so small.

And his eyes, which give up everything.

Ariana had a resting poker face.

Girl was a brick wall.

Not to mention, Danny's straight.

So you know Danny? You've met Danny?

I met him at Rikers a few weeks ago.

I saw the story in the paper, and I went over there.

I was just... I was looking to understand, I guess.

And what'd you find at Rikers?

A stranger.

Mr. Williams, did you have a sexual relationship with the defendant?

I had a relationship with Ariana.

I didn't ask you what the defendant called himself.

- I asked if you had a sexual... - Objection. Asked and answered.

Overruled.

I could put the question to you in more graphic terms, if you'd like.

Yes, we did.

- Where? - Objection, irrelevant.

The question speaks to the true nature of their relationship.

Overruled.

Where?

The men's room.

The men's room.

How romantic.

Couldn't anyone have just walked in?

Were your encounters in full public view?

We used a stall.

Mr. Williams, you never shared a meal with the defendant.

- Never saw his home, did you? - No.

- Ever meet his friends? - No.

- Family? - No.

Your most intimate moments were in a bathroom stall.

How well could you possibly have known this man?

There was no "this man."

There was only Ariana, and I knew her.

These clubs you frequent, are there ever closeted gay men there?

- Men with something to hide. - Sure.

So how could you know that Ariana wasn't just an alias?

A cover. A lie.

It's on me.

Mr. Camisa...

Stan. And please, I got a tab here. Tell her, Sam.

He does owe me money.

I come here a lot. It's nothing. Please.

We're gonna lose, Candy.

Multiple personality disorder is only ever caused by one thing,

and we can't prove that it ever happened.

And worse, Danny denies it ever happened.

It's like arguing a guy is shell-shocked

and he swears that he's never even seen a war.

Our entire defense is built around this.

Well, then you've got the wrong defense.

- Candy... - And you should have seen it coming.

Well, why do you think I've been calling you, repeatedly?

Calling me is not an actual legal strategy.

I also subpoenaed you, which is.

And you ignored it.

I can ask the judge to find you in contempt, you know.

Look, please take the stand.

Just tell 'em what happened to Danny.

Are you even aware of the accusation that you're making right now?

- Well, your husband's a sick man, Can... - Not against my husband, against me.

Find me in fucking contempt.

The mind is an extraordinary thing, capable of extraordinary transformations.

Not just voices, but bodies. Skills.

Playing an instrument, mastering chess,

speaking a foreign language, lighting up a room.

These aren't things that people can just fake.

And these are people who come from every walk of life.

Every race. Every age.

They're people who have nothing to gain

from a diagnosis that carries social stigma.

MPD is real.

And patients with MPD have suffered in ways that most of us cannot comprehend.

- They deserve empathy and compassion. - And how have they suffered?

Can't anyone just claim to have other personalities inside them?

The literature is clear.

For the diagnosis to apply,

the patients must have experienced severe childhood trauma,

usually sexual.

At a point in their lives when they are the most vulnerable...

The most in need of protection...

They are betrayed, usually by somebody that they trusted.

A child's mind isn't equipped to handle this.

It can't manage all the contradictions.

So the psyche fractures and that's the first alter.

The child goes away.

Somebody new comes in.

Someone better equipped to navigate a terrifying world.

And that's how it begins.

It's a defense mechanism against horrific, unfathomable pain.

Can you tell me about Danny?

I first met Danny at the police station after his arrest.

Only it wasn't Danny, it was Jonny.

And who's Jonny?

Jonny is one of Danny's alters. He's a literal escape artist.

So when the shackles came out, so did Jonny.

So are these descriptions

of Danny's so-called personalities facts or speculations?

They're my clinical judgments.

Did Danny ever tell you he thought he had multiple personalities?

No, but it doesn't...

In fact, wasn't it you who first introduced the idea to him?

Yes, because his symptoms supported the diagnosis.

So you say.

But then you have a lot riding on this, don't you?

- I'm not sure what you mean. - Who pays for your research?

How do you make a living?

Most of my work is funded through grants.

- Grants like the Reiling Grant? - Yes.

- Which expired last year. - Yes.

And is it true the university just turned down a request from you

for additional funding?

There's only so much to go around, but I'm going to reapply in the spring.

- You have tenure? - I'm up for it next year.

So, with your funding drying up,

your major grant expiring and with tenure on the line,

would it be fair to say that this is a make-or-break moment in your career?

- Objection. - Withdraw the question.

Would it be fair to say that a high-profile case like this one

could be a real opportunity for you?

Chance for you to make a name for yourself.

- I don't see my patients as opportunities. - Don't you?

I mean, why else did you walk into that police station?

Was it because you were having a sexual relationship with the detective

- who leaked Danny's case to you? - Objection.

Sustained. Take care, Counselor.

Withdrawn.

Why did you follow the defendant to Rikers?

There's a term for lawyers who solicit business like that.

- Ambulance chasers. - Objection.

- Sustained. - Let me put it another way.

When you walked into that police station, what were you hoping to find?

I wasn't hoping to find anything.

See, I'm sorry, but I find that hard to believe.

You get a tip about a kid. You drop everything.

You run halfway across Manhattan.

- What did you take? The bus? The train? - I took the train.

You mean to tell me you're not sitting on that train,

hoping that this is the one?

The one who makes you famous.

The one who puts you on the national stage.

- Absolutely not. - Objection.

What do you know, it worked.

Your Honor, the witness is not on trial.

Sustained. Move on, Counselor.

Okay, Doctor. One last question.

The defense claims...

You claim that the cause of Danny's so-called multiple personalities

was sexual abuse in childhood.

In all of your sessions with the defendant,

has he ever told you he was sexually abused?

Dr. Goodwin, has anyone ever told you

or had the defendant ever claimed he was sexually abused?

It's a yes or no question.

Dr. Goodwin?

No.

No further questions, Your Honor.

Dr. Goodwin?

What do you have to say for your client?

Dr. Goodwin, how do you defend yourself?

So, you were just using him?

Candy, that could not be further from the truth.

And Camisa? He's out of his depth.

- Stan's a good lawyer. - He's Legal Aid.

He's working his ass off.

He's falling apart.

Who isn't?

- Why are you here? - 'Cause I know how this ends.

I know who you'll all blame.

But that's bullshit. You're the ones who let him down.

Candy, I...

I gave your son everything that I have.

My heart is broken. But my conscience is clear.

So is mine.

If that were true, you wouldn't have followed me in here.

And you're wrong.

I would never have blamed you. Never.

Bullshit.

I had this patient, Anna, when I was a first-year resident.

And Anna had been raped six times, by six different men,

over the course of eight years.

And, Candy, she was 19.

How do you explain that?

There's a phenomenon, an awful phenomenon.

Victims of abuse survive.

They get away, only to be abused again by somebody else.

And I think, hearing these stories, "My God, these poor people.

The unluckiest human beings on the planet."

Only it's not luck.

It is a fucked up twist of nature.

Because as children, they are forced to relate sexually.

They are trained to be abused.

Predators are very adept at finding their prey.

They're picking up on cues that nobody else can see.

These cues can be chemical, psychological, behavioral, nonverbal.

To the predator, neon signs.

And here's the thing that I cannot emphasize enough.

None of it is under the victim's control.

None of it is the victim's fault.

You and Danny were prey,

and I suspect Marlin isn't the first predator in your life.

And it's not your fault.

And my heart breaks for you, it does.

Because you did nothing to deserve it.

So, no, I wouldn't blame you.

For anything.

But my hope would be that if you take the stand,

you might finally be able to stop blaming yourself.

Marlin.

Do you understand what you're asking?

Guilt or grief…

which one can you bear?

You make too much bacon. It's not good for me.

I only make it because you like it.

Yeah, well, I like living too. So, cut back.

Let's face it, I could lose a few.

We've got to look out for each other.

See ya.

Hi, honey.

Thought I'd come by. See you up there.

I'm not a stupid man, Candy. I know why you're here.

I know what you're gonna say.

I'm not even going to tell you not to say it.

You do what you want.

But I wouldn't be doing my duty as your husband if I didn't tell you

that the words you say...

That this terrible lie will change the world you live in overnight.

I mean, people staring at the A&P and whispers all over town.

"What kind of mother would allow such a thing?"

Well, you'll lose your husband, of course.

You'll also lose your job and your home, eventually.

Worst of all, you will lose the illusion of who you are.

And without it, all anyone will see is what you allowed and what you admitted.

That's all Danny will see.

So, you'll lose him too.

What was Danny like as a kid?

He was a good boy. Sweet boy.

- But he was always different. - Different how?

Too sensitive, I guess. Tender.

The world's a tough place, and we were all each other had.

Ms. Reid, I'm gonna have to ask you some difficult questions now.

You can take your time answering them, okay?

Do you believe your son, Danny, was ever sexually abused?

Objection.

Unless she personally witnessed abuse, any answer will be pure speculation.

Your Honor, most abuse happens in secret without witnesses.

If the mother of a child isn't considered an expert witness

on what happened to her son in her own home, who is?

Overruled. Proceed.

Ms. Reid, do you believe Danny was ever sexually abused?

No.

- I'm sorry. Let me ask that again. - I don't believe he was abused.

Ms. Reid, I understand that this is very difficult for you.

I just want to remind you that you are under oath.

Are you sure there wasn't any kind of abuse?

Objection.

Are you sure you didn't hear anything?

Asked and answered.

- Are you sure that you didn't see any... - Sustained.

Ms. Reid?

No.

No further questions.

Ms. Richards.

No questions, Your Honor.

The witness is excused.

We'll adjourn till tomorrow.

Escort the jury out please.

All rise.

Danny, stand up.

We tramped the open moorland In the rainy April weather

And came upon the little inn That we had found together

The landlord gave us toast and tea And stopped to share a joke

And I remember firelight

I remember firelight

And you remember smoke

We ran about the meadow grass With all the harebells bending

And shaking in the summer wind A summer never-ending

We wandered to the little stream Among the river flats

And I remember willow trees

I remember willow trees

I remember willow trees

And you remember gnats

We strolled the Spanish marketplace At 90 in the shade

With all the fruit and vegetables So temptingly arrayed

And we can share a memory

As every lover must

And I remember oranges

I remember oranges

I remember oranges

And you remember dust

The autumn leaves are tumbling down And winter's almost here

But through the spring and summertime We laughed away the year

Two happy hearts that beat as one

When I had thought that we were "we"

But we were "you and me"