Original subtitles

Mom.

The way she looked at the world

wasn't always easy for us kids to understand.

21 Mom had her rules.

Go ahead.

Negativity was not allowed into the house.

She said it was like crack.

Highly addictive and everywhere.

That's all you get, so watch it.

Looking back, she was right.

Thank you.

Sad stories are to be found so easily.

- Oh, I - didn't get no rice.

Not so much the happy ones.

But once you change the way you look at things,

the things you look at

38

Hello?

Good morning.

This is Mrs. Meyers,

the academic counselor from Vermont Valley High School.

Is Mrs. Davis available?

- Uh, no. - Is this Daniel?

Yes.

Hi Daniel.

We spoke a couple weeks ago.

I have one more piece of information

for your mother about the financial aid,

but she wouldn't return my calls

and this is the only number I have here.

She lost her phone.

Daniel, I'm really trying to help here.

I just looked at your latest grades

and you're a perfect candidate for college.

So could you help me get your mother on the phone?

The dreams started after dad left.

It was as if he was pulling me down with him.

Hey! Daniel, how you doing?

- Good. - And your mom,

how's she doing?

She been pretty busy lately.

Gotcha.

Yeah, I just hadn't seen her in a while now-

- Got to go.

All right.

Shower before I'm back.

Your new balance is $5.19.

Dude, you could have just cut one.

112

You've reached the voicemail of Dorothee Davis.

Leave your name and number and I'll call you back.

Um, hi-hi M-Mom.

I, uh...

You haven't showered yet, have you?

Are those legs or toothpicks?

I can't tell.

Eli.

I forbid you from using the hot water

until you grow some goddamn muscles.

Eli. Turn the water on.

Walk to school or

run. I don't care.

But make sure you getting rid of those girl legs.

Eli.

Hey, Dorothee, you home?

Knock, knock.

It's your neighbor, Louis.

I got this letter that blew over in my driveway.

Yeah, it's hella windy out here.

Okay, I'm just gonna leave it under the door.

Hey. Hey.

No, no! No!

Hey, hey, hey, hey.

It's okay. You're okay.

160

Oh, so daddy taking care of his little girl?

Little fag have no legs?

Give him some fucking time.

When is mom...?

What?

S-she is not, uh,

coming back.

Stop talking about her.

Do you want them to separate us?

Do you want to end up in foster care?

If the engine isn't turning over

as you expected it to,

like I said, flash tutorial.

Make sure 12-volts are running to the battery

and then check the alternator

to make sure that we're getting the current.

Food.

Eli!

249 Hey, hey.

Wake up. Come on.

You okay?

What happened?

Look at you.

We don't steal.

We don't drink.

We don't lie.

We dress well.

Look, I get that you don't want to talk to me, right?

But I can't have you walking around drunk

without an explanation.

So write it, draw it, whatever, do anything.

I don't care.

I just want to know what happened.

When you're done do the dishes.

Where is my Game Boy?

I needed to pay rent.

Fuck.

C'mon.

I'll handle the dishes later.

I made a mistake

And I owe you an apology.

I fucked up.

303

They look pretty good on you.

Hey, I'm, uh, sorry I forgot your birthday.

Hey, come on.

I love you.

Hey, how you guys doing?

317 Look, the guy from the gas company came by here

and said he need to

shut off your gas.

Been having problem with your gas lately?

Listen, I don't want you boys getting sick, so.

Night's been getting cold as hell around here lately.

Virtue never dwells alone.

It always has a neighbor.

Look man, I can see what you boys been going through.

So take that.

Ain't no shame in that.

All right, just be careful.

Make sure you switch it off before you go to sleep.

Oh, and that note's for your brother.

Hey, what's, what's wrong with y-with your car?

333 This piece of shit been bitching at me for a while now.

335 Hey, if you're hungry, there's always food at my house.

Shoulda sold this motherfucker a long time ago.

Couldn't do it.

Some things you just fall in love with.

You know, you can't help it.

The more love you give, the more love you get back.

It's the law.

That's how the universe works, you know?

It's magical.

But I have no idea what's wrong with it now.

You ever fix a car?

Look at this piece of shit, man.

Full of flaws.

I even yell at it sometime.

You ever think about it?

How there's nothing in this world

that's not loved by something or someone?

366 Everything you see, it's here to be loved.

369 Something bothering you?

I know I'm nosy, man. I know.

It upsets a lot of people and I get it.

Lemme me say this,

I only ask because I care.

Ain't nothing in this life gonna be perfect.

You know, there's always gonna be something

that's broken, missing,

you know, need to be fixed.

Ain't got nothing to do with you.

Absolutely nothing.

This whole thing right here, all this, see,

it's a shit show.

It's a spectacle that you have no control over.

But the one thing you do have the power to control

is yourself and your heart.

The way you care about the people that you love.

No reason to be harsh on yourself or to hide,

or to hold back, no reason.

Took me a long time to figure that shit out.

Too fucking long.

Oh!

Holy shit, man.

How'd you do that?

Uh,

397 I don't understand.

I'm not hungry, so eat it all.

We s-shower daily.

We don't steal.

We don't drink.

We wash our clothes.

We look, look, look,

look out for each other.

We love, love

and respect each other.

You tell me what happened.

Read it out loud.

Sit down!

You're not going anywhere.

Come on.

Read it! Read it!

I took it too far.

I just want to communicate with you.

I want to help you.

Get up.

You don't have to get out of bed today.

We just talk to each other.

We talk to each other.

You've reached the voicemail of Dorothee Davis.

Leave your name and number and I'll call you back.

Hi, M-Mom.

I w-wanted

472 about this a-amazing

pizza I'm having

and-and it

almost tastes

as good as the...

Please leave a message after the tone.

Hi, uh,

I f-found your dog.

And I'll bring him home as so-

Your credit is too low.

Please check your balance or contact customer service.

God, you're saving my ass.

My mom's just about to kill me.

Mom!

The dog is fine.

This young gentleman just brought her back.

Mom, listen.

Eileen is fine. She's with me now.

Listen, Eileen is fine, okay?

No, I don't have any cash with me, but...

Gimme a second.

Mom!

Of course I'm gonna take this from your cash.

It's your dog.

Get down, Eileen!

You don't wanna give him anything?

I see you got inspired.

Do you know what this means?

You know, I really wish you'd say something right now.

I don't have anyone that I

can talk to about all this.

Uh, I...

Hi, Mom.

I just wanted to tell you

that we will sleep in the car.

But we won't be far. Okay?

Where you guys headed?

Going for a drive.

Eli fixed the car.

Hm.

Well, I made some sandwiches.

Thanks.

Look, it's not a lot of people left in this world

that still listen.

585 You too. You're blessed, man.

And then the little boy said-

"It's far away, Mr. Frog."

We don't steal.

We don't drink.

We don't lie.

Jesus! What the hell.

Who the fuck...

Pervert!

Dirty little shit!

Fuck!

Just a kid.

Where the fuck did he come from?

Arm up.

A-a-a-

Are we

h- homeless?

No. No, no.

We, I mean, we have this

and we have each other.

You know, some people, they have, they have nothing.

They have, they have no one.

They sleep on the curb.

So, you know, basically, we're,

we're kind of rich.

649

We love and respect-respect each other.

We I-look after each other.

Go to school.

We do our homework.

These are financial aid forms

for like tuition, supplies, housing, of course.

I'd be able to rent my own place?

It wouldn't be a house, but a small studio or room?

Yes.

Come on guys.

You know this is not a public bathroom.

A-are we in trouble, sir?

What are you doing in there?

Homework.

You guys are going to school?

Yes, sir.

When'd you eat your last meal?

Um, 10 hours ago.

By no means are you in trouble.

I wish I could help you guys.

I wish I could get you outta this situation.

You guys are doing great.

And take care of each other.

Okay?

Okay.

Hey, what's taking you so long?

Yeah, why are you taking off your shoes?

So did you forget your shoes?

Oh, okay.

Cool. Cool.

So you just, you just left.

Dude, what the fuck?

What the fuck goes on

in that little stupid fucking head of yours?

They stole your shoes.

It's okay.

I'll get you another pair.

You got the mail?

Maybe I was too exhausted

or maybe I just wanted everything to be over.

But the moment I let go, things started to change.

Hey, you think you could do that in the shower?

We don't have

a- a shower.

You know they're real leather?

You look pretty good.

What?

Thank you.

Come on.

Your desk

You know her?

Come.

Come on. You first.

There's some towels back there.

16 divided by 4.

Make four equal stacks.

Count!

Where are your parents?

You don't talk much, huh?

Mom is on a holiday.

Holidays, huh?

767 You know, my mom's on holiday too

and I wish she would never come back.

770

My mom forced me to count so much change

that to this day, I can tell by weighing a handful of coins

exactly how much money that is.

21 divided by 3.

She could have bought a machine to count all the coins

but she claimed that she doesn't trust machines or employees

and would rather have me count.

I believed her at the time.

It took me years to realize

that she's actually greedy as fuck.

I can't help it.

That's the world I grew up in.

And this would've been it

if I didn't force my parents to change their plans.

It got pretty ugly when I told them

I don't want anything to do with this.

Basically, I had to blackmail them.

Oh, I'm their only child.

So I kidnapped Mom's dog.

My mom would only get her back if they let me go to college.

Uh, you're-you're...

Weird. Yeah, I know.

And that's how I became a computer scientist.

72 divided by 6.

W-what's a

computer- Computer scientist?

I guess it's a job I never even dared to dream of

when I first started counting change in here

with a mom who barely spoke English at the time.

My mom missed her dog so much

that one day she came to my room ready to negotiate.

They would finally let me go to college.

On one condition:

I have to look after the business on holidays

so after 25 years of work

- they could finally - take some time off.

And that was our deal.

Shut up.

Why does she have a-

w- why is her leg?

Oh, she got hit by a car.

Yeah, she hasn't learned anything since.

She keeps running away.

Even with three legs.

Sometimes my mom calls me by the dog's name.

Accidentally, of course.

Seven.

823 I guess that sums up our relationship pretty well.

- We gotta go. - No, he stays.

He needs a desk.

Where are you going?

Work.

Feels good, huh?

Don't forget to pack that too.

Keep it. You saved my ass.

What?

Just wait.

Okay, let me go change and then we can go for a walk.

I feel like it's worked out for the best

because we all love her.

You know, I mean, who wouldn't love a dog?

847

Come on. There are no cars.

I like the thought of being the only person in the world,

like, the last life in the universe.

Sometimes when I look at the night sky

I think about how small we like to make ourselves.

Like we trick ourselves into thinking

that the moon is up there and we're down here.

But there's absolutely no truth to that.

I mean, it's just a way of looking at things.

Like, I'd much rather believe

we're hovering high above it all.

I see the moon down there.

Doesn't that feel much better?

You're, uh, you're-

- Weird. Yeah, you said that.

Yeah, but, uh-

- What?

I, uh,

I- I like, I like you.

Can I ask you something?

Have you ever fucked a girl?

You have fucked a girl, haven't you?

You gay?

I'm, I'm, I-I'm 14.

So you masturbate a lot, huh?

Come back to the laundromat tomorrow,

you can use the shower.

Daniel.

Do you have my number?

Come back tomorrow

And text me when you get here.

I'm so sorry for what happened today.

Thank you.

I couldn't deny it.

Yeah, I was flying in my dreams

but in real life everything was falling apart.

You've reached the voicemail of Dorothee Davis.

Leave your name and number and I'll call you back.

904 hi, M-Mom.

I- I-I gotta go.

She's dead.

There's no point in leaving her messages.

Mom is dead.

Sit down.

Sit down!

What do you see?

A gun.

Speak up boy!

What do you see?

928 No. Try again.

A gun, a table.

You know, there are certain moments in life

when you gotta speak up, when you gotta be loud,

when you want to confront your enemy.

Like when someone hits you in the face,

what you going to do?

You hit back, right?

Then there's these other moments

when you gotta stand down, look away.

Shut your mouth.

You follow me?

See, you want to live your life according to what?

Reality? Not fantasy?

Hell, we all want to live our lives

according to what's actually real.

You agree with me here?

Yes.

Close your eyes.

Close your fucking eyes, Daniel.

What do you see now?

Nothing.

No magic.

One moment the gun is there,

the next moment it's

gone.

See, that's how our minds work,

how we remember things.

963 You always been the smart one of the family, right?

So I'm sure you understand what I'm saying here.

If you and your brother wanna stay together,

now's the time for you

to be really smart

about what you remember.

So I'll ask you again.

What do you see?

Look at her.

Look at her!

Tell me,

what do you see?

Nothing.

I see nothing.

Help me carry that big piece of nothing outside.

No one is available to take your call.

Please leave a message after the tone.

Hey Eli, where are you?

Our small volunteer group

is overwhelmed with those requesting assistance.

Please speak your full name

and phone number slowly and clearly

and we will get back to you as soon as we can.

This mailbox is full. Goodbye.

Fuck! Fuck!

1021

I'm sorry, I'm so sorry.

I should have, I should have told you earlier about Mom.

Mom loved this place.

Is that why you're here?

You read it?

Ev-every-

everybody leaves me.

1042 you were gonna leave me before I left you?

Is that what this is?

'Cause, 'cause of this?

Hey.

I'm not gonna leave you.

I'm never gonna leave you.

All these colleges are very close to where you live.

Would you consider applying further outta state?

No.

Oh, okay.

Dear Mr. Davis,

I am delighted to inform you

that the Committee of Admissions

has admitted you to the class.

So you speak now?

What made you change your mind?

What's this?

It's an ashtray?

That

was

my mom's.

Thanks.

Let's get you to the back.

Yeah. Okay.

Yeah, I can do that. Bye.

Come on. I got a surprise for us.

Where you going?

This

number is no longer in use.

Please dial another number or call...

S-sh-she loved this place.

Why?

Why-why-why did he, why did he kill her?

You know, Mom always wanted to be a teacher

but she ended up scrubbing toilets

at the school where she wanted to teach at.

One of the guys who worked there

offered her money in exchange for

1103 He found out.

I never had my own room.

It was weird.

It looked exactly like in my dream.

And even though this was a new experience for me,

we decided to keep some of our family traditions alive.

Looking back, life suddenly seemed so simple.

There was basically just one thing

she wanted us to remember.

She wrote it down a long time ago.