Downloaded from YTS.MX
[eerie music]
Official YIFY movies site: YTS.MX
Are you...
are you the one that's been filming me?
[woman] Oh, yeah.
Yeah, I've been watching you a good long while.
But then you went and robbed me of my windows, so...
What do you want from me?
[woman] I want you to answer the door, Phil.
[doorbell]
[banging at door]
-[banging at door] -[doorbell]
-[indistinct chatter] -[traffic]
I'm Malcolm Barnes, I'm 15 years old
and I'm SCK.
[Phil] And what is that? What is SCK?
Stone cold killer.
[Phil] Are you a killer, Malcom?
[scoffs] C'mon now.
[cameraman chuckles] I'm just asking the obvious question.
Pfft. And I'm just giving you an obvious answer,
even if I did kill somebody.
I haven't.
Yet. [chuckles]
[Phil] Yet?
Even if I did kill somebody,
you think I'm dumb enough to say it on tape?
[Phil] You don't seem to have a problem
publicly confessing a gang affiliation.
It's not a gang, it's a brotherhood.
Can't get convicted of being in a brotherhood.
Plus, this gonna put SCK on the map!
[laughs quietly] You'll make me famous, right?
-[Phil chuckles] -[click]
[silence]
[Malcolm] It's not a gang, it's a brotherhood.
Can't get convicted of being in a brotherhood.
Plus, this gonna put SCK on the map!
[laughs quietly] You'll make me famous, right?
[Phil chuckles] Yeah, I'm gonna try.
-I'm gonna try. -[Malcolm laughing]
[Phil] But back to the original question.
Are you capable of killing?
[click]
[sighs]
[landline ringing]
-[beep] -[Phil] Hello?
Hello?
Jesus, again with this?
You getting off over there?
Huh?
Maybe I should start charging for this.
Get a 900 number.
Huh?
Hello?
-[footsteps approach] -[beep]
[Jess] Here you are!
Have you been in here all night?
I couldn't sleep. [sighs]
Um, okay.
So, making the thing and watching it 306 times
in a year and a half wasn't enough?
This isn't about that fucking blog, is it?
[Jess sighs]
-It's one blog. -[Phil stammers]
By a man who hates that he doesn't have your career.
It's not the first time
that I have been accused of exploitation.
And it won't be the last.
What the fuck does it matter?
The Academy doesn't think you're exploitative.
Sundance doesn't think you're exploitative.
You do good work, Phil.
You're a good man.
Don't let anybody else convince you otherwise.
[sighs] Now stop this...
and get to work.
You don't wanna be late for your first day on set.
Speaking of late, I better get moving myself.
[scoffs] How can you be late? You own the joint.
Alright.
Just remember,
the guy's an asshole who has shitty grammar.
I mean, fuck, even I know a comma
comes before a conjunction,
and English is my second language.
[sighs heavily]
[no audio]
[Phil chuckles] Yeah, I'm gonna try. I'm gonna try.
[laughing]
[Phil] But back to the original question.
Are you capable of killing?
Guess we'll find out.
[kids shout in background]
[emotive music]
[newsman] Is this the year of protests around the globe?
France to Chile to Algeria to Ecuador...
more than 40,000 protestors...
At least two people in Asia that have been killed in the clashes.
[newsman continues indistinct]
Hong Kong doesn't currently have extradition agreements
with either territory.
Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement
can be traced to the 1980s
when more than 1,000 protestors demanded direct elections...
[siren]
But by 1991,
they had secured 18 directly elected seats
in the legislature. That was only the beginning.
Now, they take to the streets again,
fighting for their rights.
-[Kwame] What I say? -[man] Kwame, please calm down.
[Kwame] Bitch, don't tell me to calm down!
I calm down when you tell me what the fuck I said!
What the fuck did I say?
Don't think 'cause there's cameras around that
you got some kind of authority!
-What's going on? -The only thing these cameras is good for...
-You already know. - ...is the ass whooping you're about to get.
You really think Peter-fucking-con was gonna let a little humanity
get between him and a narrative gold mine?
[Kwame] I'll let you run up here and flip the fucking script!
-[man] Kwame... -[Kwame] I run this show!
Huh? Me!
You hear me? I'm running the show here!
Me! All right?
I set the rules. You don't come up here
and try to break the biggest fucking one! Are you fucking kidding me
-right now? -Getting this?
-You know it. -What's wrong with you? Go ahead! Tell me what I said!
-Day one. -[Kwame] The fuck I told you?
Speak up, nigga! Don't tell me to calm the fuck--
-[Phil] Hey! -Oh! Shit!
You lucky it was you, because I was about to lay your ass out.
What's the problem?
Your boy over here got memory problems.
I was about to bust him in his head!
Go ahead, help him with that.
[Phil] What did he forget?
I told y'all from the jump
y'all can't be fucking with my mom's.
Period!
I was real clear about that shit, Phil.
[Phil] Yes, you were. Yeah, you were.
And I'm sure it'll stick this time.
Won't it, Pete?
Why don't you go check out the sites for a minute?
Fuck!
I'm sorry, dude.
This is a real fucked up way to start this whole thing out.
Yeah. True talk.
But Kwame, this is our job.
Right now, our lives are dedicated
to telling your story.
And that,
what's happening to her right now,
it's happening to you too, man.
It's an important part of your story.
Maybe the most important part.
So, really, can't blame the guy for just, you know...
just trying to do his job the best way he knows how.
He meant no disrespect.
Get what I'm saying?
Yeah. I get you.
Y'all still ain't coming near my mom's, though.
If I gotta tell your boy one more time,
I'm a fuck him all the way up.
All right, let's go.
So! This right here,
this the den of iniquity right here.
Know what I'm saying? Uh...
Anyway, you know,
this where me and my boys would be chilling,
watching the game, entertaining the ladies.
This monster right here,
I got this for my mom's 45th birthday.
But, you know,
she actually doesn't come out here that much anymore, so...
Oh, well.
Gonna have to get her one to put in her room for her 50th.
Or Christmas, actually.
Um...
Y'all wanna meet my boys? You wanna do that?
Can we meet my boys? They're right outside.
We could do that. They been dying to meet y'all.
-Yeah. Yeah, yeah. -[Kwame] Can we do...?
-Cool! Let's do that. -Yeah.
Yo! So these niggas right here,
closest thing I got to fucking brothers right here.
You know what I'm saying? We fight like brothers too, man.
Hold up buddy, hold up! I didn't stretch this morning.
Why you acting brawly 'cause the camera's on, bro?
Why you acting brawly 'cause the camera's on?
Nah, I love these niggas, man, know what I'm saying?
But they can't see me on the court... [indistinct]
[indistinct chatter]
[dude] Yo! Yo, yo, yo! Yo, Malcolm, nigga!
This ain't right, brother.
You just gonna let them try and beat me down like this, man?
-[indistinct chatter, laughter] -[man] Hey, yo, get off me.
[Kwame] We can go to the court right now.
You wanna see us ball?
Phil?
[Kwame] Phil? You wanna see us ball?
Depends. We betting on who's winning?
I mean, if we're betting on me.
I'll cook you too. I cook him too.
[traffic]
[indistinct chatter]
[man indistinct]
[man] Damn, nice car, brother.
[man 2] Yo, that's some meme parking right there, brother.
-You like that? -[men] Yeah!
Yeah, it's all about spatial perception.
Well, shit! You be percepting like a motherfucker, then.
[laughter]
[shopkeeper] No refunds. Once they're printed, they're yours!
I said this ain't what I asked for, nigga!
Don't call me "nigga."
Why I gotta pay 'cause you got hearing problems?
I said, "PowerBall!"
-I ain't paying for this shit! -I'm gonna call the cops.
-Motherfucker, what! Man! -[Phil] Hey, man.
How much are the tickets?
-[customer] This nigga-- -Don't call me "nigga."
This motherfucker trying to get me to pay $10
for some shit I ain't even ask for!
This is Mega Ball! Smaller jackpot!
Hey! I'll take them.
For real?
Yeah, sure. Why not?
Thanks, man. Appreciate it.
You're welcome!
Yo, Imma get my tickets from up the street from now on,
'cause niggas up in here is crooked as hell!
-I said don't call me "nigga"! -[customer] Whatever! Nigga!
[Phil] Having customers leave feeling cheated...
not a good way to do business, friend.
I run a liquor store in Harlem.
You don't gotta worry about my business... friend.
Want something else?
-[traffic] -[indistinct chatter]
[indistinct laughter, chatter]
-[man] Yo. Check it out, Yo. -You win, don't forget about me.
-Oh, shit! -Oh, thanks, brother.
-[laughter] -Damn! White people crazy!
[Juan] I dunno why you got rid of the old one,
-it worked fine. -If you, out of all people,
cannot appreciate that that old-ass thing
didn't belong in this carefully curated space,
then you need to find a new line of work.
-[doorbell tinkles] -[gasps]
[shrieks, laughter]
[scoffs] Um... you're joking, right?
Oh!
Come on, it's just an internship, mami.
And they probably already know who they wanna hire.
Yeah, I do like it.
[laughter]
[both chuckle]
[Pilar] Ah! Look at you!
You're gonna knock their socks off!
[Jess] You're gonna tell her the truth.
You're gonna tell her I gave it to you as a gift.
And both agreed not to tell her anything
because we knew she would make you return it.
You got it?
Now, go get that internship.
Ragtime right in the house!
Awesome.
How'd it go?
Well, nobody quit and nobody got shot,
so... success?
Was it weird for you, being back in Harlem?
Yeah!
Yeah.
Déjà vu all over again.
Kind of depressing, actually.
Nothing has changed.
Did you really think it would? It hasn't even been two years since you were there last.
Yeah, I know, but...
I dunno. I mean, Malcolm...
His death, I mean, it was huge to me.
[stammers] It's changed my life.
But it doesn't seem to have had
any ripples in his own community.
Not that you can see from your car window, anyway.
I saw these kids standing out on a corner...
-Like they always do... -[Phil] And I thought...
I wondered if they had even seen the film.
-[Jess] Film? -I'm serious.
I wondered if they even knew about Malcolm, at all.
Or if he was just some tiny speck
in a massive mosaic of violence.
I just... I don't know if what I do,
I don't know if it makes a difference.
Oh, I'm sorry. I can hear you saying stuff,
but all I can hear is blog.
-Okay. -Blog. Blog, blog, blog.
-Blog. Blog. -This isn't about the blog.
Alright? It's not justabout the blog.
The blog's a catalyst, maybe.
All right, fine!
Fine. Let's say that I have the potential
to really make a difference.
I don't know that my reach is...
I don't know that I'm reaching the right people, you know?
I'm thinking...
I'm thinking of hiring a publicist.
A maid or a cook, probably. An assistant, definitely.
"A publicist", he says, hmm...
I've been thinking long and hard about this.
[Jess] Yeah, I know you have.
You think I'm ridiculous.
[Jess] Just a little around the edges.
Quick! What movie is that from?
Uh... I don't know. Could be any movie.
Babe, All About Eve!
I mean, really, it's only, like, the best movie ever made.
Well... a movie that you haven't made, of course.
You know what I think we should do?
-What? -I think we should crack
this baby open,
mix up a little something
and celebrate a casualty-free first day
of filming of your new project.
Sounds good.
[Phil] All right, Malcolm, so tell me,
what are you hoping to gain by joining the ranks of SCK?
[Malcolm] I just like the fact of knowing
that there's people out there
who got your back, no matter what.
[Phil] What about your family, don't they have your back?
[scoffs] Yeah, they got my back, aight?
Way back.
[Phil] What do you mean?
Man, you know what the hell I mean.
You know. My mom's at work all the time,
I don't got no brothers and sisters...
[Phil] And your father?
[scoffs] He ain't... he ain't nothing.
He ain't nobody.
He don't even live with us.
[Phil] Do you know who he is?
Yeah, I know who he is. This ain't noMaury show.
I just mean he ain't mean nothing to me.
He ain't mean nothing to nobody
It gotta be the same way for me, though.
You know, I got a chance to be something.
[Phil] You don't see that chance anywhere else?
Not at school?
[laughing] I ain't even going back.
I mean, shit! Have you seen my school?
[Phil] Yeah, I have.
There are some pretty bright kids there.
[Malcolm] Yeah, whatever.
See where they wind up in ten years.
[Phil] Where will you be in ten years?
Dead, probably.
It's gonna be a big ten years, though.
[Phil] Oh, yeah? How so?
The fame, man.
The thrill!
The respect.
[Phil] You honestly think
-that joining a gang is-- -[Malcolm] Brotherhood!
[Phil] Sorry, brotherhood. You think that joining
a brotherhood, that's the only way
that you can achieve all that?
[scoffs]
This real funny coming from you
-[Phil] What do you mean? -[laughing]
I mean, you don't want the same things I want?
I mean, look at what you do.
[Phil] Yeah, but I went to school for this.
-I studied for years. -Yeah, but, like,
that's what makes this so funny, though.
Like, you took the long way around.
You know, took the high road. And look at you.
You ain't nobody without me.
You couldn't do none of what you do
if it wasn't for all the mes in the world.
[Phil] Yeah, but I probably won't be dead in ten years.
-I plan on living a long life. -Yep... All right.
[laughs]
[footsteps approaching]
No, it's okay. Don't bother cleaning up.
I will get it all myself.
I will get dinner, I'll clean...
Sorry.
-I was... -In a hurry to get back
to flagellating yourself. Yeah, I know.
You know what?
I'm not gonna do this anymore.
It's so stupid.
I mean, I know plenty of other artists
who don't even bother to read any of their press
for this very reason.
Maybe I should adopt that rule.
I mean, after a certain point,
it doesn't even matter anyway, right?
Yes. Please.
And thank you for taking
the one thing I've been telling you all along
and phrasing it as if you've had some sort of revelation
all of a sudden, you know, personally,
without any prompt from anyone.
Okay. [chuckles]
Look...
I would've taken your word sooner, but...
you know...
you're biased, because, you know...
you've had sex with me.
Um...
I haven't, actually, in a while. Hm.
Oh! So, are you...
Wait, was that my cue to...
-Fuck the fuck out of me. Yeah. -[whispers] Thought so.
[heavy breathing]
[frightened gasp]
-[Phil] What, what? What? -Window. The window!
Hey! Hey! Hey!
[alarm beeping]
Fuck!
Finally get to sleep and that fucking thing goes off.
[sighs heavily]
[whirring]
[Jess] Okay, babe, gotta run.
I'm just starting coffee.
I'll pick some up at the station.
You want me to give you a ride, just in case?
No thanks, Fruit of the Loom.
Just in case what?
Well, we have a stalker, apparently.
Or more a run-of-the-mill peeping pervert, more likely.
Babe, I would feel more comfortable
-if you let me give you a ride. -And I would feel like a fat ass
if I let you give me a ride.
Walking to the station
is the only exercise I've gotten since opening the boutique.
Hey, a little more ass couldn't hurt.
Pfft!
You're shooting in Bed-Stuy today, right?
I called Tony and Pete, told them what happened.
They're gonna cover for me for a little while.
I just wanna stay available
in case the police need to follow up
or anything, you know?
Okay.
Babe, I really do think this is more of a one-time thing.
Don't go getting all weird and paranoid on me.
-See you later. -Yeah. Okay.
Text me when you get there.
Aw! Look at you.
So cute and bossy and protective.
Whatever. People are fucked up.
[Jess] Yes, dear.
-Bye, dear. -Bye.
[landline ringing]
[beep]
Hello?
Hey! I'm-- Listen asshole... Hello?
Hel--
[beep]
[sighs]
[Jess] This one looks good. She's pursuing her MFA in film.
-Where? -Uh...
-Columbia. -[Phil] Next.
You are terrible.
If I can't find any fellow Tischers,
I'm not gonna go straight for the enemy.
How about this one. Says he's a native Manhattanite.
Hold on. Wait, wait.
Did he actually put that?
"Manhattanite," is that what he said?
I mean, not "New Yorker?"
-Private school educated. -[Phil] Hmm.
With a silver spoon so far up his ass
-it tickles mi nose. -[laughing]
[Phil] What's next?
Okay. Uh, oh! Recent Tisch grad.
Says he's more interested
in learning about the business of filmmaking
without having to sacrifice his ability to eat.
-[grunts] -[Jess] Pretty funny, right?
It's in all caps.
And?
[Phil] It's like he's yelling at me.
Digitally. It's a form of aggression.
We got 78 responses in 11 hours.
I need to find reasons to eliminate, not to include.
Yes, master.
Would you also like me to ignore all the ones in lowercase?
Is that like an e-whisper?
Too meek?
That's very cute.
Next, please.
Ahh! Okay, this is the one, right here.
Originally from California, studied Cinematic Arts at USC...
[groans]
Oh, and then left to New York City
because he was turned off by the stigmas of Hollywood.
Says the clincher was watching a documentary on homelessness
his senior year.
Wait.
Do you think he means my piece?
Well, the math adds up.
I mean, The Begging Class
came out around his senior year, it looks like.
"I knew that I would never be able to produce
anything anywhere near as real or compelling as that
in Los Angeles."
Huh!
Marley Reed.
And you were worried about not making an impact.
Let's find out if Marley has plans tomorrow afternoon.
[slurps]
[indistinct chatter]
Phil Waterhouse?
[Phil] Marley?
Oh, my God! I--
I cannot tell you what a pleasure it is
to finally meet you!
-Yeah. -I--
Yeah, no, nice to...
You too. [chuckles] You too.
-Wow! -[Phil chuckles]
[Marley] I dunno. I guess I just...
I guess I had a feeling about it.
To be honest, I was really kind of hoping
that it was you who posted the ad.
[giggles]
Well, that makes one of us.
-Hmm? -I mean, you.
-I wasn't expecting you. -Oh.
Didn't think you'd be quite so... girl-like.
Yeah. [chuckles] I get that all the time.
Guess that's one of the hazards of a unisex name.
-[Marley laughing] -[chuckles] Yeah, I guess. Yeah.
But if you don't have any more, you know...
Is it all right if we just, like, talk now?
Of course.
So...
I'm a huge fan.
And I'm not just saying that to get you to hire me.
Of course not.
[Marley] No, you can quiz me.
I've seen all of your films.
Even the shorts. I've even...
I've even seen your thesis.
-Come on. You've seen my thesis? -[Marley] Hm-mmm.
What'd you think?
No, it was a little... predictable in the material
and in the message, but even then,
you could totally see the potential.
And here you are. Like...
living up to it. Exceeding it, even.
I mean, getting people to uproot their lives
in search of their better selves.
You know, like... Wow.
I honestly, I can't even believe
I'm sitting in front of you right now.
-Stop. -[Marley] No, seriously.
Can I ask you about your new project?
[whispers] The one with HBO?
Is that okay? Can you talk about it?
Yeah, sure.
Well, it's a series about urban youth.
We're calling it Hoods
and it's gonna follow the lives of four different... kids.
-[Marley] Nice. So... -Yeah.
Tell me about the subjects, I mean, the kids.
There's one guy, totally ruthless.
Kwame.
He's kind of a bully.
Like, recreational hate, you know?
Dr. Brenner, she thinks--
-Dr. Brenner? -[Phil] Sorry, sorry.
She's our consultant.
-Or psychologist. Yeah. -[Marley] Cool. Got it.
So, Dr. Brenner thinks he's only acting out
-because his mom... -Yeah?
because his mom is dying of cancer.
-[whispers] Fuck. -[Phil] Hm.
[softly] Really?
Well, it'll make an awesome story, though.
Right? I mean, the lion with the thorn in his paw?
So, who else?
Well, there's Dereck,
who is the drug-dealing basketball star.
-Classic. -[Phil] Right?
And Fernando. Fernando, he has been sleeping around
since he lost his virginity at the age of twelve,
but now, he's a devoted father.
Reformed man-whore, perfect.
And what would a show about urban youth be
without a rapper? That's Omar.
And Dr. Brenner thinks he might be in the closet.
-Ooh. Wow! -[Phil] Yeah, so...
And...
-that's that. -[Marley] Hmm.
So, no girls.
No.
No girls. Huh.
There's your second season right there.
Hmm?
Huh.
God, I'd give my left breast to work on a show like that.
You would?
Well, the left one's smaller, so...
[laughs]
[chuckles] Really?
Yeah. Really.
[waiter] Can I get you folks anything else?
[Marley laughs]
[jazzy music]
Hey! I brought Indian!
-It smells so good. Hm. -Mmm. It's hot.
-Mmm. -[Jess] Phil?
[Phil] Mm. Hey!
[splutters] Hey, honey. Look who's come make dinner.
-Marley Reed. -Hey.
Marley, my girlfriend, Jess.
It is so nice to meet you.
-[Jess] Hmm. -She's the one you have to thank
for your new job.
[Marley gasps] Oh, cool!
-[Marley laughing] -Isn't it, though?
What's that you're making in our kitchen?
She just made sofrito.
From scratch. How amazing is that?
[speaking Spanish]
Uh... [laughs]
She's not... she's not Hispanic.
[speaking Spanish]
Oh! No, I wish.
But I totally must've been in a former life.
Like, I have always felt so drawn to those cultures.
Especially like the food and spices.
So, I dunno, just learned a few recipes.
[inhales deeply] Well, enjoy that.
I will be in the den with my curry.
-Oh! -Yeah.
I must've been Indian in a former life.
[Marley] More?
-[Bill] Hello. -[Karen] Hi, Bill.
-Hello, Mrs. Richards. -Hello, Eve, dear.
-Hello, Eve. -Good evening, Mr. Richards.
[footsteps approaching]
Hey!
Hey.
What was that?
What was what?
That was hands down
the most convincing impersonation of an icicle
that I have ever seen.
Well, I didn't wanna melt from all the heat in the kitchen!
Heat?
Please don't tell me that you didn't notice that she's hot.
-Don't add insult to injury. -What injury?
You're the one who picked her out of all those candidates.
Which you couldn't help but to bring up
veryquickly in her presence.
Nice preemptive strike there.
She has everything that we were looking for.
Experience, education, passion--
Oh! A lot of it, I'm sure.
The only thing she's missing is a Y-fucking-chromosome.
[scoffs] Okay.
You can't possibly be this insecure.
-Not after three years. -[Jess] Three and a half!
And you know what?
I couldn't help but notice you introduced me, specifically,
-as your girlfriend. -I did that for you!
So that you would feel more... I don't know, at ease.
So you wouldn't think I was just trying to pass you off
as a friend or a housekeeper or something.
[Jess yells] A housekeeper!
It's just an example.
-You know what I mean! -[Jess] God!
You see, this is what you do.
You are the king of manipulating situations
to make yourself look like the good guy.
-What the fuck? -[Jess] Yeah! This!
This is why you rewind that tape of your life
a million fuckingtimes, Philip.
Yeah, looking for, like, the tiniest hint
or speck to prove that you are an asshole!
And you're not gonna find it.
Do you know why you're not gonna find it?
Because you have edited it allout.
I'm going to bed!
Congratulations on your shiny new assistant.
Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy night.
[Kwame] ...and I got this for my mom's 45th birthday.
she don't really come out here that much anymore, so...
Oh, well, you know, Imma just have to get her
a big one to put in her room for her 50th.
Or Christmas.
You guys wanna meet my boys?
They been dying to meet y'all.
-[traffic] -[indistinct chatter]
Guys, this is Marley. She's gonna be working with us.
-Hi. -Marley, this is Pete, Jake,
-and Tony. -Anthony.
-Nice to meet you. -[Marley] Tony. Hey, I'm Marley.
-I'm excited. -[Pete] Glad you could jump in.
Yeah, but everything I've seen...
-[cell phone buzzes] -...so far looks great.
[Jake] Yeah, we're excited to have you.
-[Marley unclear] -Yes. Yep. We're gonna hit
the deadline, Luis. We're fucking close.
[inaudible conversations]
-Okay. Bye. -All right. Ciao.
Did you see this email from Dr. Brenner?
[Phil] Hmm?
[Marley] This email from Dr. Brenner.
-Oh, yeah, yeah. -[Jake] Hey, Marley.
-Hey. -[Phil] Fifth.
Great.
[Marley] Cool.
You got a message from a Kevin Hertzog
from the Association for the Defense
of Juvenile Offenders.
He wants to know if you're available
to appear on a panel on the 24th of next month.
Am I?
Uh... yes!
Yeah. Then yeah, confirm. I like Kevin, he's a good dude.
Cool. Also, Louise needs to reschedule the check-in
for Tuesday at 10:00 a.m.
But I went ahead and put it in calendar anyway,
because we're shooting with Fernando then,
so I think Tony and Pete can totally handle that
-without too much trouble. -Okay.
I mean, unless the baby decides to join the gang.
Ooph!
What, too soon?
-Yeah! Just. Yeah. -[giggles] Sorry.
Oh! Also...
I know you're making a conscious effort
not to follow your own press, but I came across some stuff...
-[Phil groans] -...I think-- I know!
And I don't wanna dredge up any ghosts,
but there've been some interviews
-with the mother of that kid. -Seriously?
Uh-oh.
What?
-[child screaming] -[Phil] What the fuck?
We don't know. He just refuses to answer the door.
But he's in there?
As far as we know. Yeah.
Kwame?
Hey, Kwame? It's Phil. What's going on, bro?
-[Kwame] Phil? -Yeah, it's me.
-[Kwame] Uh... -Feeling all right, man?
[Kwame] Imma let you in, all right,
but I'd... just you.
I don't want the cameras or nothing.
Yeah, no cameras. No problem.
Just give me a sec.
You look like hell, man. What happened?
[police sirens]
[police radio]
I just came in and she was already like that.
I wasn't even in the room when it happened.
[crying] I wasn't even in the room.
[door closes]
[sobbing] I dunno what to do, man.
I dunno what to do. I mean, I literally,
I don't know what do,
I never had to deal with no shit like this before.
[gasping]
[sniffs]
[gasping]
[Phil] Okay.
I'm gonna tell the crew to pack it up.
Out of respect. You've enough to deal with.
You don't need a camera in your face right now. Okay?
[gasping]
What else do you need?
[exhales sharply]
[sobs] More time.
I just, I thought I had more time with...
Like, I knew she was... I knew she was bad...
that I could, like, brace myself for that, but...
[sniffs]
Her medical costs were, like, mad expensive,
and, like, basic funeral costs
are, like, seven fucking Gs, like...
you know how many fucking niggas Imma have to call,
and how many kneecaps Imma have to bust
to get that kind of money?
[sniffs] Can't even do that for her.
She did all this shit for me.
[exhales sharply]
Kwame.
Listen...
you are a strong, resourceful person,
and a loyal, dutiful son.
She knew that.
She died knowing that.
You have to know that that brought her comfort.
You know that, right?
[sighs]
You might not have been physically in the room, but...
I can tell you right now, man, you were there.
-You were there. -[Kwame sobs]
-[Kwame sobbing] -It's all right, man.
[sighs]
Is he gonna be okay?
Yeah. Yeah, he's gonna be fine.
I mean, like, for all his tough appearances,
he's still just a kid, right?
I'm older than he is,
and I have no idea what I would do if my mom died right now.
Like, of course I still have a dad, though.
Wait, he has a dad, right?
Does he have a dad?
Yeah. Yeah, of course he has a dad.
He's just... not in the picture.
-[ambulance siren] -[Marley] Wow.
So what do we do now?
Wow.
Did you know there are, like, 14 funeral homes
just in Harlem?
[scoffs] Must get good business.
[Phil] Funeral homes and liquor stores.
[Marley chuckles]
You okay?
Kinda like it was your mom who just died.
[Phil] yeah.
Yeah, I just...
I can't help wondering what would've happened
if we hadn't been there, you know?
[Marley] Okay.
And I don't mean that in like a...
in, like, a self-aggrandizing
"aren't we so great for helping out"
kinda way, I mean.
What if he hadn't gotten money from this whole deal,
or I don't know... [sighs]
How would he have dealt with all this?
How do people in his situation afford...
[clears throat]
It's like they can't even afford to die with dignity, you know?
Society doesn't give them much of a chance--
Shit!
I'm sorry.
I'm so, so sorry. I, uh...
Um...
-[Marley] You're just so... -[clears throat]
You're just so good.
You know?
I'm sorry. That was stupid.
No. No...
-[Marley sighs] -It's okay.
Yeah?
Yeah.
[Marley] Okay.
[Phil] Okay.
[heavy breathing]
Hold on.
Um...
I wanna show you something.
-Okay. -[Phil] No, no, no. No. [laughs]
No, something I've...
It's something I've never shown anyone else.
[Marley whispers] Wow. Really?
Yeah.
Okay...
[sighs heavily]
So...
This is from The Price of Brotherhood.
-[Marley] Hm-mmm. -[Phil] It's footage that I shot
one day when it was just me and the kid.
Malcolm.
It's footage that never made it into the picture...
for reasons I think...
I think you'll understand.
[exhales sharply] Sorry. I'm just...
[chuckles nervously, sniffs]
-Nervous. -Hey...
It's okay.
I'm honestly just flattered that you wanna show it to me.
I understand.
Yeah. Yeah, I think you do.
-I hope you do. [chuckles] -[Marley chuckles]
[clears throat]
-C'mon! Why not? -[Phil] No, dude.
-Why not? -[Phil] It's not gonna happen.
Just let me hold the camera.
[cameraman chuckles] No. It's not--
You're the subject. All right?
C'mon, man, it's not like I'm gonna break it.
[Phil] It's not the camera I'm worried about you breaking.
It's the rules of documentary.
C'mon, man! It's just us. We're just playing.
I ain't asking you to put what I record in the movie.
[chuckles]
-[Malcolm laughs] Yet! -[Phil] Yet?
I'm saying, what if what I record
is the hottest shit anybody ever seen?
[Phil] I doubt that.
What's that supposed to mean?
You don't think I got good ideas when it comes to movies?
[Phil] No, that's not what I'm saying at all.
[Malcolm] All right. Because I do.
-I got good ideas. -[Phil] I'm sure you do.
That's not what I meant, alright.
I'm just saying, you'd be shooting me.
-Shooting you? -[Phil] Filming me.
Recording me, you know?
I don't think I'd make a particularly hot subject.
[Malcolm] Why not?
[cameraman sighs] All right.
That's what I'm talking about.
-Let's go! -[Phil] All right.
Okay. Got it?
All right. Just a couple minutes though, okay?
Yeah, pretty simple. You just aim and shoot.
[Malcolm] Aim and shoot.
This ain't nothing. I could do this.
[Malcolm laughs]
How'd that feel?
You don't like that shit, do you?
You don't like being on the other side.
If you're gonna be like this, I'm gonna take it back.
[Malcolm] I'm just messing with you.
All right? I'm good.
I'm serious. I'm good now.
[Phil sniffs]
[Malcolm] So...
How'd you get into the business of making movies?
Well, uh...
I've always been a big fan of film.
I mean, all kinds.
Right? Like I could watch any genre movie
and love it.
I mean, horror, comedy, mystery, whatever.
But...
the ones that really appealed to me
were documentaries.
How come?
[Phil] Because...
because I like the idea that art was just happening.
You know?
Like, all around. Just unfolding.
And I wanted to be where the art was unfolding.
I wanted to catch it.
Preserve it.
So that I could share it with other people
and they can be moved by it, like the way I am.
So, you see me as art?
[Phil] Yeah, I do.
That's cool.
[Phil] I think so.
[sirens]
Could you teach me?
Teach you what?
[Malcolm] How to see art.
Yeah, I don't... I don't think it's something--
[Malcolm] 'Cause, like, right now, right?
I think I can see what you see.
I think I can see art.
Even in you, you know?
But I don't know for sure, because I ain't no expert.
But you an expert, so you could teach me.
And that's my idea for the movie.
[Phil] Your idea?
Yeah!
We can make the rest of the movie
about you teaching me how to make movies.
C'mon, that shit is hot.
[sighs]
[Malcolm] C'mon, man, think about it.
You start out making a movie
about a kid who wanna join a gang.
-Brotherhood. -[Malcolm] Right.
But you end up saving me from a life of crime
with your art and shit.
So then, your movie will become more than just a movie, man.
It'll become like a... like a message, right?
A message for people to help other people.
Man, you'll look like a hero.
And I get to live past 25.
Malcolm, I'm afraid...
doesn't work like that.
Why not?
Well...
for starters, I already told you,
I mean, I went to school for this.
[Malcolm] What school you go to?
NYU.
Oh, word?
Man, that's right here in the city!
What kinda stuff they teach you?
I mean...[chuckles] all kinds of stuff.
Technical stuff. A lot of jargon, angles,
cuts, editing...
It took seven years. And, like, 20 professors.
[Malcolm] Man! I could do that.
It's expensive.
[Malcolm] They got scholarships, don't they?
Yeah.
Yeah. Okay.
So let's say you go back to school.
All right?[sucks teeth]
what do you offer as a candidate?
What are your grades like?
What kind of extra curriculars are you involved in?
I mean, ones that don't involve guns and graffiti.
[Malcolm] Hey, man, I ain't got no gun.
Sure, okay. But your brothers do.
Right? What are they gonna say
when you tell them that you're leaving the brotherhood
to go make art?
-You right. -[Phil] Sorry, Malcolm.
Nah, nah, it's cool.
It was just an idea.
[Marley] Wow.
That was terrible.
Just terrible.
It was?
Jesus. I mean, yeah.
That must've been so hard for you.
For me?
[Marley] Yep.
I mean, what a mindfuck, right?
Like, having someone look at you
like you're the solution to all their problems,
like, really complex problems that were clearly there
long before you...
[sighs] I mean, what did he want you to do?
You must've felt so pressured. Poor baby.
You don't think...
You don't think I was too hard on him?
[Marley] God! No!
You had a job to do.
You were there to capture
a very particular kind of reality,
and he was just, like, trying to switch it all up on you
at the last minute.
I'd done the same thing.
You would've?
I'd done a whole lot more than that
if it meant I got to go to Sundance, you know?
Yeah.
I mean, I wouldn't have actually, like,
shot the kid myself or anything.
-Right. -He wasn't... shot, right?
Right, yeah. He was...
Yeah, was just kinda hard to tell,
because of, yeah...
Yeah well, I...
I dropped the camera when I realized that...
Oh...
Wow!
Oh God, that must've been so hard for you.
Could we watch it?
I dunno. I just, I feel like I could get
a whole new perspective on it now
with that in mind.
You wanna watch Malcolm get...
beat to death?
Is that horrible?
[inhales sharply]
It's not for me to say.
Hmm?
That's not a question you have to ask the guy
that filmed it in the first place, right?
[Marley sighs] Hey!
If you don't want to, it's okay.
Maybe we could just...
get back to what we were doing before?
Um, no. Sorry, sorry. Marley, actually, I'm...
I'm not feeling so hot all of a sudden. [clears throat]
Oh, no. I'm sorry.
No, don't. I... [clears throat] I had a headache.
I should've said something earlier.
[Marley] Oh!
I could give you a rub?
These hands, like miracles, so I've been told.
You know, actually, I think it would be better
if you just, if you left.
Oh.
Like...
for good.
Oh.
-Okay. -Sorry.
It's nothing personal. I just...
No. I get it.
No, I just... there's been a lot of tension,
and as much as I would love to,
I don't think this is appropriate.
-It's not professional. -[Marley] I said I get it.
I'll write you a reference.
["Fireproof" playing]
Hey, baby.
[Jess] Hey! What're you doing?
[Phil] Making dinner.
Making dinner?
Where's Marley?
[Phil] Updating her resumé.
You fired her?
[Phil] Yep.
[Jess] Why? I thought she was so perfect.
You know, with all her experience
and all her passion and sofrito.
What made you change your mind?
You.
Seriously?
[Phil] Yeah.
You were a whole other person when she was around.
A horrible, frightening, frigid person.
It was like trying to live inside a refrigerator
the past few weeks.
I was pretty miserable.
[Phil] Yeah.
[in Italian accent] So, now I fix it with spaghetti.
[in Italian accent] Well, it's the only plate
you know how to make.
Hey. What I lack in the kitchen...
I make up for in other rooms.
Yeah, well, you have a lot of making up to do.
[whispers] Like, a lot!
Ah, yeah.
Fucking Bodega coffee, man. The best kept secret.
Yeah, too bad we're fetching it for ourselves.
So, are you ever gonna replace Marley, or what?
Yeah, mid-production is not the time
to be concerned with staffing, Pete. All right?
And since when did you become such a diva?
Fetching coffee.
It's not about the coffee, okay?
I've getting some pretty aggressive calls from reporters
who can't seem to get through to you.
Yeah, I know about the reporters, Pete. All right?
I'll handle them when I'm not in the thick of this.
Fetching coffee.
[indistinct chatter]
Thank you. Have a great day.
Jess Rivas?
-Yup, that's me. -[man] This is for you.
-[Jess] Where's it from? -[man] Don't know.
Some lady gave me ten bucks and told me to bring it in here.
Okay.
[man] She didn't look crazy, if that's what you're wondering.
-Thanks. -[man] Just saying.
Jess?
Oh. Hey!
You are home.
What're you doing down here?
Did you have dinner already?
I was watching a movie.
Okay...
It was riveting.
Totally compelling.
I feel really compelled right now.
I laughed.
I cried.
Here, let me show you the best part.
[Phil] Shit...
Okay.
-Shit. Look, Jess, I-- -[Jess] You can explain?
-It's-- -[Jess] Not what it looks like?
-She-- -[Jess] Meant nothing to you.
You can do better than that.
[Phil] No, she did mean something.
-[sighs] -No. No, no, no.
I mean-- Hold on, hold on. Jess, Jess, Jess. Please?
Please. Listen to me.
I... I thought she meant something, okay?
She was... she just said what I needed to hear
in that moment. But--
Oh, that thing must've been difficult to do
with your tongue in her mouth!
But it was not what I needed. Okay?
[Jess] That's why you fired her, isn't it?
Because filling her hole didn't fill your hole, did it?
[Phil] No, Jess! I didn't...
Okay. All right, look. I know that you're hurt,
-But-- -No, you don't know shit!
You don't know shit!
Phil, okay? You never know.
Jess, please? Please just listen to me.
I'm trying to tell you, okay?
I only kissed her because--
I don't give a fuck why you kissed her, Phil!
And honestly, I don't really think you know either!
Did it ever occur to you
this is something that might destroy
-our relationship? -[Phil] Please--
Did that ever occur to you, Phil?
Please. I know that I made a mistake.
Okay?
I know I fucked up. [stutters] Can...
But it is exactly what I needed
in order to let me know that what I have with you is--
You have eviscerated everything you had with me.
You're not even answering my question.
Wait, wait, please. Please, Jess.
Jess, hear me out.
Please hear me out. Okay?
After I did it...
[Jess] What about while you did it?
Did you think about me at all then?
Did it ever occur to you that this is something
that might have some consequences?
[sighs]
Did it ever occur to you that...
it was something that...
might break my heart?
Hmm?
Yeah, I didn't think so.
I'm gonna come back for the rest of my shit
when I'm feeling a little less homicidal.
[camera zoom whirrs]
[kettle whistles]
What? No! No, no, no, no, no. I never said two weeks.
No, I never said two weeks,
because that would be unrealistic.
Believe me, Luis,
I'm not exactly sitting here with my thumb up my ass, okay?
I have a very important personal matter to take care of.
I'm allowed to have a personal life, right?
-[landline ringing] -Of course I do. I--
Look, it's my reputation. All right?
Believe me, I will call whoever you need me to call
and make whatever statement you need me to make
and cover whatever asses
you need me to cover, while I'm at it.
But right now, I just need a day.
-[ringing continues] -Yeah, trust me.
-It's fine. Okay? -[phone beeps]
we're fine. Everything is fine. All right? I'll call you.
[voicemail message]
-Yeah. Bye. -[phone beeps]
Greg Starr calling fromVariety to congratulate you
on your big win
and to ask a few questions about how you got it.
-[phone beeps] -Thanks.
[woman] I'm wondering if you'd like to comment
on recent allegations
regarding the death of Malcolm Barnes.
-[phone beeps] -This is Colin Jaffe
calling from documentthis.com..
-[phone beeps] -[woman 2] Hoping to get a quote
from you about your complicity in Malcolm's--
[phone beeps]
Amber Gray from theStar calling about the...
-[phone beeps] -[woman 3] Please give me
a call back so we can schedule...
-[phone beeps] -Jason here.
-I'd like to speak with-- -[phone beeps]
Get a line or two about the recent controversy--
[landline ringing]
[phone beeps]
Hello, Phil Waterhouse, this is Loretta Scott
calling from the offices of Oprah Winfrey.
Ms. Winfrey is very interested
in the story of your rise to fame.
[Phil] Hello? Hello?
[woman laughs]
[stammers] Hello?
[woman] Figures. Only way a black woman
can get any kind of attention these days is to be Oprah.
I've trying so hard to get your attention
ever since you won that damn award, Philip.
It's not been easy, let me tell you.
I was hoping that if I got you thinking about me, you know,
you'd take some initiative and come seek me out.
I mean, I talked to any reporter who'll listen.
Who is this?
[woman] Oh, Philip. You don't remember my voice?
I know it's been a long time since--
Well, no, not really. I've been seeing plenty of you lately.
It's me...
Lesley Barnes.
I'm sure you remember me, you murdered my son.
-What? No! No, no, no. No. -[Lesley] Oh now,
listen to you. No need to jump on the defense, Phil.
I meant that in the most harmless way possible.
You're a harmless man, after all,
just a harmless lil' filmmaker.
Are you...
Are you the one that's been filming me?
[Lesley] Oh, yeah.
Yeah, I've been watching you a good long while.
But then you went and robbed me of my windows, so...
What do you want from me?
[Lesley] I want you to answer the door, Phil.
-[doorbell] -[banging at door]
-[doorbell]
[knocking at door]
-[doorbell] -[banging at door]
-[doorbell]
[doorbell]
Bang!
[laughing]
Oh, come on, now!
You don't think I would go to all this trouble
just to shoot you, now do you?
How would that look?
What kind of fucked up headline would that make?
"Woman devastated by gang-related death of son
shoots man who caught it on film."
Phil, you not gonna invite me in?
Ooh! In the future,
you might wanna shower for company.
Wow... [laughing]
This is nice. This is nice.
Yes... this is nice. Did you buy it before or after?
After.
Was it worth it?
Why don't you have a seat, Mrs. Barnes.
"Ms."
I never married.
But you knew that already.
Right.
Why don't you have a seat?
Why don't you answer my question?
Because I don't think it's a fair question.
Okay. Then what kind of question would you like to answer?
How about...
how about I ask you?
How about you kiss my ass?
I don't owe you answers.
You...
owe me.
All due respect, Ms. Barnes,
I am very, very sorry about Malcolm...
-It's always tragic when... -No, you not sorry.
-...a young person loses-- -You not sorry.
If you was sorry,
it wouldn't've taken you two years and me coming to your door for you to say it.
-You ain't one bit of sorry! -I don't think you can tell me how I feel!
You must really think I'm horrible person.
You must think you're a horrible person.
Then why else would you let me in?
I pretty much ruined your life.
I thought I could try reason with you face to face.
-[Lesley] Reason with me. -But I'm starting to think
-that was a bad idea. -Because I'm so unreasonable.
-You're clearly still emotional. -Us people are so impossible
to reason with.
Stop putting words in my mouth!
Sorry.
[Lesley softly] And I'm the emotional one.
[sighs]
Can I please...
ask you a question?
You gonna stand there watching over me like that
while you ask it?
[sighs]
Why are...
What is it exactly...
that you think I did wrong?
You kidding, right?
No.
No! No, I...
I wanna know. What did I do, really?
[quietly] Wow!
I had to identify my son's body...
with the palms of his hands.
His face...
was something else.
Lumps everywhere.
Was like mountains coming out of his skin.
Deepest shades of...
purple, red, and blue. You can imagine.
Even some green.
Colors that got no business being on a human face.
His eyes were swole shut.
It was like somebody just stitched him up.
His upper lip was busted dead in half.
His right ear was crusted with blood
from where one of them bastards
tried to kick his brains right outta there.
Tried to kick his brains right outta his head.
Stomped him into a bloody, unrecognizable pulp.
And you!
[whispers] You watched it...
happen.
You filmed the whole thing.
And you're sitting here asking me what you did wrong.
-I called 911. -Oh, when?
When did you call 911, Phil?
Did you call them before
or after they tried to kick my baby's teeth outta his head?
Did you call them before
or after they busted his skull wide open?
When did you call them?
Tell me about it.
What?
I wanna know about that day.
Tell me everything.
I wanna know what happened. You owe me that,
-at least! -Ms. Barnes...
[Lesley] Call me Lesley.
We becoming friends, ain't we?
[Phil] Lesley... [stammers]
-I don't really wanna-- -Was he conscious...
when you went over there?
You saw the film?
Yeah.
Yeah, I saw it.
Took me almost a year to see it, but...
Yeah, I saw it.
Was he conscious?
-[coughing] -[Phil whispering] It's okay.
-It's okay. It's okay. -[spluttering]
Fuck. Fuck it. Fuck it.
-[Malcolm coughing] -It's okay, man. It's gonna be--
It's okay.
[Phil] Yeah, he was.
Could he...
Did he say anything?
I don't think...
[Lesley] Did he say anything?
[Phil] Yes.
What?
-What did he say? -[Phil] I couldn't...
He was incoherent. I couldn't make it out.
Stop lying, stop lying, stop lying.
Start from the beginning. Tell me what happened.
[Phil] No.
Excuse me?
What is this gonna solve?
I'm sure you're aware...
It isn't gonna bring Malcolm back.
This isn't healthy, what we're doing.
What exactly is it you think we're doing?
[Phil] We're...
we're trying to make sense out of something senseless.
We're trying to reconcile the irreconcilable.
[scoffs] See, that's interesting.
You being kinda vague, ain't you?
White folks love to be vague.
All abstract and shit.
See, what I'm trying to understand,
I'm trying to understand how you stood by
and watched my son get murdered.
And then, you got patted on the back,
and you got rewarded for it,
and then got told what a brave man you are
after you did it.
Please? Please, Phil, tell me,
tell me that you are as confused as I am.
If you can say that, if you can admit just that,
I might leave you alone.
[quietly] I am.
-[Lesley] What did you say? -[louder] I am!
[Phil] Confused. I am.
I don't know how things got to happen the way...
things happened.
Now we getting somewhere.
[Phil] I've been replaying it all.
[Lesley] Hm-mmm.
In my head, on the screen...
trying to figure it out.
Trying to see if there was anything
that I could've done differently.
And you know what?
I don't think there's anything
that I could've done differently.
-[quietly] What? What? -[Phil] Ms. Barnes, Lesley, I--
Your son was going to do what he did
whether I was there or not.
He was gonna try to join that gang.
And the consequences would've been just as disastrous
whether I was there or not!
I was doing my job. I was there to record his life
as he was living it.
And I just happened to catch the end of it.
-No! No! No! No! No! No! No! No! -[Phil] Yes!
-He made his own decision! -[Lesley] You are not-- No!
No, no, no! You are not gonna weasel your way outta this!
-I'm not! I'm not! -Not gonna weasel outta this.
Not today. Not today.
Not while I'm standing here in your face!
You being here does not make me responsible
any more than my being there made me responsible!
No, you can't do this. You cannot do this!
-You can't deny this. -I'm not! I'm not!
What about the talk you had?
The one where you told him that he couldn't make movies.
He told me all about it.
About how you put a camera in his hand,
told him he was a piece of art.
You blew him up like a balloon just to stick a pin in it.
You ever think about that, Phil?
Like why you never wanted that footage
to see the light of day.
-Why you kept it at all. -I...
I didn't hide it.
I kept it out of the film
precisely because there are people
who don't understand the nature of documentary filmmaking.
Dumb, regular folks like me.
Who might interpret it in a way that--
In a way that would make you look like the monster
you really are.
-Let me ask you a question. -[Lesley] Here we go.
If you were a doctor and you had a patient
who needed surgery in order to live,
but whose religion, let's say,
specifically forbade you from operating on him,
does it make you a murderer if you don't operate?
What?
Does it make you responsible for someone's death
if your very profession dictates--
Doctors are supposed to save lives.
[Phil] Yes, they're also required
to respect their patient's wishes.
So if there are conditions
under which the patient
does not want his life to be saved--
Malcolm wanted his life to be saved.
But I'm not a doctor!
I'm not a cop, I'm not God!
I am a documentarian, and my profession dictates--
[yells] You're a person, ain't you?
You was born human!
Right?
He came to you, human to human, looking for a way out.
Trying to find a reason not to go through with it,
and you turned him away.
You held him down in his place,
what you thought was his place,
-for your convenience. -I did not hold him down.
-For your benefit. -I did not--
-And, oh boy! Oh boy... -[Phil] No. He--
-...did you benefit. -He was already down!
You can't blame me for that!
You can't blame me for his reality!
His reality?
He was trying to change his reality.
You coulda helped him, but you didn't!
[yelling] Well, where were you?
Huh? Where were you?
You were his mother.
Wasn't it your job to make sure
that he had every opportunity to make something of himself?
Wasn't it your job to keep him out of trouble?
Don't come at me with this bad parenting bullshit!
[Phil] Answer the question!
-Answer the question! -I took care of my boy
-the best I could! -Wasn't that your job?
I took care of my son the best way I knew how!
The only mention he ever made of you
was to say you weren't around. I'll show you.
I'll show you exactly where he says it.
I'd like to see what kind of parent you'd be
working two jobs with no help.
No support from nobody.
-Right here. Right here! -[Phil on video] ...by joining
-the ranks of SCK? -Watch!
I just like the fact of knowing there's people out there
who got your back no matter what.
[Phil on video] What about your family,
don't they have your back?
[Malcolm scoffs] Yeah, they got my back aight.
-Way back. -[Phil] Way back.
[Phil on video] What do you mean?
[Malcolm] Man, you know what the hell I mean.
You know. My mom's at work all the time.
I ain't got no brothers or sisters.
See?
Do you see that?
[Malcolm] Man, you know what the hell I mean.
You know. My mom's at work all the time.
I ain't got no brothers and sisters.
[Phil on video] And your father?
[Malcolm scoffs] He ain't nothing.
He ain't nobody.
He don't even live with us.
You can't blame me.
You can't blame me!
You only have yourself to blame!
Maybe I you gave him a life worth living,
he wouldn't have made such fucked up choices!
You ever think about that?
Ms. Barnes, wait.
Wait. Lesley, Lesley, Lesley.
Don't touch me.
Look, I'm... [stutters]
I shouldn't have said that, okay?
That was a horrible thing of me to say.
I don't want you to leave upset, okay?
That's the last thing that I want. Honestly.
Can you please just come back in,
and we can sit down? We can try to start over.
Can we do that? Please?
I need to tell you something.
[Phil] Okay.
Yeah, okay. You can tell me anything you want.
Can you please just walk back over--
[barely audible] I said don't touch me.
All right. Sorry.
Not yet, you ain't.
But?
You about to get a whole lot sorrier.
I don't understand.
It's a question.
I was surprised you ain't ask me yet.
It's a obvious question.
Um...
Ain't you been wondering why I was taping you?
Not really. I think it's an obvious statement.
Turning the tables,
dose of my own medicine. That kind of thing.
[Lesley] Aight.
Put it like this.
Why'd you choose Malcolm?
I chose Malcolm because...
I thought he would make an interesting subject.
Yeah.
But why?
Because he led a life that was fairly...
atypical for someone his age.
A fucked-up life, according to you.
-I didn't mean that. -A life not worth living.
The choices he made was fucked up.
I already apologized for that.
Right...
Now, answer the question.
Because he led a life that was...
eventful--
Because you knew some fucked up shit was about to go down,
that's why you wanted to film him,
and that's why I wanna film you.
Eventful, interesting,
all that is just bullshit for fucked up.
If it ain't fucked up, it ain't interesting, right?
Isn't that the rule you people go by?
The nature of documentary filmmaking?
I don't see nobody making no happy-ass movies
about people living happy-ass lives, do you?
Shit, the best movies I ever saw
was about somebody getting fucked up.
Well, I'd say you fucked me up pretty bad...
Or shot.
That's what I'm trying to tell you.
What are you trying to tell me?
I'm trying to tell you
that unless them new shades you got is bulletproof,
your life is about to get a whole lot more interesting
the minute I walk up outta here.
Did you think I was the only one you pissed off
with that little movie you made?
The little movie that led to the arrest and conviction
of three members of that gang? Ah, oops, brotherhood.
Stop. You're not--
You're making this up.
You wish I was making it up.
I lost a son, they lost they brothers,
we came together out of our anger.
Out of our mutual hatred for you.
And now they just outside waiting.
Waiting for me to come out there and give them a sign.
I wouldn't do that, if I was you.
You do that and I'm outta here.
I know the police will get here faster than they got to Malcolm,
I guarantee a bullet will get here
before they did.
[thud]
[cell phone vibrating]
Isn't that convenient?
It's Luis.
You want me to tell him you busy?
-Hello? -[Luis indistinct]
-[Lesley] Mm-hmm. Yes, it is. -[Luis] I'm calling...
No, he's not. This is his assistant, Peaches.
-[Luis indistinct] -Uh-huh.
Hold on, let me just get a pen.
He wants me to take a message.
-All right, all set. -[Luis indistinct]
-[Lesley] Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. -[Luis indistinct]
-Oh, yeah. -[Luis indistinct]
Those reporters can be downright dirty.
-Just vicious. Uh-huh. -[Luis indistinct]
-[Lesley] Mm-hmm. All right.
Well, you take care too.
-[Luis indistinct] -Got it. Okay.
-[Luis] Bye-bye. -Bye-bye.
[unsettling music]
They cancelling your show tomorrow.
Seems like nobody wants to back a murderer.
I can see you upset. But look at it like this,
five minutes ago this was the biggest problem you had.
I don't believe you.
Fine.
Don't.
No! No! Wait! Wait, wait, wait, wait. Wait!
I think two years is long enough to wait.
[Phil] Please! Don't go! Don't go!
Please. Oh God! [breathes heavily]
You really--
You're gonna kill me? You came here...
You came here to kill me. Okay.
There's nothing-- What do you--
What d'you want me to tell you?
[stammers] You want me to tell you that-- about that day? Okay.
I will tell you about that day. Can I tell you about that day?
You so pathetic.
Now it matters to you, right?
No.
Yeah--
You can't hold it against me for valuing my life.
But I can hold it against you that you didn't value Malcolm's.
That's why we doing this, Phil.
You made some fucked up choices too, Phil!
And you know what?
You know what, you know what, you know what?
Since we raising the stakes and all,
I think Imma need a little bit more from you.
Yeah! Uh-huh.
I think you need to tell me about your life.
What?
Since you talking about...
how fucked up my life is. You sit up here judging me.
I think it's only fair that I know about yours.
Tell me about your childhood.
Okay. Great.
Can you please just come sit down?
Can you come sit down?
I'll sit down when I'm good and ready,
and right now I ain't good or ready.
[sighs]
Where were you born?
-Lesley-- -[Lesley] Ms. Barnes.
You done fucked up your friend status.
Ms. Barnes, I don't know how...
Where were you born?
[Phil] Milwaukee.
[Lesley] When?
When what?
[Lesley] When were you born, asshole?
-When was your birthday? -June 10, 1978.
We the same age?
I don't know.
[Lesley] I feel so much older than you.
You don't look it.
You so pathetic.
What your parents do?
I talk and you call them off, right?
Yes, Phil. Who do I look like? You?
Now, answer the question.
My parents were professors.
Did they make a lot of money?
They're professors.
[Lesley] Don't give me a reason.
You don't go into academia for the money.
-I never thought about it. -[sighs]
Then the answer is yes.
If you don't have to think about money,
then you got a lot of it.
Then, yes. Yes, they made a lot of money.
-Enough, anyway. -[Lesley] Enough.
Hmm.
Did they tuck you in, read you stories,
bake you cookies, you know, that type of shit?
[Phil] Yeah.
Did y'all go on trips together?
Yeah. A couple times a year went away.
Only vacation me and Malcolm went on was...
was to Florida.
My daddy's funeral.
I guess that's not a vacation, huh?
He died at work.
Loading a truck full of canned beans.
Guess he wanted a vacation too, huh?
Malcolm was eight and he didn't wanna go.
And the only way I could convince him
was by telling him that Disney World was...
was close by. It was much better than Disneyland.
[sighs]
Another place he never got to go to.
Anyway, I told him that we might be able to swing by
before we went back home.
And he was so good the whole time.
Never complained once.
Even when he figured out
that we weren't gonna make it to Disney World.
Never even brought it up.
He was so quiet on the plane ride back home.
[Lesley clears throat]
What kind of places did y'all go to?
Where did we go. We went to Aruba...
Boston, Cancun.
Venice.
Italy and Vancouver.
Ah, Rome.
The...
first time we came to New York,
we actually got mugged.
Really?
Was he black?
What?
Was he black?
I don't remember--
It's not a trick question, Phil.
Yeah, yeah.
Huh...
Figures, don't it?
Is that a trick question?
[Lesley laughs]
So, what happened?
I told you. We were mugged.
What happened? Like, was it gunpoint, knifepoint?
-What happened? -[Phil] Gunpoint.
[Lesley] How old were you?
Eight. [sighs]
You must've been scared.
Not really, actually.
It felt like I was...
like I was watching a movie.
Is that why you got into making them?
You sound like my mom. Psychoanalyzing me.
[Lesley] Huh!
Ain't that some shit.
I coulda been a professor.
Coulda been a professor...
Malcolm coulda been a filmmaker.
Safe behind a camera somewhere.
I'm ready for you to tell me about that day now.
[Phil sighs heavily]
[sighs] Okay.
All right.
[sniffs] All right. Well, here we are.
It's just you and me today.
Oh shit!
Here's our boy now.
He was walking home from school...
He went to school?
[Phil] Yeah. Yeah, he was going back.
[sighs] Okay.
Ms. Barnes, please, just...
Go on.
[sighs heavily] I was...
You know, I tell you one good thing about the hood,
strong fucking Bodega coffee.
None of that fancy bullshit.
-[indistinct chatter] -[Phil] All right!
[sighs happily] Now, I'm ready for anything.
Oh. Oh man.
I almost missed it.
I was putting sugar in my coffee, and...
one minute he was walking down the street, and...
I turned away for, like, five seconds.
It literally could not have been longer than that, and...
Go on. Go on.
[Phil] At first...
It looked like he was gonna be fine.
I thought he was gonna be fine.
All right.
This looks like the moment of truth right here.
[sighs] You stayed in the car?
[Phil] I did.
[crying] 'Cause I thought he'd be fine.
I thought they were gonna hold back, you know.
I thought it was just another routine thing,
another jump in for them, you know?
And that they would know where to draw the line, but...
So, I kept... I kept rolling...
[sniffs] ...from across the way.
[Lesley sighs]
Until I...
until I realized...
[Phil] Oh man! Wait, that...
That's not...
What the fuck!
-[beeping] -[Phil] What the fuck!
Shit! They're gonna kill him!
They're gonna kill him!
[Malcolm cries out]
[Phil] Hey!
-[gangsters grunting] -[Phil yells] Hey! Hey!
-Hey! -[gangster] Shit!
Go, go, go, go, go!
[Malcolm coughing]
[Phil] Hello? Yeah. Hi. Uh, 128[indistinct].
Get an ambulance here right now Right now, please!
Hey. Malcolm, Malcolm? It's okay. It's okay.
-[Malcolm sputtering] -[Phil] You're gonna be okay.
You trying to tell me you didn't know?
You didn't tell them he was quitting the gang?
Tell who what?
You didn't know?
Know what?
They weren't jumping him in, they were taking him out
because he was quitting the gang.
Wait, what?
[Lesley] I thought you told them.
You thought I...
You thought I ratted him out to SCK?
That's what...
That's why you're doing all this isn't?
Why would I do that?
Why did you think I would do that?
I didn't know. I assumed.
That's a fuckof a thing to assume, Lesley!
Watch your tone with me, please.
You wrecked my life! You've wrecked my life!
You violated my privacy! You destroyed my relationship!
You've robbed me of my fucking livelihood!
You came swaggering in here all self-righteous!
Telling me I'm monster, trying to tear me down,
and you don't even have the right information!
You don't even have your fucking facts straight!
-I said watch your tone. -[Phil] Or what?
Or what! You gonna...
Gonna walk outta here and have those terrorists take me out?
Terrorists?
You being a little dramatic, ain't you?
No, that's what they are! That's what they are!
They're domestic terrorists!
Thinking of any reason they can to take a life!
Scaring the shit outta decent people
just because they can, and you! You're defending them!
I'm not defending them, I'm using them.
Oh! Then I guess that just makes you
the head terrorist bitch in charge, don't it?
Finish telling me.
No.
Tell me!
No.
Fine.
Fine. Fine.
Anybody you wanna call before I go?
Anybody you wanna make final amends to?
Nobody?
Nothing you feel like you need to apologize for?
You ain't sorry for nothing?
I'm sorry you're such a crazy bitch.
[laughs] How am I a bitch?
How am I a bitch when I'm trying to give you a gift?
Do you know how many people die
without telling the people in their lives
what they shoulda told them?
Without getting to do half the things they shoulda done?
Without getting nothing out of their lives?
Oh. You mean like Malcolm?
-Fuck you! -Fuck me?
Fuck you! D'you think I'm just gonna let you walk out the door?
[Lesley cries out] Get the fuck off me!
-[ripping] -[Phil] Fuck!
Shit! Shit! Get--
[both grunting]
[Lesley cries out]
[both grunting]
[grunting continues]
[Lesley groans in pain]
-[Lesley gasping] -[Phil grunting]
[Phil pants, grunts]
[Lesley gasping for air]
-[cries out] -[panting]
[gasping]
[Phil panting]
[panting]
[Lesley gasps]
[panting]
Look at you.
If you weren't a murderer before,
you sure are now.
All I wanted...
was to know what my son's life was like.
His last day on earth.
And you happy to go to your grave with that, ain't you?
[both panting]
[Lesley] And for what?
With the little bit of integrity I have left.
You need a microscope
to find the integrity you got left.
[sighs]
I hate you.
I hate your fucking guts.
So, what is it gonna take for you to tell me
what I need to know?
Whatever it takes for you to forgive me.
You want forgiveness?
I do.
You sure got a funny fucking way of showing it.
What exactly is it you want my forgiveness for?
Because...
you acting like I'm the one that's doing you so wrong.
You acting like you the victim up in here.
You just tried to choke me out.
That was self-defense. You're trying to...
You wanna kill me.
And you ain't wanna die?
-[Phil] Of course not. -Know who else didn't wanna die?
You know you else didn't wanna die?
My son!
He came to you trying to save his life
in every way he knew how.
And you condemned him to death, anyway.
You know what? He didn't even get mad.
He didn't get mad. He trusted you.
He died trusting you!
His death made an artist out of you.
You profited from it, you got rewarded from it,
and then you treated us like we was disposable.
[sobs] Like we was some broke furniture
that you could just put out on a curb!
I'm sorry.
-I'm so sorry. -[sighs]
You should just leave. [snivels]
After everything I've done, you should...
You're right. [bitter laugh]
You're so fucking right.
I fed him to the fucking wolves.
And now the wolves are standing at my door.
[laughs]
I mean...
It's total karma.
I deserve it.
I deserve to die.
[laughs]
You know what would make this perfect?
Is if you filmed it.
[laughs]
I mean, that's--
I'll, I'll...
I'll put up the shades and everything,
I'll stand right there so you can get a good shot.
So they can get a good shot. [laughs]
Look at me.
Listen to me. [laughs] I'm directing my own...
[laughing]
[crying] I deserve it.
There's nobody out there, Phil.
[crying] It's what I deserve.
[sobs]
[Lesley] There's nobody out there.
I made it up.
I had to get you.
I had to get you to talk about him, so I lied.
I lied.
[Phil] I don't even care anymore.
I don't even care.
You don't deserve to die.
[Phil] I don't care.
You deserve to live.
Live with it...
like I live with it.
[crying]
You still see me as art?
-What? -[Phil] That's what he said.
[Phil] Before he died.
[Phil] Those were his last words.
"You still see me as art?"
Really?
Yeah.
[Phil crying]
What did you say?
-[sirens blaring] -[Malcolm spluttering]
[Malcolm coughing]
Nothing.
All I could do was hold on to his hand.
All I did was hold his hand.
Is that enough?
[snivels]
[crying]
[sobs] Oh, God. I said nothing.
[sobbing]
[sobbing continues]