Next Of Kin

-THIS IS A WASTE OF TIME.

I AM NOT GOING TO LISTEN

TO YOU ANYMORE.

-PETER WILL HEAR US QUARRELLING,

AND HE SHOULDN'T.

-LET HIM HEAR US QUARREL.

-HE SHOULD BE HEARING US

TRYING TO INSTIL

SOME VALUES IN HIM,

GET THROUGH TO HIM ABOUT WHA HE'S GONNA DO WITH HIS LIFE.

-I SAY HE SHOULD BE HEARING ME.

I THINK IT'S TIME--

-HE'S HEARING YOU.

BUT I THINK HE'S HEARING

THE WRONG THINGS FROM YOU.

-MY GOD! WHAT A LIFE THIS IS.

WHY DO I HAVE:

TO PUT UP WITH THIS?

I HAVE TO GO TO WORK

THIS MORNING.

( Spanish guitar music)

-MY NAME IS PETER.

I'M 23 YEARS OLD,

AND I'VE LIVED AT HOME

ALL MY LIFE...

WATCHING MY PARENTS

DISLIKE EACH OTHER.

FOR A WHILE, I THOUGHT THAT WAS

A PRETTY EXCITING THING TO DO.

BUT IN THE PAST YEAR OR SO,

IT'S ALL BEGUN

TO GET ON MY NERVES.

SO WHAT I'VE BEEN DOING INSTEAD

IS SPENDING A LO OF MY TIME... PRETENDING.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU

( aII singing )

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR PETER

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU

Peter:
I FIGURED OU A LONG TIME AGO

THAT BEING ALONE WAS EASIER

IF YOU BECAME... TWO PEOPLE.

ONE PART OF YOU WOULD ALWAYS

BE THE SAME, LIKE AN AUDIENCE,

AND THE OTHER PART WOULD

TAKE ON DIFFERENT ROLES,

KIND OF LIKE AN ACTOR.

-NOW BEFORE WE START, I'D LIKE

TO POINT OUT THOSE CAMERAS.

THEY'LL BE VIDEOTAPING

OUR CONVERSATION.

AFTER THIS MEETING, I'D LIKE

EACH OF YOU TO VIEW THE TAPE,

SOMETIME OVER THE NEXT WEEK.

NOW IT'S IMPORTAN THAT YOU WATCH IT ALONE.

USE ONE OF OUR ROOMS

ON THE NINTH FLOOR.

THEN, WHEN WE MEET AGAIN,

WE CAN TALK ABOUT YOUR REACTIONS

TO WHAT YOU SEE,

AND WHAT YOU THINK

OF THE WAY YOU'RE BEHAVING.

OKAY? GOOD.

-IS THAT S YSTEM HOOKED UP TO A...

A S YNCHRONIZING GENERATOR?

-YES. NOW... GOOD.

COULD SOMEONE TELL ME

WHAT'S BROUGHT YOU HERE?

-RIGHT NOW, OUR BIG PROBLEM

IS WITH PETER.

HE DOESN'T WANT TO DO

ANYTHING WITH HIMSELF.

-IS THAT RIGHT, PETER?

-I GUESS, YEAH.

-WHAT DO YOU DO ALL DAY?

-HE PRETENDS.

-IS THAT RIGHT, PETER?

DO YOU MAKE-BELIEVE?

-SOMETIMES.

-WHY?

YOU ENJOY IT?

-I GUESS, YEAH.

-DO YOU HAVE MANY FRIENDS?

WHY NOT?

-I... I FIND IT DIFFICUL TO COMMUNICATE SOMETIMES.

-ARE YOU LONELY?

HOW OLD ARE YOU?

-HE'S 23.

-I ASKED PETER.

IS THAT RIGHT? ARE YOU 23?

-YES.

-DOES YOUR MOTHER USUALLY

ANSWER QUESTIONS FOR YOU?

-SOMETIMES.

-A LOT OF THE TIME?

WHAT TIME DO YOU GET UP

IN THE MORNING?

-HE USUALLY SLEEPS IN.

-DO YOU STAY UP LATE?

THEN WHY DO YOU SLEEP SO MUCH?

MR. FOSTER, WHAT TIME

DO YOU USUALLY GET UP?

-OH, AT A QUARTER TO SIX,

SIX O'CLOCK.

-YOU GO TO WORK?

-YES.

-IS IT A GOOD JOB?

-OH, YES!

-AND YOU WORK HARD AT IT?

-YES.

-TAKE A CERTAIN PRIDE IN WHAT YOU DO?

-UH-HUH.

-THEN HOW IS I THAT YOU'VE RAISED A SON

THAT DOESN'T WANT TO WORK,

HAS NO PRIDE:

AND PRETENDS THAT HE'S

SOMEBODY ELSE ALL THE TIME?

-I--

-IS IT NECESSARY TO BE SO BLUN

ABOUT ALL OF THIS?

-MAYBE PETER'S TRYING

TO REJECT YOUR VALUES.

IS THAT IT, PETER?

YOU DON'T WANT TO BE

LIKE YOUR PARENTS?

-OH, I HAVE NOTHING

AGAINST THEM.

-YOU LOVE THEM?

-HMM.

-VERY MUCH?

( Hearing voices )

Peter:
LOOKING BACK ON OUR

SESSIONS AT THE FAMILY CLINIC,

I'VE COME TO REALIZE SOMETHING:

I ENVY THERAPISTS.

I MEAN, WHAT CAN BE

MORE EXCITING THAN...

THAN GETTING TO KNOW

ANOTHER FAMILY,

TRYING TO SOLVE THEIR PROBLEMS?

WHAT CAN BE MORE

SATISFYING THAN...

THAN GIVING DIRECTION

TO OTHER PEOPLE'S LIVES?

Father:
I DON'T HAVE

TO LISTEN TO THIS.

I HAVE TO GO TO WORK

IN THE MORNING.

YES, YOU HAVE, GARY, IF WE WAN TO GET THROUGH TO EACH OTHER...

AND THROUGH OUR SON.

-THIS IS A WASTE OF MY TIME.

-SO HOW'S YOUR FAMILY?

-NOT BAD.

AND YOURS?

-SO SO... YOU KNOW.

-HOW'S YOUR MOTHER COMING ALONG?

-SHE'S BETTER.

-AND YOUR WIFE?

-SHE TOLD ME SHE SPEN THE WEEKEND WITH ANOTHER MAN.

-YOU'RE JOKING.

-THEN TRIED TO COMMIT SUICIDE.

-HOW ABOUT YOUR HUSBAND?

-OH, HE'S GREAT.

VERY COOPERATIVE, VERY... OPEN

ABOUT HIS FEELINGS, YOU KNOW.

-WELL, THAT'S A START.

-YEAH, I SUPPOSE.

-I OWE TO SHOW YOU

MY FAMILY SOMETIME.

-DO YOU HAVE MUCH TAPE OF THEM?

-SIX HOURS.

-COLOUR?

-BLACK AND WHITE.

BUT I SHOT IT IN ROOM 304.

-SO YOU'RE HAPPY ABOUT--

-OH, THE LIGHTING IS AS EVEN

AS YOU CAN HOPE FOR.

-IT'S SO HARD TO GE THE FLESH TONES.

-CAN I HELP YOU?

-YES. I'M HERE TO SEE A TAPE.

-WHICH ONE?

-FOSTER.

-THERE YOU GO, DOCTOR.

-YOU'RE NEW HERE, AREN'T YOU?

-YES. I'M WORKING HERE

THIS MORNING.

MISS MINUCHIN HAD

A MEDICAL APPOINTMENT.

-NOTHING SERIOUS, I HOPE?

-SHE HAD TO GET HER TEETH FIXED.

-AH...

AND WHAT'S YOUR NAME?

-LIZA.

-LIZA...

MY NAME IS TED, BUT MOST PEOPLE

AROUND HERE CALL ME TEDDY.

-WELL, I'M ONLY HERE THIS MORNING.

-OH, CALL ME TEDDY

WHILE YOU'RE HERE.

-ROOM 153 IS FREE.

-THANKS, LIZA.

-YOU'RE WELCOME... TEDDY.

Mother:
HE DOESN'T WAN TO DO ANYTHING WITH HIMSELF.

Therapist:

WHAT DO YOU DO ALL DAY?

DO YOU HAVE MANY FRIENDS?

ARE YOU LONELY?

HOW OLD ARE YOU?

DOES YOUR MOTHER USUALLY

ANSWER QUESTIONS FOR YOU?

THEN HOW IS IT THA YOU'VE RAISED A SON

THAT DOESN'T WANT A JOB,

HAS NO PRIDE,

AND PRETENDS THA HE'S SOMEBODY ELSE?

-IS IT NECESSARY TO BE

SO BLUNT ABOUT ALL THIS?

-MAYBE PETER IS TRYING

TO REJECT--

Peter:
FOR 23 YEARS,

I'VE BEEN RAISED

AS MY PARENTS' PRIDE AND JOY.

THAT'S GOTTA CHANGE.

I WANT CONTROL NOW.

-HI, SARAH.

HOW ARE THINGS OUT THERE?

THIS IS A TAPE OF THE SESSION THA I MENTIONED TO YOU IN MY LETTER.

I'VE INCLUDED

A FILE ON THE FAMILY,

WHICH WILL HELP TO GIVE YOU

SOME IDEA OF THEIR BACKGROUND.

AS YOU'LL SEE, THERE'S A GHOS MEMBER THAT I'M DEALING WITH HERE:

A SON WHO WAS GIVEN UP

FOR ADOPTION.

THOUGH THE SHAPE

OF THE ABSENT CHILD

PLACED A STRESS:

ON THE FAMILY'S EQUILIBRIUM,

THIS SESSION PROVED

QUITE EFFECTIVE:

IN RELEASING THE TYRANNY

OF THEIR MISSING SON.

I HOPE YOU FIND IT HELPFUL.

WHY DO YOU THINK

YOUR DAUGHTER LEFT HOME?

-BECAUSE SHE DON'T RESPECT ME,

THAT'S WHY.

-WHY DO YOU THINK

SHE DOESN'T RESPECT YOU?

-BECAUSE SHE AC LIKE A BIG SHOT.

-IN WHAT WAY?

-THE WAY SHE DRESSES.

LOOK AT HER.

-IS THAT ALL YOU'RE ANGRY ABOUT,

GEORGE? HER CLOTHES?

-SHE DRESS LIKE A...

LIKE A WHORE.

-DO YOU THINK SHE'S A WHORE?

WHEN YOU TALK,

DO YOU LISTEN TO HER?

-YES.

-SHE DOESN'T THINK THAT YOU DO.

-SHE DON'T LISTEN TO ME!

-THEN WHY DO YOU TREAT HER

LIKE A CHILD?

-BECAUSE SHE MAKE ME ANGRY.

-HOW?

-HUH... JUST... SHE JUST...

SHE JUST DOES.

-ARE YOU SURE YOU'RE NOT ANGRY

ABOUT YOUR SON, GEORGE?

ABOUT BEDROS?

ARE YOU SORRY THAT HE'S NOT HERE

TO MAKE THINGS BETTER,

TO FOLLOW IN YOUR FOOTSTEPS?

ARE YOU ANGRY WITH AZAH

BECAUSE SHE REJECTS THE VALUES

YOU BELIEVE YOUR SON

WOULD HAVE ACCEPTED?

YOU GAVE YOUR SON AWAY

WHEN YOU CAME TO THIS COUNTRY.

-WE HAD NO MONEY.

-SO YOU GAVE HIM AWAY.

A FEW YEARS LATER, YOU HAD

A DAUGHTER. YOU KEPT HER.

SHE'S IN THIS ROOM

WITH US RIGHT NOW.

DOES THAT UPSET YOU?

WHAT ARE YOU THINKING, SONYA?

-I WANT US TO BE HAPPY.

-ALL RIGHT. LET'S PLAY

A LITTLE GAME.

I WANT US TO PRETEND

THAT I'M YOUR SON.

THAT I'M BEDROS.

LET'S SAY THAT I'VE JUST COME

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