Obselidia

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[clears throat]

-You know they say a

person grows and grows

and then one day they just

stop, and then it's just OK.

Well, maybe the

world's like that.

Maybe it's all going

off, species by species,

object by object,

everything in decline.

[TYPEWRITER CLICKING

RHYTHMICALLY]

And if it all going

to disappear tomorrow,

how are you going to live today?

[TYPEWRITER CLICKING

RHYTHMICALLY]

My name is George,

and I believe I'm

the last door-to-door

encyclopedia

salesman in the world.

[TYPEWRITER CLICKING

RHYTHMICALLY]

[CLICKING TURNS TO MUSIC

PLAYING]

-When I was a kid,

I still remember

that a movie was

magic, you know?

It was really magic.

People used to go to the

theatre and buy a ticket,

and this is the only place

that you could see a movie.

You know, you buy a ticket and

you go to the-- to this dark

theatre.

We'll go and we'll dream, and

you could kind of fly away.

[typing]

INTERVIEWEE:
Hey, you know,

it doesn't exist anymore.

So this magic is gone.

[typing]

[beep]

-Looks like you'll

have a great weekend.

A man is obsolete.

-Long ago, but they

still make life sweeter.

[beep]

Time hath thought to

make dust of all things.

Great book.

-You actually know it?

-Sure.

Thomas Brown.

The "Pseudodoxia Epidemica"

is one of my favorites.

-Wow.

I mean, I was just

checking it out

because I'm doing

a paper on Sebald.

-"The Rings of Saturn."

-Yes.

Listen, um, I was

wondering, uh, I'm

having a few people around my

house for some food and wine

and I thought maybe you'd like

to come if you're not too busy.

Um.

-Um--

-I mean, it's no big deal.

It's just a few people.

It's OK.

It's-- it's last minute.

-Um--

-You know what?

You don't have to explain.

It's cool.

Maybe, um, maybe

some other time.

-Yes.

Thank you.

-Well, uh, I'll see you, then.

-Enjoy the book.

-Thanks.

[typing]

[phone ringing]

"Encyclopedia of

Obsolete Things,"

this is George speaking.

Yes.

Sophie, thank you for calling.

Uh, well, whenever's

good for you.

Um, two o'clock should be fine.

Yes, two o'clock's fine.

OK, I'll see you then.

Oh, and I-- I truly

appreciate it.

OK.

Thank you, then.

Goodbye.

MAN:
Jeez, remember

when you were

a kid, how you used to see

a shooting star at night?

Now you look, you

see something, it's

a bloody satellite or something.

-Hm.

Well, in some ways, I'm

kind of glad about that.

-What?

-Not the satellite part.

The shooting stars

make me nervous.

-Come on, you gotta

be joking, right?

-Well, no.

I mean, they're probably

part of a meteorite, and--

and, uh, the

meteorite was probably

part of a planet or a star.

It's--

-Wow.

You're a depressive son

of a b*tch at times.

-Not so depressive.

It's just true.

I mean-- you know, and

if it's not a meteorite,

it was probably a

piece of space junk.

Did you know that there

are 12,000 charted pieces

of rockets and satellites flying

around the Earth at the moment?

-You know what your problem is?

-That I see things as they are?

-No.

Not what I was thinking.

You know that girl that

works down at the Mac Store

down on the corner?

Marta?

-No, I--

-Yeah, you do.

And I reckon--

-Listen, Mitch.

The thing is, love is obsolete.

-Love is obsolete?

-Mm-hm.

It's even an entry

in my encyclopedia.

-But who's talking about love?

-At very best, it was

only ever an illusion,

induced to ensure the

procreation of the species.

And now that that's possible

without human contact,

it's-- it's unnecessary.

-Well, on that happy

note, I'm off to bed.

-Well, it's true.

I mean, an Italian

university has just

proved that love

is just a protein.

--[laughs] Love is

just a protein.

Now I've heard it all.

-Uh, you don't

want another beer?

-Good night, George.

-Good night, Mitch.

Just gotta focus.

Yeah.

-So how do you want to do this?

GEORGE:
Well, I'll ask the

questions and you answer.

-Will it go online?

GEORGE:
No, it's

going to be a book.

-Where are you from?

GEORGE:
Here, last 20 years.

-Accent?

-My mother was Australian.

How long have you been here?

-Six months.

GEORGE:
That's not long.

-Long enough to call it home.

GEORGE:
Shall we start?

-Where'd you get that camera?

GEORGE:
Flea market.

-And you film

everyone like this?

I mean, everyone you

think is disappearing?

-Uh-huh.

And I then take the

tapes home and transcribe

what's good for their entry.

-Oh.

Can I come over

sometimes, watch them?

-Why?

-I'm curious.

You know, to see who else

is dying off like me.

-Um.

-Do you actually make

a living out of this?

GEORGE:
No, I work in a library.

-So have you filmed yourself?

GEORGE:
What do you mean?

-Well, libraries.

GEORGE:
Oh, they won't be

obsolete for a long time.

-You're kidding.

Everyone gets

everything online now.

-Well, actually, only

41% of households

that earn under $40,000

a year have a computer,

so there's still a lot

of people out there

that need to use libraries.

SOPHIE:
And of the 59%

that don't have computers,

how many ever actually read?

-When was the last time

you were in a library?

These days, most

people just borrow DVDs

and use the computers there.

So shall we start the interview?

-Sure.

Do I look OK?

It doesn't matter.

No one'll see it.

-Wrong answer.

GEORGE:
Well, you--

you look fine.

-You're not reassuring me.

GEORGE:
You look pretty.

-I do?

Thank you.

GEORGE:
So if you could

start by telling us

your name and a little

bit about what you do.

-OK.

My name is Sophie

Fitzpatrick and I'm

a projectionist,

which I think is

the coolest job in

the world, because I

get to watch thousands of films.

[fast-forward chatter]

Every time you play a print,

it leaves a little purple dust

behind.

It's basically the

emulsion wearing away.

I mean, eventually that

print won't even exist.

And in the future,

projectionists will just

download files, press play,

and it will be a purpley world.

And all of this?

You're right.

[cell phone vibrates]

-Oh, sorry.

GEORGE:
Um, you can get that.

-Uh, no.

I don't want to talk to him.

Anyway, yeah.

All of this, it's

on its way out.

It's over.

It'll all be gone.

[typing]

GEORGE (VOICEOVER): [LISTING

ENTRY NAMES ALPHABETICALLY,

STARTING WITH A]

-On your left.

GEORGE:
"The situation

is now irreversible.

Within 20 years, the world as

we know it will no longer be."

[typing]

CO-WORKER:
You done?

We're ready to lock up.

-Uh, just one more minute.

-What I don't understand is why

don't you just buy a computer?

Then you can do this at home.

-Because the more of us

that resist buying them,

the more pressure there is to

keep places like this open.

-This place will be open.

You need to move with the time.

-Or your conscience.

Take your pick.

-No point swimming

against the tide.

-Unless the tide is taking

you out to the ocean.

-Hm.

Got that right.

[typing]

[knock]

-Coming.

-Hi.

-Hi.

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