Synecdoche, New York Page #4

- Thank you.

- Enjoy.

- What are you doing?

- Salivating.

The biofeedback training.

- So I was wondering if you'd help.

- In your box office?

No, as my assistant.

I'm not sure I can work with you,

Caden.

I'm kind of angry.

I just wanna normalize it.

I think we'd have a lot of fun

together.

I miss you.

- Really disturbing.

- I know.

Dear diary, thank you

for being my new best friend.

My name is Olive Cotard,

and I'm 4 years old.

I like chocolate,

and my favorite color is pink.

This is pink.

Yeah, that's good.

- Next.

- Hi.

We'll start by talking honestly...

...and out of that,

a piece of theater will evolve.

I'll begin.

I've been thinking a lot

about dying lately.

- You're gonna be fine, sweetie.

- Well, I appreciate that, Claire, but...

You are, you poor thing.

Yeah, well, regardless of how

this particular thing works itself out...

...I will be dying.

And so will you.

And so will everyone here.

And that's what I wanna explore.

We're all hurtling towards death.

Yet here we are,

for the moment, alive...

...each of us knowing

we're gonna die...

...each of us

secretly believing we won't.

It's brilliant.

It's everything.

It's Karamazov.

- Stop.

- I'm just asking.

- You're so obnoxious.

- You're so obnoxious.

- You do not wanna cross me.

- Don't I?

Hi, Claire.

- Hi.

- Hazel.

Yeah. No, no. I know, I know. Hazel.

You're the box office.

- Yeah, I'm the box office.

- How are you?

Wonderful. You?

Yeah, yeah. I'm good. I'm fine.

Thank you.

Actually, I'm meeting Caden here.

You know Mr. Cotard, right?

Yes, I recall Mr. Cotard.

Yeah. I'm waiting...

- Hey.

- Hi, Caden.

- Hi, Caden.

- Hi, Hazel. Hi, Claire.

Hi.

- This is Derek.

- Hi, Derek.

- Hi, Derek.

- Hi, Derek.

Hi.

Well, we'll leave you be.

It's nice to see you again.

- Take care.

- Why am I bowing? Okay, bye.

- That was awkward.

- Yeah, I guess.

Do you like beaver...?

So could you tell me maybe

what it is that you want from me?

You know, like, from my character.

Well, we'll build it over time

together.

You know, try to find a real person,

maybe, to model it after.

That Hazel girl's

kind of interesting maybe.

- You know, like, why...?

- Although...

Why is she still working

at a box office at her age?

I don't know.

Probably not that interesting.

Maybe she wanted to be an actress,

but she lacked the confidence.

- Yeah, we'll talk about it.

- I'm so excited.

Really? Why?

Because I think that it's brave.

And I just feel like

I'm gonna be part of a revolution.

I keep thinking about Artaud,

Krapp's Last Tape...

...you know, and Grotowski,

for chrissake.

I don't know what I'm doing.

But that's what so refreshing.

Knowing that you don't know...

...is the first and the most essential

step to knowing, you know?

I don't know.

- Well, I'm proud of you.

- Thanks.

- Don't say that, not to me.

- Oh, sorry.

My mother died last night.

Oh, my God. I'm so sorry.

What are you doing out?

- This is me.

- Well...

Well, it was nice meeting you.

Oh, God, did I just say "meeting"?

- I'm sorry. I'm so stupid.

- Slip of the tongue, is all.

Yeah, it's a Freudian slip, right?

I don't know how it's Freudian.

To meet, you know? Like, to meet.

There she met Ralph Keene.

They fell in love, married...

...and soon their first child,

Claire, was born.

I used to be a baby.

Claire Elizabeth Keene

was a joyous child...

- I'm sorry.

...the apple of her mother's eye.

She made her parents proud with her

politeness and gymnastic skills.

God, you're beautiful.

When she was 7, little Claire

was bitten by the acting bug.

She starred

in almost every school musical...

...playing Ado Annie in Oklahoma...

...Adelaide in Guys And Dolls,

and Maria in The Sound Of Music.

I have to f*** you. I have to.

There will be no other before you.

I'd like to buy a ticket, please.

- Okay. Hold it.

- That'll be $40.

We're not really...

We need to investigate.

You know, to really discover

the essence of each being.

You know, I think I need to work

with both of you separately.

Davis, I'll start with you.

I liked the beginning.

I don't wanna see a good scene...

"Davis, I'll start with you"?

There's a difference between favoring

me and pretending we've never met.

I mean, we've had Ariel.

I think people know that we've f***ed.

We'll talk about your character

after we put Ariel to bed, okay?

Okay.

I think I made a breakthrough.

- This character is so beautiful...

- Yeah, I have to go find my daughter.

- Your daughter's right here.

- My real daughter.

- Excuse me?

- I mean, my first daughter, Olive.

- I have to go find her.

- Please don't do this to us.

She's tattooed. She's tattooed.

Oh, everyone is tattooed.

Oh, I've never seen that before.

- You have responsibilities.

- Yeah, I'll be quick. I'll do it quick.

Redundancy is fluid.

Life moves to the south.

There is only the now,

and I am always with you.

For example, look to your left.

Hi.

When you canceled, it freed me up,

so I'm traveling too.

You know,

I'm not sure I'm getting the book.

Oh, but it's getting you.

You're almost non-recognizable now.

Thank you.

I show you my leg. I stand close,

and you inhale my perfume.

I offer my ripe flower to you

and you deny it.

This book is over.

Hi.

I don't speak German.

Yeah, yeah. I may help you, mister?

I'm looking for Adele Cotard.

Adele Lack.

We must not give addresses

or other personal informations.

- I'm her husband.

- No, you are not her husbands...

...which is named Gunther

und Heinz.

I'm the father of her daughter, Olive.

I see. I'm sorry, I cannot help you.

Dear diary, Germany is wonderful.

So many friends here.

My new dads are great

and handsome...

...and brilliant directors of theater.

Hello.

You're here?

Yeah. I live with Adele and Olive

and Gunther and Heinz...

...and Uschi and Britt.

I'm everyone's nanny.

I wanna see my daughter.

- Yeah, they sent me.

- They?

Who are they?

Who the f*** are Uschi and Britt?

Yeah, they decided it's not time

to see you yet.

They decided? Who decided?

They had her tattooed.

Oh, I did that. Olive is my project...

She's a 4-year-old!

She's a f***ing 4-year-old!

She's almost over 11 now.

She's my muse.

I love her.

You don't love her!

Where is she?

What did you do to my daughter?

Death comes faster than you think.

- That was your last patient for the day.

- Let's stop this charade.

I don't know

what you're talking about, doctor.

You're actually having an affair

off set.

- Palpable, huh?

- Oh, okay.

- Who told you?

- And it's not good.

- Not good, oh, okay.

- You're actors playing actors.

You're in this scene, you're not

just filming it. You're in this scene.

Just like that...

As you're telling him this,

you realize you're attracted to him.

How are you gonna let him know?

And the guilt you feel about telling him

about somebody else knowing.

Daddy, Daddy is mine.

Daddy can't play now, honey.

Daddy doesn't live with us anymore,

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