The Binding (2015) Movie Script
1
Making some eggs.
Yeah, makin' some eggs.
What do you see?
Hey.
She ruined the surprise.
What could she be doing?
Good morning.
I think somebody misses you.
That 'cause it's your big day?
Yeah, it is.
Good morning.
Thank you letting Mommy sleep.
You excited?
Should we tell her
what else we're making?
- Bacon. Yeah.
- Oh.
You're making, did
you cook the bacon?
- All by herself.
- Chef.
Amen.
Raised in the likeness
of his resurrection,
you are hereby recognized
before the Father,
the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Gonna tear it all down
Wait for the sunrise
Wait for the sunrise
Pleasure, anytime, enjoy.
Hello Minister.
- Thank you.
- Thank you.
Hi ladies!
Thank you.
Hi.
You're welcome.
Enjoy, eat, please.
Sarah.
I didn't mean to startle you.
As you were.
I'm not here to chastise.
That was a lovely
ceremony today.
A long time coming.
Well, after all the occasions
that Brown's had to be there
for other people's children,
yes, it was quite special.
Oh, I wanted to give you this.
It's for Skya, and
also for your house.
The voice of the Holy Spirit.
Wow.
I didn't expect you...
Thank you.
And I also wanted
to ask about-
Fine. Thank you,
everything's fine.
Good.
Glad to hear it.
I realized later
that I must have caught
her in a good mood
or a moment of
weakness or something
because...
Hoo!
He let his faith fall in that which
at least is faithful also in much.
Just replace "he" with "she"
and "is faithful" with
"has her sister stand
up to her bitchy self
once in her G-D life."
Well done.
We ran out of mac and
cheese almost immediately.
May not have been
as good as gold,
- but it was surely good enough.
- Surely good enough.
I'm up.
Hey.
Think it's a Magetto
Fire Road kinda night?
Honey.
What is it?
The sun.
It's okay.
Take your time.
I can't, I can't believe.
He had it.
It happened, but...
But it did.
Bram, what happened?
Something wonderful.
I believe...
I believe that...
that God almighty Himself,
He appeared to me.
Tonight.
In the most literal sense.
Moses and the burning bush.
He, He was here.
But...
What...
Did he speak to you?
Oh, Sarah, it was,
it was wonderful.
I was in bed,
only it was a dream.
It was, but it was more present,
more nearer than anything
I'd ever experienced.
He appeared over me
but He was...
He was everywhere.
There was, there was light.
There was so much light.
Then He...
What?
He spoke.
His voice was,
it was in me.
Through me.
And...
I don't know how else to say it,
but he said...
What?
He said that there was
something coming for us.
For me.
And that soon,
He would be calling upon us.
That would be an act
of great importance.
And then I...
I would be His right hand.
Let's pray.
Yes.
Yes.
- Amen.
- Amen.
- Goodbye.
- Bye.
- Goodbye.
- Bye Daddy.
Hey.
Just be in touch, okay?
Anything happens.
I'm not gonna say
anything to anyone.
To Uriel.
I just, I think we should
keep this to ourselves
until we have the whole picture.
Of course.
Hi there.
Sorry for just
showing up like this,
but I noticed yesterday
you had some sort
of baby party here,
and I wanted to contribute.
- Thank you.
- Oh, you're very welcome.
We made a whole batch this
morning, so it's not any trouble.
- We?
- My...
Well, Joseph and I.
Right.
- I'm sorry-
- You know what actually,
I'm on my way out.
Sorry.
Right, well um, another time.
Wasn't that just the
most gorgeous ceremony
the other day?
Mm-hmm.
You sure I can't get you one?
Mom.
So what else is new?
Nothing big.
Oh wow.
That's Sam Taylor's mom.
What was her name?
- Victoria.
- Right.
So sad.
There were always
rumors you know.
What do you mean?
Well, it...
Jacob was odd.
- Yeah, the brother.
- Yeah.
He never acted like a,
well, like a normal adult.
Don't get me wrong.
He wasn't 30 years old,
wearing diapers,
coloring on walls or
anything like that.
He was just odd.
You remember the
one family festival?
Yeah, of course.
There were stories about
a dinner party.
Some of the things your
husband did at his worst,
they can't even compare.
That's what made
it so unfortunate.
I thought.
For Victoria, and then
of course for Sam.
The fact that the
signs were all there,
adding up and up and up,
and Victoria just
thought what she thought.
Didn't matter.
Well, maybe if she'd
had her eyes open
she'd still be with us.
Sarah, I know Skya is the end
of a long road for you and Bram,
but all things considered,
your life is still very blessed.
I know that.
And others don't, and that's
why they get into trouble.
Sarah, when Victoria
was working-
Signals were being sent
to her day after day
and she did nothing.
Sometimes it isn't
as easy as that.
Yes, it is.
And I'm sorry, but having a son
who's unbalanced
is not worse than
having to drive yourself
to the hospital after
your third miscarriage
because your husband is too drunk
to get himself off the couch.
Maybe.
Maybe if Victoria Tanner had
just taken a moment to think.
Maybe Sam wouldn't have found her
face down in the swimming pool
with a knife in her back.
Hey.
Hey, could you give us a hand?
Sure, gimme one sec.
It was all I could do
to keep quiet today.
It was the same for me.
I just, I feel so full.
I used it.
Today.
Today is a special day,
my brothers and sisters.
Special because you
are here with me,
and I with you.
And because we
are here together,
we know we are on
the right path.
Know it.
And yet, there are moments,
past and future,
that we question that.
Why?
Because of an inherent weakness?
No.
Because of an inherent humanity.
A man is lost in the woods.
What keeps him trudging on?
Faith.
A man suffers terrible injury.
What keeps him from succumbing?
Faith.
A man's family is torn from him
long before their time.
What raises him from his bed
each and every morning?
Faith.
Yes.
Maintain your faith
by embracing your
inherent humanity
even in the face of
apparent hopelessness,
because when you put
your faith in Lord God,
sooner or later you
will be rewarded.
Your faith will
become certainty,
because He is here
with us always.
We are never alone.
- I love you.
- I love you.
Honey, what's going on?
Bram, tell me...
Hey.
Sorry.
I was trying not to
have that happen.
Are you okay?
I didn't wanna come here again.
I didn't wanna come
here in the first place.
It's fine, taking a
step was my decision.
We've covered that.
I know that my behavior
has been irregular,
but I've told you over and over
that there are some
changes, and...
I have to work through
them on my own.
So, I just...
- I need some time.
- You've had time.
- Weeks.
- Then I need more time I guess.
Sarah, how does
that make you feel?
Frustrated.
I feel like he's
keeping secrets.
Secrets he doesn't
have to be keeping
because I'm here for him
through anything.
Bramwell, are you hearing
what Sarah's saying?
Yes, and I appreciate it.
But if I decide that
something is for the best,
I think that my wife
should honor that.
Bram, you haven't
slept in almost a month.
You're barely eating.
Your behavior is almost
exactly how it was-
Sarah.
I'm not drinking, you know that.
It's a fact.
Sarah, do you know that?
My head does.
Bramwell, the position
you've taken is valid.
Ephesians asks that wives
submit unto their husbands
as they would unto the Lord.
For the husband is
the head of the wife
as Christ is the
head of the church,
and therefore, as the
church submits to Christ,
so let wives do
unto their husbands.
However, your position
has validity too, Sarah.
What you described,
and described on
several occasions,
is behavior that is,
to say the least, unusual.
And it seems to me
is indicative of
a larger problem,
but we're not going
to make any progress
until Bram is honest.
Are you telling us, truly,
that there's nothing wrong?
I'm honestly telling you
I need to work
through some things.
- For how long?
- As long as it takes.
I'm very sorry,
but I can't live like this
for as long as it takes.
And for the past month I feel
I've been sharing the house
with some sort of photocopy.
It constantly reminds
me of how things were,
and I can't go back to that.
I'm sorry, I just can't.
- What do you want me to do?
- I want you to tell him.
I don't think
that's a good idea.
I think it's the only idea.
Bramwell,
what's she referring to?
As I understand it...
I've been visited
by God almighty.
Well, that's wonderful.
It was.
He appeared to me and
said that something important
was gonna fall on Sarah and I,
and that I would be the
one to carry it out.
And when was this?
33 days ago.
And has it happened again since?
Every night.
And on these
subsequent occasions...
Has He spoken to you?
- Yeah.
- What has He said?
Try to understand.
Please.
His words.
They aren't like ours.
It's as if you were
born blind and deaf
and gained everything at once.
It's overwhelming.
But as I understand it...
If I do not carry out His will,
the end times are nigh.
He's shown it to me.
Darkness covers the earth,
piece by piece,
closer and closer.
Other things change, but
that's always how it begins.
People turn on each other.
Action is taken
but to no effect.
Fear and pain only grow
and long after it's
become too much to bear...
The earth itself
swallows all who remain.
And what is His will?
What must we do
to prevent this from happening?
As I understand it...
I must kill my only child.
Your confession has shown
tremendous courage, Bramwell.
But understand that
there are many ways to interpret
what you've experienced.
Interpret?
Well first, and
most importantly...
Of course,
you haven't considered...
No, of course not.
Next.
Are you certain that
what you've seen are visions
as opposed to dreams?
Yes.
Of that one thing I am certain.
Well, count yourself blessed
that you've received His touch.
But know that wise
men, historically,
have posited that
He would never ask
the slaughter of
one of His children.
But, the...
By Abraham and Issac,
the binding.
Jeremiah 32:35.
God speaks of the ancient
Israelite practice
of child sacrifice,
and he asserts it
never entered my mind
that they would do
this abomination.
Now you said it yourself.
God's words are not ours.
As early as the 1300s,
it was suggested that unlike
the cruel heathen deities,
our Lord in heaven requires only
spiritual surrender.
It was Abraham's imagination
that led him astray.
All God wishes
is to know that you are His.
Mind, body and soul.
Yes.
Of course.
Then go forth with
this new certainty.
Be troubled no more.
Hello, you've reached
Sarah Eyman's cell phone.
Please leave a message and I'll
get back to you as soon as I can.
Thank you, have a blessed day.
Sarah, hello,
this is Minister Uriel.
As you might imagine,
I was a bit taken aback
this afternoon by what occurred.
It's not everyday
that something of this
magnitude presents itself.
I hope that my
counsel was helpful,
and I pray that it means
the end of this trouble
for you and yours,
but, if it isn't,
if Bramwell's visions
persist or intensify,
I have some information here
regarding someone that
you might consider seeing.
A good God fearing man.
A psychiatrist.
He helped my brother in a time of
need a few years ago and he...
Well, that's all.
God bless.
Did you have fun at Nana's?
Yes, you did.
Yes you did.
How dare you.
Bram?
You questioned my will.
You shake your fist
at me in defiance.
- Bram, wake up.
- I will not be commanded!
First...
Darkness covers the land.
Brother turns against brother.
It all begins with your child.
Bram, stop this.
You have yet to
learn the meaning
of spiritual surrender.
Bramwell, your family
must remain whole
until the night,
the night that you
remove your daughter
from all others.
- All who meddle.
- Stop this right now.
- Present her to me.
- Stop it!
And cut her heart
from her chest!
No!
What happened?
What happened?
Well, it appears as
though we're looking
at a sort of good news,
bad news situation.
The good news is,
there does not appear
to be a single thing
medically wrong with you.
Everything is right
where it needs to be.
Nothing barren or out of place.
The bad news is,
if everything you've told me
is the God's honest truth,
signs point toward you're
suffering a psychotic break.
And that's another
matter entirely.
Great, thank you.
Goodbye.
Okay, we're all set
for tomorrow at 12:30.
Is that still okay?
None of this is okay.
I appreciate that, Bram,
which is why we're taking
steps to get you well.
Look, Uriel spoke very
highly of Dr. Kore.
- With any luck, maybe he'll-
- He's not a doctor.
He's a shrink.
I think it's the same thing.
I'm gonna go there,
and he's gonna
say that I'm crazy
and put me on all
sorts of medications
or ship me off somewhere
where I'm not gonna be able
to see either of you anymore.
Bram, what's happening to you?
I don't know what's
happening to me, Sarah.
I think that maybe we're
looking for answers
in the wrong places.
Wrong places?
We devoted ourselves
to something, Sarah.
Something bigger than ourselves.
Something that has
been there for us
through good and through bad.
Something that's
solved our problems
when we both didn't think
that we could get any lower,
and I don't think that
it's in our best interest
to just cast that
off the moment...
The moment that what?
Mind your tone.
Please.
It's worth thinking about,
that's all I'm saying.
No, Bram, I saw
something the other night
that I've never seen before.
I don't think anyone
has ever seen before.
Okay, I don't know
who was speaking to me
in our bedroom,
but it wasn't you.
Do you understand?
So what happens the next time
that little visitor
decides to show up?
But instead of just talking,
he wanders into the
kitchen and gets a knife
and finishes the
business out for himself.
I don't think that that's
the way that it works.
If God wanted Skya dead, Bram,
she would be dead.
He would have caved
the roof in on her
or blown out my tires
with her in the car
or set off a gas leak
one of the ten times a day
that she's in the kitchen,
but she's still here,
healthy as can be.
Sarah, I'm sorry,
but I don't think that
that's the way that it works.
I think His children
need to act on their own.
Great, so our
alternative is what?
You just keep
having these visions
night after night
for the rest of your life
for the next 50 years?
God will not suffer you
to be tempted above
that ye are able.
But will with that temptation
make away to escape
that ye shall be
able to bear it.
I will bear what I must.
It was what?
Three weeks.
Three weeks until you
stopped acknowledging
our child all together.
How many more nights
until you stop sleeping,
avoiding what's
happening completely?
And how long after that
until you turn back to alcohol?
How long after that
until you break entirely?
I will bare what I must.
What are you suggesting then?
We asked the minister for
help and that didn't work.
Oh that didn't
work spectacularly.
We looked for physical evidence.
Nothing there.
So if not this next step,
if not cold, clinical,
psychiatric diagnosis,
then what?
I don't know.
I don't know.
But, I think if we're willing to
surrender our faith so easily
then what was the
point of any of it?
I am not surrendering a thing.
I am making sure that the
death of our infant daughter
isn't the result of
a chemical imbalance
in her father's brain.
I'll sleep on the couch.
I'm well, Mom, thanks.
How are you?
She's good.
Hey, I know this is
kind of last minute
and you're always saying that...
Would you mind coming over
and spending some time with her?
Oh, hi.
Hello.
I um, I brought you this.
You and your Joseph.
Was that his name?
It is a thank you.
You know, for the other day.
Oh, thank you.
That's not at all necessary,
but we appreciate it.
Yeah.
- Listen, you want-
- Are you-
- We have to stop doing that.
- Right.
Ladies first.
I um...
I think I'm...
I might have made some
unfair judgments before,
and that's not the
person I strive to be,
so it was unfair of me
and I apologize.
So, what was that party
you had at your place
a couple weeks back?
You know, had to do
with little uh...
- Oh, Skya.
- Skya.
Oh my God, how cute is that?
What was it, her
birthday or something?
- No, it was her Christening.
- Oh.
Now, explain something to me,
'cause I guess I've
never really known.
What is a Christening?
I mean, it's kind of like
a baptism, right?
There's a ceremony
and the rest of it,
but, you know, what's it mean?
It's a sacrament.
It means a divine grace.
It cleanses original sin.
Oh.
Okay, so you like
really believe all that?
And your answer is yes, Gabe,
that is exactly what I believe.
Just like the majority
of the country.
Oh my God, I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
That was really offensive.
- No.
- No no, look.
Like you said,
it's nobody's place to judge.
If you're happy
and living a life,
more power to ya.
I am.
You know, you really
don't have to help
with any of this.
No, please, it's only polite.
Son of a biscuit.
What?
Well, this has been
happening once a week
for what, like, months now.
What's been happening?
Well, I only
drink beer and wine.
I get crazy otherwise.
And Joseph is a
vodka and soda man,
always and forever.
So...
Well, some local
hobo is using our trash
as his drop spot.
I have no idea why...
Hi.
- Did you see the doctor?
- Yes.
Did you or are you lying to me?
Please don't speak
to me like that.
Yes, I saw him.
We talked for a long time.
My session with him
went 40 minutes over,
but he said not
to worry about it,
because I took precedence.
He's a man of faith, Sarah.
Unconventional, there's
no doubt about that,
but very much a believer.
- Is Skya already asleep?
- My mother was here.
I asked her to take
her home with her.
Had we discussed
that for tonight?
What sort of ideas
did this man have?
He gave me a prescription.
He told me to try
it for a few weeks,
and if nothing changes
then he had thoughts.
Thoughts you'd like to share?
There's no use in
getting ahead of ourselves.
Until we know more.
He says I'm repressing
in several senses of the word.
King Saul lost three children,
and rather than live with
everything that happened,
everything that was
going to happen...
He fell on his sword.
I want you to
think very carefully
before you say anything else.
I want you to
please explain this.
- Where did that come from?
- Is it yours?
What do you mean is it mine?
I think I was pretty
fucking clear, Bram.
- Watch your language.
- Answer the question.
I never bring up the
cigarettes you hide everywhere.
That you think are so secret.
Not once.
'Cause I respect your privacy.
You found that in a trash can?
Somewhere nearby.
And yes.
It is mine.
So what?
What, all of the visions...
- It's not what you think. -They're
all just part of some big-
Listen to me!
It's mine, but I
didn't drink any of it.
I never have.
Not once in all of the
months that I've been doing it.
All of the months that
you've been doing what?
This is gonna
sound like a story.
That's why I avoided telling
you in the first place.
I knew it would be difficult
for someone else to understand.
But I have been sober for
more than three months.
That's the God's honest truth.
I chose you and Skya
over the bottle, right?
But I don't work
late on Thursdays.
I never have.
Every Thursday night,
since the first
week of my sobriety,
I...
I have a ritual.
A way to prove it to myself.
Prove what?
I go to Mark's Liquor on ninth.
I buy a 37 ounce
bottle of Nu-ball,
and I go to our spot.
On Magetto Fire Road,
and I look out at the city.
The lights.
I think of all the
people unburdened
by my problems,
and I think about all the people
burdened by problems
much worse than mine.
And then I pour out every drop,
and come home.
To prove it to yourself?
To prove that alcohol and I
can exist in the same world.
So why risk it?
Why risk bringing the
bottles back here,
why not just leave them there?
I don't know.
Maybe I didn't wanna litter.
- Is all of this true?
- Every word.
What happens now, Bram?
I take the medication.
- See if anything changes.
- And if nothing does?
Right, it's now or never.
Skya's asleep, she's usually
out for a while in the day.
She'll want a bottle
when she wakes up.
Yeah, I know.
I'm smart like that.
I guess I'm in denial.
I'll be back as
soon as I can be.
Be careful.
Daniel thought he saw the
car again this morning.
Bram's?
Yeah, he thought so.
- Sarah.
- Hi Sam.
- You look so different.
- So do you.
Oh, what do you mean?
Oh, no no no. Just, it's been
a lot of years, that's all.
May I come in?
Yes, but um, like I said on
the phone, I'm very busy
so I don't know how
long you can stay.
Look, Sam, I don't
wanna take up any more
of your time than
I have to, so...
You wanna know about Jacob.
Yes.
Jacob hasn't been out
of Anti-OC for years.
Doesn't really talk anymore,
not even to me,
but I go there every week,
look after him, look
after this place.
- Those were my mother's wishes.
- I understand.
I guess you remember
that Jacob was weird.
Just antisocial.
We thought low level
Asperger's or something,
but nothing that could
ever become dangerous.
But he started to have
outbursts, temper tantrums
he was too old to be having
in places he shouldn't
have been having them.
- Wasn't anyone concerned?
- Of course we were concerned.
But they were having
trouble diagnosing him,
and there'd be long
periods of time
in between episodes, and...
I mean, what were
we supposed to do?
Life goes on.
Are we supposed to
flee to Canada?
Leave him on somebody's
doorstep in a giant basket?
Then one day...
Yeah.
This doesn't mean
anything, you understand.
Bugs under the skin, dissecting
the neighborhood pets.
Crazy has patterns.
Do you understand?
It's always different,
but it's always the same.
I'm just trying to gather
as much information as I can.
Information is fine, just don't
start looking for meaning.
One day Jacob told us that he
was hearing voices in his head
every time he tried
to go to sleep,
so, obviously we all got
on the diagnosis train
in a big way and by that point
it had been going on much
longer than we knew about,
and he was near the edge.
Did he ever tell you what
the voices were saying?
Not at first.
No.
But after, when the
police asked why
he had put the knife
in so many times,
he said it was because
the voice told him
to cut out our mother's heart.
You didn't come here for
any kind of confirmation,
so why don't you just tell me
what you wanna know.
Because the,
the only thing is that...
If you could have done
anything differently,
what would it have been?
I would have had
my brother locked
in the deepest, darkest hole,
and sold the key
for scrap metal,
and if that didn't work,
I would have killed him.
Hey.
If it's another votary
I still don't wanna
talk to anyone.
Daniel has Bram on the phone.
Sarah, are you there?
Yeah.
Yeah, I'm here.
How are you?
Oh.
Not good.
Not good at all.
I haven't...
I've just been at home.
Uriel and I both agree
I should...
take a leave of absence.
Bram, what happened?
Lord God.
We give you thanks for
the joy in the house this day.
Sooner or...
Sooner or later...
We all come to a crossroads.
What we perceive as...
As a moment of crises,
a time that we must choose
between the tangible
something...
And the...
The intangible everything.
Two...
Two impossible choices.
Please!
Please.
Control your child.
That's the problem.
When people can't even...
Don't you understand,
this is difficult?
What I'm doing right now.
Don't any of you
understand that?
Well...
I'd like an answer.
I don't know.
You don't know?
You don't know something
as simple as that?
Well then what are you gonna do
on the day of your reckoning?
The day that
Lord God comes to you
and demands of you
the impossible.
The day that the stakes are
higher than you could imagine,
and that doing the right thing
will utterly damn you.
Well!
Bram, please.
Hey, stop, stop.
How are you feeling now?
It's...
It's like a migraine,
but there is a heed.
It's that light, it's,
it's almost every
time I close my eyes.
And the voice.
It's worse than what I see.
The commandment is the same.
Always the same, it's...
It's so loud.
I feel like it could kill me
anytime it wants.
Okay, Bram, listen to me.
Have you spoken to Dr. Kore?
That was the next step, right?
If this didn't work
he said that, that he had
something you could try.
Something we could try.
I just got off the
phone with him.
He said it's something
we need to be in on together.
You don't have to do anything.
Are you still there?
Yeah.
Where should I meet you?
I'm outside.
I'd like to thank you
both for making the trip.
The office can be so impersonal
for visits like this.
Doctor, excuse me,
I assume Bram has
brought you up to speed.
I told him everything.
Oh yes, and it is
a beautiful story.
Pardon me?
Remarkable.
Extraordinary.
I am of a mind that anything
which can be considered truly
remarkable in this world
of quantifiable data,
should be considered beautiful.
Do you not agree?
Wow, look at him.
- Sarah.
- No.
No, no look at him.
I have had to watch him
recognize and then resist,
and then fight tooth and nail
against whatever it is
that is trying it's damnedest
to rip his mind apart.
And you're standing here
telling me that it's beautiful?
No, no no.
Of course not.
Not in the traditional sense.
He said you could help us.
Understand.
I make no promises.
I have prescribed your
husband enough medication
to knock the wren activity out
of a west Indian manatee.
And it's only made things worse.
Which leaves me to believe that
what we are dealing with
is not entirely internal.
What I said from
the beginning was...
What you have said
from the beginning,
as you perceive it,
is that God or something
very much in his image
appeared to you the night of
your daughter's Christening,
and almost every
night since then,
commanding you to take her life.
Not unlike the binding of Issac.
- Yes.
- Yes.
I once had a patient who I knew
relatively straight away
was manic depressive.
At first, oh he denied it.
Vehemently.
Delusions of grandeur so
characteristic of the disease.
He was unyielding.
So I invited him here
one evening like this.
I made a jiaco like tonight.
You've both seen that
there is corn in it.
I'm sorry, what are
you talking about?
By the time we
were ready to eat,
he had withdrawn.
He refused to make conversation.
So, I made a little remark
about where I'd got the corn.
At a farmer's market.
And do you know what he said?
No.
No, you didn't get it there?
No.
To the corn in it's entirety.
There's no corn in this he said.
Spooning the corn
into his mouth.
There was no change
in his demeanor.
He wasn't having an episode
or anything of that nature.
So, I slowly encouraged
him to explain himself.
He said, he had seen
the jar on the counter,
and the label had
said capers, so clearly
this was not corn.
Can you imagine?
I think what Sarah meant was...
Would you help me serve?
Please.
It's very good.
Great. I'm glad.
You should see if you can try
to get some of this down.
I think you'd like it.
- It has potatoes.
- What is this?
Are you messing with
us or something?
Why did you bring us here?
I thought we would enjoy
our dinner first, Bram.
Well, excuse me if I have
other things on my mind.
Can you help us or not?
What?
What was that about
all your other patient?
He had seen the capers,
and he had seen the corn,
and his mind was not in a
place to differentiate the two.
You are visited by a
creature calling itself God,
and all that you have allowed
yourself to do in response
is to discern whether
those visitations are real
or imagined.
Is there anything incorrect
in what I'm saying?
No.
Real, imagined.
Two options.
But, as I see it,
strictly according to the data,
there is a third option,
an option which you have
yet to fully explore,
an option which in my opinion
as a man of faith
and a man of medicine
potentially holds the most
validity of all three.
Which is what?
That you are indeed
commanded by a spirit.
A supernatural being.
But not the heavenly father.
Not our God who art in heaven.
Something else.
You described this being as
enveloped in light, did you not?
Well then, don't see
what you believe.
See what you see.
Morning star, light bringer.
Lucifer.
Sarah, you'll be happy to know
that I've consulted the
district superintendent.
Okay.
One of the ways in
which Christ's ministry
is continued
throughout the world.
His words.
Okay, so...
Yes.
Yes, authority has been given.
Bramwell, the presence and love
of Jesus Christ
is here today.
Do you accept this?
We ask you, Jesus,
cast out any and all spirits
within or near Bramwell Eyman.
Cast them out, Jesus.
Cast out the evil spirits.
Praise the Lord.
Leave this man now.
Cast out the searing
and profane light
this spirit has shown upon him.
Pray with me.
Pray with me, Bramwell.
Cast them out, Lord.
Cast these spirits out.
Cast them out.
Cast them out.
I command you in the
name of Jesus Christ.
Leave Bramwell Eyman.
Leave him!
Cast out all evil spirits
attached to Bramwell Eyman.
We pray you cast the evil
spirits from this man.
Free Bramwell.
Free him.
Leave Bramwell's body,
and never return.
Never return.
Amen!
Bramwell.
How do you feel?
Empty.
I feel nothing.
- Is that how you've been feeling?
- No.
- Anything but.
- So there you are.
Of course we'll have
to keep an eye on you.
But I think we've
broken back this thing.
Yes.
Yes, oughta be so.
Please God.
Let it be so.
Minister.
Now Sarah, if you really
didn't like the gift I got ya,
you could've put it on eBay.
Just tell me.
Do you truly believe?
Is it over or not?
Yes.
You have to believe
that it's over, Sarah.
Just as Bram has to
believe it's over.
It was the seeds of doubt
that began all this.
Now you put this behind
you, and move on.
Utterly.
And it will be over.
Jesus resisted the
devil three times.
You and your husband
have done that and more.
Keep yourself free from sin
and the devil will
have no foothold.
But, if you feel that
Skya's in real danger,
call the police.
God will not suffer
you to be tempted
above that ye are able,
but will with that temptation
make a way for you to escape.
That ye shall be
able to bear it.
I wonder if we've escaped.
We have.
Of course we have.
What happens now?
I'd like to keep
things the way they are.
Just for a little longer.
When some time passes
and you're still feeling better,
then we can discuss
being together again.
All of us.
I'd like that, Sarah.
I'd like that very much.
I love you.
I just want you to
be absolutely sure,
that's all I'm trying to say.
I'm as sure as I can be, Mom.
You think that's enough?
It's gonna have to be.
It's been more than a month
since Bram has had
any kind of episode.
He's back at the church.
And our nights alone at
the house have been fine.
Fine.
Better than fine.
He's sleeping like a log.
He's gotten up two,
three times a night
as long as I've known him,
but for the past few weeks
he's slept straight through
until seven or eight
in the morning.
He says he hasn't done that
since he was a teenager.
All right.
I mean, what more can
he have us do right?
Right.
That's where I am.
Hey, could you grab those?
I think once we toss that out
in the bag that's everything.
If there's absolutely
anything that you think I-
Thank you, but,
we have to start getting
on with our life.
And, first step
just has to happen.
Hi.
Hi.
One more?
Hey.
I'm sorry, I have
another favor to ask.
It's just...
I mean, it's our
first night back,
and I'm so happy to have
us all together again.
I just...
Well, if not for my own...
You want Skya to sleep with you.
Alone, just the two of you.
Is that awful?
No. Not at all.
Baby steps, right?
Right.
Once upon a time,
God almighty appeared
under one of the chosen
and commanded that he slay
his own flesh and blood.
Perhaps that time
has come again.
I figured it out, Sarah.
What he's been asking me.
All this time.
Everyone had it wrong.
I just need a little
time with our daughter.
Hey. Hey.
Listen.
Listen to me.
I don't wanna hurt anybody.
But I will do what I must.
Do you understand me?
There's only one option left.
And I can't let you stop me.
I'm gonna put tape
over your mouth,
and lock you in the garage.
Then...
Everything will be finished.
Only it'll be real this time.
Are you going to behave?
Don't.
Don't be like that, Sarah.
The visions never stopped.
Call them whatever you want,
but that's what they are.
Visions.
Darkness.
Closer and closer and closer,
swallowing everything.
He showed me until I obeyed.
He wanted the three
of us as a family
under one roof, and
I did as he said.
Now, Sarah...
Are you going to
behave yourself?
Come with me.
We're going straight
to the garage.
Keep walking straight.
All of the doors are locked,
the phones are gone.
So please.
Walk.
You said.
You said that you
know what everybody's
been asking you to do.
After Dr. Kore misdiagnosed,
after Uriel failed,
I turned to the good book.
I knew that there was
something I must have missed.
And then after several days
I found it.
It had been staring
us in the face
only no one had the
good sense to see it.
When God commanded Abraham
to sacrifice his child,
God needed only to see
that his devotion was absolute.
And he was pardoned.
That was his
spiritual surrender.
Don't you see, Sarah?
You don't need to
hurt our daughter.
But I must be
absolutely prepared to.
Mind, body and spirit.
I must proceed with the binding,
knowing that there
is no other way.
Then, and only then,
will an angel of
God stain my hand.
I'm sorry, Bram.
But that's just not good enough.
Whoever welcomes one
such child in my name,
welcomes me.
No.
No.
No no no.
There was nothing.
He never came.
No! No!
No!
No!
No!
It's okay.
It's okay, Mommy's here.
I'm not gonna leave you.
It's over now.
It's over now.
Sarah, I'm sorry to
just show up like this,
but I thought maybe
I should check in.
No, that's fine.
I actually just put
Skya down for her nap.
It keeps coming back to me,
whether or not I could have
done something different.
I thought it was your crucifix.
The voice of the
Holy Spirit somehow
linked to everything.
Then I realized I was crazy.
Well, you know, sometimes things
aren't always clear
while they're happening.
I'm learning sometimes
things aren't clear, period.
The gun.
Our gun, the one he used
to threaten me with.
To get me out of the room.
Wasn't loaded.
Good coffee.
It's imported I think.
Sarah, the last thing on
earth I wanna do right now
is lecture you, but...
Then don't.
My father was a hard man.
Times were different then.
When I was eight years old,
one day I came home from school
and I couldn't find
my roller skates.
They were only the
most important thing
in the world to me,
so I asked him if he
knew where they were,
and without looking
up from his newspaper
he told me he'd thrown 'em out.
No explanation.
No reason at all. Just...
Well, as you could
imagine, I was shocked.
Confused.
But ours wasn't the
kind of household
where you ask questions
or talked back, so,
I went to my room and I
shouted into my pillow.
I was angry and confused,
and I chose to stay angry
and confused for a long time.
Long after I'd become a man,
after he had passed away.
And it became a kind
of story, you know.
My father, that old so and so.
You know what he did to me
when I was just a kid?
And one day I was telling
that story to friends,
and I, uh, finished
with my usual flourish
of incredulity,
and waited for the
chorus of sympathy,
and a man at the
far end of the table
asked me when did this happen.
And I told him the year,
and he pulled up his pants leg
and he showed me a scar
like you would not believe.
Those skates had been
recalled that year
because they had faulty wheels.
My father never told me that.
He did what was in
my best interest and he knew it.
And that was enough.
Making some eggs.
Yeah, makin' some eggs.
What do you see?
Hey.
She ruined the surprise.
What could she be doing?
Good morning.
I think somebody misses you.
That 'cause it's your big day?
Yeah, it is.
Good morning.
Thank you letting Mommy sleep.
You excited?
Should we tell her
what else we're making?
- Bacon. Yeah.
- Oh.
You're making, did
you cook the bacon?
- All by herself.
- Chef.
Amen.
Raised in the likeness
of his resurrection,
you are hereby recognized
before the Father,
the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Gonna tear it all down
Wait for the sunrise
Wait for the sunrise
Pleasure, anytime, enjoy.
Hello Minister.
- Thank you.
- Thank you.
Hi ladies!
Thank you.
Hi.
You're welcome.
Enjoy, eat, please.
Sarah.
I didn't mean to startle you.
As you were.
I'm not here to chastise.
That was a lovely
ceremony today.
A long time coming.
Well, after all the occasions
that Brown's had to be there
for other people's children,
yes, it was quite special.
Oh, I wanted to give you this.
It's for Skya, and
also for your house.
The voice of the Holy Spirit.
Wow.
I didn't expect you...
Thank you.
And I also wanted
to ask about-
Fine. Thank you,
everything's fine.
Good.
Glad to hear it.
I realized later
that I must have caught
her in a good mood
or a moment of
weakness or something
because...
Hoo!
He let his faith fall in that which
at least is faithful also in much.
Just replace "he" with "she"
and "is faithful" with
"has her sister stand
up to her bitchy self
once in her G-D life."
Well done.
We ran out of mac and
cheese almost immediately.
May not have been
as good as gold,
- but it was surely good enough.
- Surely good enough.
I'm up.
Hey.
Think it's a Magetto
Fire Road kinda night?
Honey.
What is it?
The sun.
It's okay.
Take your time.
I can't, I can't believe.
He had it.
It happened, but...
But it did.
Bram, what happened?
Something wonderful.
I believe...
I believe that...
that God almighty Himself,
He appeared to me.
Tonight.
In the most literal sense.
Moses and the burning bush.
He, He was here.
But...
What...
Did he speak to you?
Oh, Sarah, it was,
it was wonderful.
I was in bed,
only it was a dream.
It was, but it was more present,
more nearer than anything
I'd ever experienced.
He appeared over me
but He was...
He was everywhere.
There was, there was light.
There was so much light.
Then He...
What?
He spoke.
His voice was,
it was in me.
Through me.
And...
I don't know how else to say it,
but he said...
What?
He said that there was
something coming for us.
For me.
And that soon,
He would be calling upon us.
That would be an act
of great importance.
And then I...
I would be His right hand.
Let's pray.
Yes.
Yes.
- Amen.
- Amen.
- Goodbye.
- Bye.
- Goodbye.
- Bye Daddy.
Hey.
Just be in touch, okay?
Anything happens.
I'm not gonna say
anything to anyone.
To Uriel.
I just, I think we should
keep this to ourselves
until we have the whole picture.
Of course.
Hi there.
Sorry for just
showing up like this,
but I noticed yesterday
you had some sort
of baby party here,
and I wanted to contribute.
- Thank you.
- Oh, you're very welcome.
We made a whole batch this
morning, so it's not any trouble.
- We?
- My...
Well, Joseph and I.
Right.
- I'm sorry-
- You know what actually,
I'm on my way out.
Sorry.
Right, well um, another time.
Wasn't that just the
most gorgeous ceremony
the other day?
Mm-hmm.
You sure I can't get you one?
Mom.
So what else is new?
Nothing big.
Oh wow.
That's Sam Taylor's mom.
What was her name?
- Victoria.
- Right.
So sad.
There were always
rumors you know.
What do you mean?
Well, it...
Jacob was odd.
- Yeah, the brother.
- Yeah.
He never acted like a,
well, like a normal adult.
Don't get me wrong.
He wasn't 30 years old,
wearing diapers,
coloring on walls or
anything like that.
He was just odd.
You remember the
one family festival?
Yeah, of course.
There were stories about
a dinner party.
Some of the things your
husband did at his worst,
they can't even compare.
That's what made
it so unfortunate.
I thought.
For Victoria, and then
of course for Sam.
The fact that the
signs were all there,
adding up and up and up,
and Victoria just
thought what she thought.
Didn't matter.
Well, maybe if she'd
had her eyes open
she'd still be with us.
Sarah, I know Skya is the end
of a long road for you and Bram,
but all things considered,
your life is still very blessed.
I know that.
And others don't, and that's
why they get into trouble.
Sarah, when Victoria
was working-
Signals were being sent
to her day after day
and she did nothing.
Sometimes it isn't
as easy as that.
Yes, it is.
And I'm sorry, but having a son
who's unbalanced
is not worse than
having to drive yourself
to the hospital after
your third miscarriage
because your husband is too drunk
to get himself off the couch.
Maybe.
Maybe if Victoria Tanner had
just taken a moment to think.
Maybe Sam wouldn't have found her
face down in the swimming pool
with a knife in her back.
Hey.
Hey, could you give us a hand?
Sure, gimme one sec.
It was all I could do
to keep quiet today.
It was the same for me.
I just, I feel so full.
I used it.
Today.
Today is a special day,
my brothers and sisters.
Special because you
are here with me,
and I with you.
And because we
are here together,
we know we are on
the right path.
Know it.
And yet, there are moments,
past and future,
that we question that.
Why?
Because of an inherent weakness?
No.
Because of an inherent humanity.
A man is lost in the woods.
What keeps him trudging on?
Faith.
A man suffers terrible injury.
What keeps him from succumbing?
Faith.
A man's family is torn from him
long before their time.
What raises him from his bed
each and every morning?
Faith.
Yes.
Maintain your faith
by embracing your
inherent humanity
even in the face of
apparent hopelessness,
because when you put
your faith in Lord God,
sooner or later you
will be rewarded.
Your faith will
become certainty,
because He is here
with us always.
We are never alone.
- I love you.
- I love you.
Honey, what's going on?
Bram, tell me...
Hey.
Sorry.
I was trying not to
have that happen.
Are you okay?
I didn't wanna come here again.
I didn't wanna come
here in the first place.
It's fine, taking a
step was my decision.
We've covered that.
I know that my behavior
has been irregular,
but I've told you over and over
that there are some
changes, and...
I have to work through
them on my own.
So, I just...
- I need some time.
- You've had time.
- Weeks.
- Then I need more time I guess.
Sarah, how does
that make you feel?
Frustrated.
I feel like he's
keeping secrets.
Secrets he doesn't
have to be keeping
because I'm here for him
through anything.
Bramwell, are you hearing
what Sarah's saying?
Yes, and I appreciate it.
But if I decide that
something is for the best,
I think that my wife
should honor that.
Bram, you haven't
slept in almost a month.
You're barely eating.
Your behavior is almost
exactly how it was-
Sarah.
I'm not drinking, you know that.
It's a fact.
Sarah, do you know that?
My head does.
Bramwell, the position
you've taken is valid.
Ephesians asks that wives
submit unto their husbands
as they would unto the Lord.
For the husband is
the head of the wife
as Christ is the
head of the church,
and therefore, as the
church submits to Christ,
so let wives do
unto their husbands.
However, your position
has validity too, Sarah.
What you described,
and described on
several occasions,
is behavior that is,
to say the least, unusual.
And it seems to me
is indicative of
a larger problem,
but we're not going
to make any progress
until Bram is honest.
Are you telling us, truly,
that there's nothing wrong?
I'm honestly telling you
I need to work
through some things.
- For how long?
- As long as it takes.
I'm very sorry,
but I can't live like this
for as long as it takes.
And for the past month I feel
I've been sharing the house
with some sort of photocopy.
It constantly reminds
me of how things were,
and I can't go back to that.
I'm sorry, I just can't.
- What do you want me to do?
- I want you to tell him.
I don't think
that's a good idea.
I think it's the only idea.
Bramwell,
what's she referring to?
As I understand it...
I've been visited
by God almighty.
Well, that's wonderful.
It was.
He appeared to me and
said that something important
was gonna fall on Sarah and I,
and that I would be the
one to carry it out.
And when was this?
33 days ago.
And has it happened again since?
Every night.
And on these
subsequent occasions...
Has He spoken to you?
- Yeah.
- What has He said?
Try to understand.
Please.
His words.
They aren't like ours.
It's as if you were
born blind and deaf
and gained everything at once.
It's overwhelming.
But as I understand it...
If I do not carry out His will,
the end times are nigh.
He's shown it to me.
Darkness covers the earth,
piece by piece,
closer and closer.
Other things change, but
that's always how it begins.
People turn on each other.
Action is taken
but to no effect.
Fear and pain only grow
and long after it's
become too much to bear...
The earth itself
swallows all who remain.
And what is His will?
What must we do
to prevent this from happening?
As I understand it...
I must kill my only child.
Your confession has shown
tremendous courage, Bramwell.
But understand that
there are many ways to interpret
what you've experienced.
Interpret?
Well first, and
most importantly...
Of course,
you haven't considered...
No, of course not.
Next.
Are you certain that
what you've seen are visions
as opposed to dreams?
Yes.
Of that one thing I am certain.
Well, count yourself blessed
that you've received His touch.
But know that wise
men, historically,
have posited that
He would never ask
the slaughter of
one of His children.
But, the...
By Abraham and Issac,
the binding.
Jeremiah 32:35.
God speaks of the ancient
Israelite practice
of child sacrifice,
and he asserts it
never entered my mind
that they would do
this abomination.
Now you said it yourself.
God's words are not ours.
As early as the 1300s,
it was suggested that unlike
the cruel heathen deities,
our Lord in heaven requires only
spiritual surrender.
It was Abraham's imagination
that led him astray.
All God wishes
is to know that you are His.
Mind, body and soul.
Yes.
Of course.
Then go forth with
this new certainty.
Be troubled no more.
Hello, you've reached
Sarah Eyman's cell phone.
Please leave a message and I'll
get back to you as soon as I can.
Thank you, have a blessed day.
Sarah, hello,
this is Minister Uriel.
As you might imagine,
I was a bit taken aback
this afternoon by what occurred.
It's not everyday
that something of this
magnitude presents itself.
I hope that my
counsel was helpful,
and I pray that it means
the end of this trouble
for you and yours,
but, if it isn't,
if Bramwell's visions
persist or intensify,
I have some information here
regarding someone that
you might consider seeing.
A good God fearing man.
A psychiatrist.
He helped my brother in a time of
need a few years ago and he...
Well, that's all.
God bless.
Did you have fun at Nana's?
Yes, you did.
Yes you did.
How dare you.
Bram?
You questioned my will.
You shake your fist
at me in defiance.
- Bram, wake up.
- I will not be commanded!
First...
Darkness covers the land.
Brother turns against brother.
It all begins with your child.
Bram, stop this.
You have yet to
learn the meaning
of spiritual surrender.
Bramwell, your family
must remain whole
until the night,
the night that you
remove your daughter
from all others.
- All who meddle.
- Stop this right now.
- Present her to me.
- Stop it!
And cut her heart
from her chest!
No!
What happened?
What happened?
Well, it appears as
though we're looking
at a sort of good news,
bad news situation.
The good news is,
there does not appear
to be a single thing
medically wrong with you.
Everything is right
where it needs to be.
Nothing barren or out of place.
The bad news is,
if everything you've told me
is the God's honest truth,
signs point toward you're
suffering a psychotic break.
And that's another
matter entirely.
Great, thank you.
Goodbye.
Okay, we're all set
for tomorrow at 12:30.
Is that still okay?
None of this is okay.
I appreciate that, Bram,
which is why we're taking
steps to get you well.
Look, Uriel spoke very
highly of Dr. Kore.
- With any luck, maybe he'll-
- He's not a doctor.
He's a shrink.
I think it's the same thing.
I'm gonna go there,
and he's gonna
say that I'm crazy
and put me on all
sorts of medications
or ship me off somewhere
where I'm not gonna be able
to see either of you anymore.
Bram, what's happening to you?
I don't know what's
happening to me, Sarah.
I think that maybe we're
looking for answers
in the wrong places.
Wrong places?
We devoted ourselves
to something, Sarah.
Something bigger than ourselves.
Something that has
been there for us
through good and through bad.
Something that's
solved our problems
when we both didn't think
that we could get any lower,
and I don't think that
it's in our best interest
to just cast that
off the moment...
The moment that what?
Mind your tone.
Please.
It's worth thinking about,
that's all I'm saying.
No, Bram, I saw
something the other night
that I've never seen before.
I don't think anyone
has ever seen before.
Okay, I don't know
who was speaking to me
in our bedroom,
but it wasn't you.
Do you understand?
So what happens the next time
that little visitor
decides to show up?
But instead of just talking,
he wanders into the
kitchen and gets a knife
and finishes the
business out for himself.
I don't think that that's
the way that it works.
If God wanted Skya dead, Bram,
she would be dead.
He would have caved
the roof in on her
or blown out my tires
with her in the car
or set off a gas leak
one of the ten times a day
that she's in the kitchen,
but she's still here,
healthy as can be.
Sarah, I'm sorry,
but I don't think that
that's the way that it works.
I think His children
need to act on their own.
Great, so our
alternative is what?
You just keep
having these visions
night after night
for the rest of your life
for the next 50 years?
God will not suffer you
to be tempted above
that ye are able.
But will with that temptation
make away to escape
that ye shall be
able to bear it.
I will bear what I must.
It was what?
Three weeks.
Three weeks until you
stopped acknowledging
our child all together.
How many more nights
until you stop sleeping,
avoiding what's
happening completely?
And how long after that
until you turn back to alcohol?
How long after that
until you break entirely?
I will bare what I must.
What are you suggesting then?
We asked the minister for
help and that didn't work.
Oh that didn't
work spectacularly.
We looked for physical evidence.
Nothing there.
So if not this next step,
if not cold, clinical,
psychiatric diagnosis,
then what?
I don't know.
I don't know.
But, I think if we're willing to
surrender our faith so easily
then what was the
point of any of it?
I am not surrendering a thing.
I am making sure that the
death of our infant daughter
isn't the result of
a chemical imbalance
in her father's brain.
I'll sleep on the couch.
I'm well, Mom, thanks.
How are you?
She's good.
Hey, I know this is
kind of last minute
and you're always saying that...
Would you mind coming over
and spending some time with her?
Oh, hi.
Hello.
I um, I brought you this.
You and your Joseph.
Was that his name?
It is a thank you.
You know, for the other day.
Oh, thank you.
That's not at all necessary,
but we appreciate it.
Yeah.
- Listen, you want-
- Are you-
- We have to stop doing that.
- Right.
Ladies first.
I um...
I think I'm...
I might have made some
unfair judgments before,
and that's not the
person I strive to be,
so it was unfair of me
and I apologize.
So, what was that party
you had at your place
a couple weeks back?
You know, had to do
with little uh...
- Oh, Skya.
- Skya.
Oh my God, how cute is that?
What was it, her
birthday or something?
- No, it was her Christening.
- Oh.
Now, explain something to me,
'cause I guess I've
never really known.
What is a Christening?
I mean, it's kind of like
a baptism, right?
There's a ceremony
and the rest of it,
but, you know, what's it mean?
It's a sacrament.
It means a divine grace.
It cleanses original sin.
Oh.
Okay, so you like
really believe all that?
And your answer is yes, Gabe,
that is exactly what I believe.
Just like the majority
of the country.
Oh my God, I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
That was really offensive.
- No.
- No no, look.
Like you said,
it's nobody's place to judge.
If you're happy
and living a life,
more power to ya.
I am.
You know, you really
don't have to help
with any of this.
No, please, it's only polite.
Son of a biscuit.
What?
Well, this has been
happening once a week
for what, like, months now.
What's been happening?
Well, I only
drink beer and wine.
I get crazy otherwise.
And Joseph is a
vodka and soda man,
always and forever.
So...
Well, some local
hobo is using our trash
as his drop spot.
I have no idea why...
Hi.
- Did you see the doctor?
- Yes.
Did you or are you lying to me?
Please don't speak
to me like that.
Yes, I saw him.
We talked for a long time.
My session with him
went 40 minutes over,
but he said not
to worry about it,
because I took precedence.
He's a man of faith, Sarah.
Unconventional, there's
no doubt about that,
but very much a believer.
- Is Skya already asleep?
- My mother was here.
I asked her to take
her home with her.
Had we discussed
that for tonight?
What sort of ideas
did this man have?
He gave me a prescription.
He told me to try
it for a few weeks,
and if nothing changes
then he had thoughts.
Thoughts you'd like to share?
There's no use in
getting ahead of ourselves.
Until we know more.
He says I'm repressing
in several senses of the word.
King Saul lost three children,
and rather than live with
everything that happened,
everything that was
going to happen...
He fell on his sword.
I want you to
think very carefully
before you say anything else.
I want you to
please explain this.
- Where did that come from?
- Is it yours?
What do you mean is it mine?
I think I was pretty
fucking clear, Bram.
- Watch your language.
- Answer the question.
I never bring up the
cigarettes you hide everywhere.
That you think are so secret.
Not once.
'Cause I respect your privacy.
You found that in a trash can?
Somewhere nearby.
And yes.
It is mine.
So what?
What, all of the visions...
- It's not what you think. -They're
all just part of some big-
Listen to me!
It's mine, but I
didn't drink any of it.
I never have.
Not once in all of the
months that I've been doing it.
All of the months that
you've been doing what?
This is gonna
sound like a story.
That's why I avoided telling
you in the first place.
I knew it would be difficult
for someone else to understand.
But I have been sober for
more than three months.
That's the God's honest truth.
I chose you and Skya
over the bottle, right?
But I don't work
late on Thursdays.
I never have.
Every Thursday night,
since the first
week of my sobriety,
I...
I have a ritual.
A way to prove it to myself.
Prove what?
I go to Mark's Liquor on ninth.
I buy a 37 ounce
bottle of Nu-ball,
and I go to our spot.
On Magetto Fire Road,
and I look out at the city.
The lights.
I think of all the
people unburdened
by my problems,
and I think about all the people
burdened by problems
much worse than mine.
And then I pour out every drop,
and come home.
To prove it to yourself?
To prove that alcohol and I
can exist in the same world.
So why risk it?
Why risk bringing the
bottles back here,
why not just leave them there?
I don't know.
Maybe I didn't wanna litter.
- Is all of this true?
- Every word.
What happens now, Bram?
I take the medication.
- See if anything changes.
- And if nothing does?
Right, it's now or never.
Skya's asleep, she's usually
out for a while in the day.
She'll want a bottle
when she wakes up.
Yeah, I know.
I'm smart like that.
I guess I'm in denial.
I'll be back as
soon as I can be.
Be careful.
Daniel thought he saw the
car again this morning.
Bram's?
Yeah, he thought so.
- Sarah.
- Hi Sam.
- You look so different.
- So do you.
Oh, what do you mean?
Oh, no no no. Just, it's been
a lot of years, that's all.
May I come in?
Yes, but um, like I said on
the phone, I'm very busy
so I don't know how
long you can stay.
Look, Sam, I don't
wanna take up any more
of your time than
I have to, so...
You wanna know about Jacob.
Yes.
Jacob hasn't been out
of Anti-OC for years.
Doesn't really talk anymore,
not even to me,
but I go there every week,
look after him, look
after this place.
- Those were my mother's wishes.
- I understand.
I guess you remember
that Jacob was weird.
Just antisocial.
We thought low level
Asperger's or something,
but nothing that could
ever become dangerous.
But he started to have
outbursts, temper tantrums
he was too old to be having
in places he shouldn't
have been having them.
- Wasn't anyone concerned?
- Of course we were concerned.
But they were having
trouble diagnosing him,
and there'd be long
periods of time
in between episodes, and...
I mean, what were
we supposed to do?
Life goes on.
Are we supposed to
flee to Canada?
Leave him on somebody's
doorstep in a giant basket?
Then one day...
Yeah.
This doesn't mean
anything, you understand.
Bugs under the skin, dissecting
the neighborhood pets.
Crazy has patterns.
Do you understand?
It's always different,
but it's always the same.
I'm just trying to gather
as much information as I can.
Information is fine, just don't
start looking for meaning.
One day Jacob told us that he
was hearing voices in his head
every time he tried
to go to sleep,
so, obviously we all got
on the diagnosis train
in a big way and by that point
it had been going on much
longer than we knew about,
and he was near the edge.
Did he ever tell you what
the voices were saying?
Not at first.
No.
But after, when the
police asked why
he had put the knife
in so many times,
he said it was because
the voice told him
to cut out our mother's heart.
You didn't come here for
any kind of confirmation,
so why don't you just tell me
what you wanna know.
Because the,
the only thing is that...
If you could have done
anything differently,
what would it have been?
I would have had
my brother locked
in the deepest, darkest hole,
and sold the key
for scrap metal,
and if that didn't work,
I would have killed him.
Hey.
If it's another votary
I still don't wanna
talk to anyone.
Daniel has Bram on the phone.
Sarah, are you there?
Yeah.
Yeah, I'm here.
How are you?
Oh.
Not good.
Not good at all.
I haven't...
I've just been at home.
Uriel and I both agree
I should...
take a leave of absence.
Bram, what happened?
Lord God.
We give you thanks for
the joy in the house this day.
Sooner or...
Sooner or later...
We all come to a crossroads.
What we perceive as...
As a moment of crises,
a time that we must choose
between the tangible
something...
And the...
The intangible everything.
Two...
Two impossible choices.
Please!
Please.
Control your child.
That's the problem.
When people can't even...
Don't you understand,
this is difficult?
What I'm doing right now.
Don't any of you
understand that?
Well...
I'd like an answer.
I don't know.
You don't know?
You don't know something
as simple as that?
Well then what are you gonna do
on the day of your reckoning?
The day that
Lord God comes to you
and demands of you
the impossible.
The day that the stakes are
higher than you could imagine,
and that doing the right thing
will utterly damn you.
Well!
Bram, please.
Hey, stop, stop.
How are you feeling now?
It's...
It's like a migraine,
but there is a heed.
It's that light, it's,
it's almost every
time I close my eyes.
And the voice.
It's worse than what I see.
The commandment is the same.
Always the same, it's...
It's so loud.
I feel like it could kill me
anytime it wants.
Okay, Bram, listen to me.
Have you spoken to Dr. Kore?
That was the next step, right?
If this didn't work
he said that, that he had
something you could try.
Something we could try.
I just got off the
phone with him.
He said it's something
we need to be in on together.
You don't have to do anything.
Are you still there?
Yeah.
Where should I meet you?
I'm outside.
I'd like to thank you
both for making the trip.
The office can be so impersonal
for visits like this.
Doctor, excuse me,
I assume Bram has
brought you up to speed.
I told him everything.
Oh yes, and it is
a beautiful story.
Pardon me?
Remarkable.
Extraordinary.
I am of a mind that anything
which can be considered truly
remarkable in this world
of quantifiable data,
should be considered beautiful.
Do you not agree?
Wow, look at him.
- Sarah.
- No.
No, no look at him.
I have had to watch him
recognize and then resist,
and then fight tooth and nail
against whatever it is
that is trying it's damnedest
to rip his mind apart.
And you're standing here
telling me that it's beautiful?
No, no no.
Of course not.
Not in the traditional sense.
He said you could help us.
Understand.
I make no promises.
I have prescribed your
husband enough medication
to knock the wren activity out
of a west Indian manatee.
And it's only made things worse.
Which leaves me to believe that
what we are dealing with
is not entirely internal.
What I said from
the beginning was...
What you have said
from the beginning,
as you perceive it,
is that God or something
very much in his image
appeared to you the night of
your daughter's Christening,
and almost every
night since then,
commanding you to take her life.
Not unlike the binding of Issac.
- Yes.
- Yes.
I once had a patient who I knew
relatively straight away
was manic depressive.
At first, oh he denied it.
Vehemently.
Delusions of grandeur so
characteristic of the disease.
He was unyielding.
So I invited him here
one evening like this.
I made a jiaco like tonight.
You've both seen that
there is corn in it.
I'm sorry, what are
you talking about?
By the time we
were ready to eat,
he had withdrawn.
He refused to make conversation.
So, I made a little remark
about where I'd got the corn.
At a farmer's market.
And do you know what he said?
No.
No, you didn't get it there?
No.
To the corn in it's entirety.
There's no corn in this he said.
Spooning the corn
into his mouth.
There was no change
in his demeanor.
He wasn't having an episode
or anything of that nature.
So, I slowly encouraged
him to explain himself.
He said, he had seen
the jar on the counter,
and the label had
said capers, so clearly
this was not corn.
Can you imagine?
I think what Sarah meant was...
Would you help me serve?
Please.
It's very good.
Great. I'm glad.
You should see if you can try
to get some of this down.
I think you'd like it.
- It has potatoes.
- What is this?
Are you messing with
us or something?
Why did you bring us here?
I thought we would enjoy
our dinner first, Bram.
Well, excuse me if I have
other things on my mind.
Can you help us or not?
What?
What was that about
all your other patient?
He had seen the capers,
and he had seen the corn,
and his mind was not in a
place to differentiate the two.
You are visited by a
creature calling itself God,
and all that you have allowed
yourself to do in response
is to discern whether
those visitations are real
or imagined.
Is there anything incorrect
in what I'm saying?
No.
Real, imagined.
Two options.
But, as I see it,
strictly according to the data,
there is a third option,
an option which you have
yet to fully explore,
an option which in my opinion
as a man of faith
and a man of medicine
potentially holds the most
validity of all three.
Which is what?
That you are indeed
commanded by a spirit.
A supernatural being.
But not the heavenly father.
Not our God who art in heaven.
Something else.
You described this being as
enveloped in light, did you not?
Well then, don't see
what you believe.
See what you see.
Morning star, light bringer.
Lucifer.
Sarah, you'll be happy to know
that I've consulted the
district superintendent.
Okay.
One of the ways in
which Christ's ministry
is continued
throughout the world.
His words.
Okay, so...
Yes.
Yes, authority has been given.
Bramwell, the presence and love
of Jesus Christ
is here today.
Do you accept this?
We ask you, Jesus,
cast out any and all spirits
within or near Bramwell Eyman.
Cast them out, Jesus.
Cast out the evil spirits.
Praise the Lord.
Leave this man now.
Cast out the searing
and profane light
this spirit has shown upon him.
Pray with me.
Pray with me, Bramwell.
Cast them out, Lord.
Cast these spirits out.
Cast them out.
Cast them out.
I command you in the
name of Jesus Christ.
Leave Bramwell Eyman.
Leave him!
Cast out all evil spirits
attached to Bramwell Eyman.
We pray you cast the evil
spirits from this man.
Free Bramwell.
Free him.
Leave Bramwell's body,
and never return.
Never return.
Amen!
Bramwell.
How do you feel?
Empty.
I feel nothing.
- Is that how you've been feeling?
- No.
- Anything but.
- So there you are.
Of course we'll have
to keep an eye on you.
But I think we've
broken back this thing.
Yes.
Yes, oughta be so.
Please God.
Let it be so.
Minister.
Now Sarah, if you really
didn't like the gift I got ya,
you could've put it on eBay.
Just tell me.
Do you truly believe?
Is it over or not?
Yes.
You have to believe
that it's over, Sarah.
Just as Bram has to
believe it's over.
It was the seeds of doubt
that began all this.
Now you put this behind
you, and move on.
Utterly.
And it will be over.
Jesus resisted the
devil three times.
You and your husband
have done that and more.
Keep yourself free from sin
and the devil will
have no foothold.
But, if you feel that
Skya's in real danger,
call the police.
God will not suffer
you to be tempted
above that ye are able,
but will with that temptation
make a way for you to escape.
That ye shall be
able to bear it.
I wonder if we've escaped.
We have.
Of course we have.
What happens now?
I'd like to keep
things the way they are.
Just for a little longer.
When some time passes
and you're still feeling better,
then we can discuss
being together again.
All of us.
I'd like that, Sarah.
I'd like that very much.
I love you.
I just want you to
be absolutely sure,
that's all I'm trying to say.
I'm as sure as I can be, Mom.
You think that's enough?
It's gonna have to be.
It's been more than a month
since Bram has had
any kind of episode.
He's back at the church.
And our nights alone at
the house have been fine.
Fine.
Better than fine.
He's sleeping like a log.
He's gotten up two,
three times a night
as long as I've known him,
but for the past few weeks
he's slept straight through
until seven or eight
in the morning.
He says he hasn't done that
since he was a teenager.
All right.
I mean, what more can
he have us do right?
Right.
That's where I am.
Hey, could you grab those?
I think once we toss that out
in the bag that's everything.
If there's absolutely
anything that you think I-
Thank you, but,
we have to start getting
on with our life.
And, first step
just has to happen.
Hi.
Hi.
One more?
Hey.
I'm sorry, I have
another favor to ask.
It's just...
I mean, it's our
first night back,
and I'm so happy to have
us all together again.
I just...
Well, if not for my own...
You want Skya to sleep with you.
Alone, just the two of you.
Is that awful?
No. Not at all.
Baby steps, right?
Right.
Once upon a time,
God almighty appeared
under one of the chosen
and commanded that he slay
his own flesh and blood.
Perhaps that time
has come again.
I figured it out, Sarah.
What he's been asking me.
All this time.
Everyone had it wrong.
I just need a little
time with our daughter.
Hey. Hey.
Listen.
Listen to me.
I don't wanna hurt anybody.
But I will do what I must.
Do you understand me?
There's only one option left.
And I can't let you stop me.
I'm gonna put tape
over your mouth,
and lock you in the garage.
Then...
Everything will be finished.
Only it'll be real this time.
Are you going to behave?
Don't.
Don't be like that, Sarah.
The visions never stopped.
Call them whatever you want,
but that's what they are.
Visions.
Darkness.
Closer and closer and closer,
swallowing everything.
He showed me until I obeyed.
He wanted the three
of us as a family
under one roof, and
I did as he said.
Now, Sarah...
Are you going to
behave yourself?
Come with me.
We're going straight
to the garage.
Keep walking straight.
All of the doors are locked,
the phones are gone.
So please.
Walk.
You said.
You said that you
know what everybody's
been asking you to do.
After Dr. Kore misdiagnosed,
after Uriel failed,
I turned to the good book.
I knew that there was
something I must have missed.
And then after several days
I found it.
It had been staring
us in the face
only no one had the
good sense to see it.
When God commanded Abraham
to sacrifice his child,
God needed only to see
that his devotion was absolute.
And he was pardoned.
That was his
spiritual surrender.
Don't you see, Sarah?
You don't need to
hurt our daughter.
But I must be
absolutely prepared to.
Mind, body and spirit.
I must proceed with the binding,
knowing that there
is no other way.
Then, and only then,
will an angel of
God stain my hand.
I'm sorry, Bram.
But that's just not good enough.
Whoever welcomes one
such child in my name,
welcomes me.
No.
No.
No no no.
There was nothing.
He never came.
No! No!
No!
No!
No!
It's okay.
It's okay, Mommy's here.
I'm not gonna leave you.
It's over now.
It's over now.
Sarah, I'm sorry to
just show up like this,
but I thought maybe
I should check in.
No, that's fine.
I actually just put
Skya down for her nap.
It keeps coming back to me,
whether or not I could have
done something different.
I thought it was your crucifix.
The voice of the
Holy Spirit somehow
linked to everything.
Then I realized I was crazy.
Well, you know, sometimes things
aren't always clear
while they're happening.
I'm learning sometimes
things aren't clear, period.
The gun.
Our gun, the one he used
to threaten me with.
To get me out of the room.
Wasn't loaded.
Good coffee.
It's imported I think.
Sarah, the last thing on
earth I wanna do right now
is lecture you, but...
Then don't.
My father was a hard man.
Times were different then.
When I was eight years old,
one day I came home from school
and I couldn't find
my roller skates.
They were only the
most important thing
in the world to me,
so I asked him if he
knew where they were,
and without looking
up from his newspaper
he told me he'd thrown 'em out.
No explanation.
No reason at all. Just...
Well, as you could
imagine, I was shocked.
Confused.
But ours wasn't the
kind of household
where you ask questions
or talked back, so,
I went to my room and I
shouted into my pillow.
I was angry and confused,
and I chose to stay angry
and confused for a long time.
Long after I'd become a man,
after he had passed away.
And it became a kind
of story, you know.
My father, that old so and so.
You know what he did to me
when I was just a kid?
And one day I was telling
that story to friends,
and I, uh, finished
with my usual flourish
of incredulity,
and waited for the
chorus of sympathy,
and a man at the
far end of the table
asked me when did this happen.
And I told him the year,
and he pulled up his pants leg
and he showed me a scar
like you would not believe.
Those skates had been
recalled that year
because they had faulty wheels.
My father never told me that.
He did what was in
my best interest and he knew it.
And that was enough.