Ether's Paradise (2025) Movie Script
1
There is a place
I once found as a kid
which exists deep
inside the crevices
of my mind.
I go there
in the moments before waking.
It remains there.
It will always be there.
One day, I will never leave.
Sydney!
Get down from there!
Sorry.
I just wanted to see.
-Nui, right?
-Yeah, yeah.
The flight out of America
was brutal.
Some child kept kicking
the back of my chair.
I asked the flight attendant
to tell the kid to shut up.
But you know,
they wouldn't do it. So...
I almost turned around
and did it myself.
Yeah, I hope so.
So, how old are you?
I'm fifteen years old.
How old are you?
I'm sixteen.
Uhm...
Do you know the band Oasis?
-Oasis?
-Oasis.
Um, it's music.
America.
Daddy and me like...
Like sisters, right?
You married, Nui?
No, sir.
Makes two of us.
Dad, look!
They're not wearing any helmets.
They'll crash and burn.
You promised me
you'll never be so stupid.
I promise.
Atta girl.
You know what she loves?
The color red.
Once upon a time,
I was, you know,
going through her things,
and I accidentally misplaced
a few red items.
God, did she have a fit!
All I did was move
this red thing there, or...
red shirt to this drawer--
Whatever, you know?
She had
a full nervous breakdown.
Wouldn't eat for a week.
She believed
every piece of clothing
needed to have a story
otherwise,
clothes were meaningless...
a costume for parrots.
She questioned
if a new story was brewing
in this foreign land.
Yeah.
Hold on.
What's the area?
It's expensive, no?
Hold on. What's that?
What? No.
No, that's not gonna work.
No. Client's gonna be there
on Monday.
That is exactly what I said.
No.
Hold on.
Mr. Nui, what were you saying?
This shit?
Yeah.
Okay.
Yeah, okay.
That'll do.
Yeah, call me when it's done.
Okay.
Yeah, okay.
Mr. Nui.
Where do you see yourself
in ten years time?
Huh?
Ten years from now,
what do you see yourself doing?
You know, your dreams,
your ambitions.
Why do you need to sell
this land?
Well, Mr. Nui.
When you have no money
you gotta get creative
with your resources.
Hello?
Mom?
What time is it there?
Sunset.
It's the middle of the night
here.
Do you think
when I'm back from Thailand
I could stay with you
for a while?
Honey.
But...
can I see you at least?
I mean, that's allowed, right?
Does he know you're calling?
No.
Baby.
I know, I know, but like...
I don't know, I don't know.
Babe, it's late.
It's my daughter.
You didn't show up
at my recital.
Baby, I was in
a different state.
But you could've come, right?
Dad said he offered
to buy your plane ticket.
What? No.
That's not what happened, Syd.
We had a talk.
He told me not to show up.
What? Why?
I don't know.
He was really stern.
Made threats and everything.
And I'm not about
to battle him in court.
Maybe if things cool off,
I'll be there for the next one.
All right?
Pinky promise?
Pinky promise.
Ugh, Dad, I can't breathe.
Yeah, yeah,
it'll loosen up in the water.
Stop it.
There you go.
Hey!
Take a picture of me
and my daughter?
Can we not?
Smile, Sydney.
Ah! Yeah, it's perfect.
We look happy.
Alright.
Have fun, you two.
There are no sharks here, right?
What?
Shark?
No, no have.
- No, no have.
- It's not funny!
No, you have sharks,
or no, there are no sharks?
No have shark.
Hey, what's your name?
Huh?
Your name?
Name I, Ether.
I'm Sydney.
She could lose herself
in things like
speckled patterns of sunlight
bouncing over ocean waves.
She considered
these minute details
expressive
of some universal truth.
I don't know how to fish.
Scared?
Oh, no, not scared.
Just, um, it's dead.
Okay, you.
Again.
-Oh my god.
-Oooh!
Oh, that was good, right?
Um, now what?
Okay, now waiting.
Maybe one minute.
Maybe one day.
What? Are you just gonna...?
Ether?
Um, Ether!
Big.
You can! Go, Sydney!
No, no, I can't, it's too heavy!
Pull!
Ooh, it's slipping!
You can!
-I can't.
-Why?
I'm too weak!
You, this.
You, this.
You can.
You can.
Pull, pull!
You can.
I show sister.
Oh, hey, wait a second!
Dad?
Oh, shit.
Whoa, whoa, whoa!
That's not necessary.
Come on.
Sydney!
Stay.
She saw time like water.
Death, not an end.
Birth, not a beginning.
All moments,
droplets in the sea.
Where are we going?
Let's go.
Ether!
Monkey!
Where?
It was just there.
Wait, wait, wait.
Slow, slow, slow, slow, slow.
Slow, slow, slow, slow, slow.
Sydney.
Have you ever been to Bangkok?
No, not go.
So let's go.
We'll catch the biggest fish
the world has ever seen,
and ride into the city.
It'll be so big--
It'll be so big that
they'll need twenty people
to hold it up.
They'll even talk about us
in America.
Okay, okay.
Just do what they say.
Sydney, see you, Bangkok.
He didn't do anything!
Why is this happening?
Ether, what's going on? Hey!
-Go.
-Me?
Go.
He didn't do anything.
Go, go, go, go, go.
Ether, what about Ether?
Go.
Sir, can you tell me
what I'm doing here?
Hey!
Great.
Thanks.
Where's Ether?
No! No!
- Come here!
- No!
Let go, let go!
- Let go!
- Get in the car!
- Let me go!
- Now!
Stop acting crazy!
I won't go until I see Ether!
Help me!
No, let me go!
Let me go!
Ether!
Ether!
No!
Ether!
Ether!
Sydney, calm down!
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Get us out of here.
Hey.
Do you remember this?
I think it's broken.
You're doing it wrong.
Yeah, yeah, been great Nui.
Thanks.
You're looking fresh.
I like the watch.
What is it, a Rolex?
That's a $6,000 watch, Sydney.
Patek Philippe.
I bought it for her.
24th birthday.
$150,000.
How's Jaan and Ether?
And Ether?
He-- they're not in Bangkok?
There is a place where trauma
burrowed within her,
where it elongated and echoed
to infinity thereafter.
Hey.
Never leaving.
Take your meds.
In every nerve ending
of every limb.
- They're in my suitcase.
- Fuck, Sydney.
It resurrected in panic,
tremors, short breaths.
The gates to her prison.
A persistent erosion
of her mind.
Sydney, what's wrong?
She spent her life deciphering
the puzzle of its origin.
Running through
the labyrinth of memory.
Desperate to heal.
She ran too deep.
Suffocated.
Nothing.
Imploded.
I'm fine.
Open your window.
Now's not the time to crack.
Russell, I'm fine.
Bump me.
Atta girl.
Atta girl.
You've got squatters.
In America, the city would tear
this place down
before anyone
could call it their home.
Thank you.
I hear flooding's an issue
in Bangkok.
What do you think, Sydney?
What?
Head in the game, sweetheart.
My time ain't free.
Sorry.
I was lost in thought.
Yeah, I was asking you
what you think.
The noise might be an issue.
And there's that
notorious Bangkok smell.
Thai people don't care.
Yeah, I'm not so sure
about that.
Let's, uh,
let's look at the numbers
then we can chat.
It's a good opportunity.
Yeah.
But what do you really think?
There were children.
Slum families!
Ants feeding off free hand outs
from hard working people
like you and me.
They mean nothing to you.
Sydney, when I am gone,
all of this
will belong to you.
So stop bitching!
I'm not bitching,
I'm just wondering
if it's worth it.
Worth it?
It's 50 million dollars.
-That's not what I mean.
-Read the contract, dummy!
You cannot blame me
for all the problems
in the world.
I am just one man.
Honey.
Are you with me?
We'll take care of the families.
I promise.
-You give me your word?
-Yes.
My word is my soul.
Now for a week of R&R
and then...
demolition.
Whiskey?
-Cheers.
-Cheers.
Aha, Nui!
Oh yeah!
This is my name.
Russell Aria.
Approaching the sprawling
metropolis of Bangkok
triggered memories of Ether.
They flooded in
like monsoon rain.
She thought about
where he might be
if he was even alive.
In fact, she understood this
about herself very well.
Losing him ten years ago
was the defining moment
of her outlook on life.
She grew up a slave
to powerful people
graduated reform school
with excellent grades
got through college
without making any friends.
Salmon for the lady.
It was hard for her to love.
After a two month fling,
she married an older man,
but quickly divorced
when she realized
the man would fail
to provide her
with the cutting behavior
she craved.
Where's the Klonopin?
Upstairs.
I, um, just got back
from the South.
And?
Couldn't find them.
Look...
I'll get you some more
when we're back in New York.
Stop fiending.
You're a grown man.
Stop fiending for food.
You're fat.
Seriously?
What are you, twelve?
Well, I mean,
you know, we can't have you
attending company meetings
If you're...
overweight.
You call this overweight?
Yeah.
Well...
What are you gonna do?
-Eat your emotions?
-What are you gonna do?
Get wasted and whine
about your divorce again?
Crybaby.
Would you like
to tell some jokes?
For a dollar a minute?
I'd do anything.
Waiter!
Russell.
-Yes, sir?
-Yeah,
you see that microphone
over there?
Would you mind bringing it over?
-You want the microphone, sir?
-Don't listen to him.
No, shut up.
Yeah. That microphone.
Bring it over.
My daughter here is
a fantastic comedian.
Well, I'm not sure.
I can check with the manager.
No, no, no.
I'm your manager.
I'm paying.
So move your little feet.
Bring me the microphone.
Bring me the fucking microphone!
Sir.
Sir?
Let me do it, sir.
Cold feet.
Five years of rehab.
Why aren't you laughing, Daddy?
Yeah, can, uh,
someone come and clean this up,
please?
I'm sorry about dinner.
I know.
The thing they don't tell you
about turning fifty
is that it really fucks you up.
You do things...
just to prove how much
you hate yourself.
You don't hate yourself.
You hate
that you're not young anymore.
Maybe, maybe I should just
give it all up
and leave it all to you.
And what in the world
would you do
with all your time?
Night, Russell.
She knew back home
her father was just
another schmuck shootin' dice.
But in Thailand,
he was king.
Nice television.
Jaan?
If you don't want food,
then you can leave.
Jaan?
Oh hey, wait a minute.
Wait a minute.
I went down south.
I looked for you
and your brother.
You can't be back here.
How is he?
I won't ask again.
Your English...
You improved.
Why are you living
in this shit hole?
Sydney?
Yeah, you dickwad. It's me.
Been a while, huh?
-Uh.
-Oh, I stumbled
into your sister.
Sydney, waiting one minute, na?
I... dirty.
I can manage a minute.
I was married, you know?
Husband?
Was.
Not anymore.
It was short.
Two months.
Stupid.
Few years back.
Sydney okay?
I think so.
What about you?
Any kids?
Kid?
No.
No have.
Married?
What happened ten years ago?
How did you end up in Bangkok?
Here.
How did you end up
in Bangkok?
Take a seat.
So...
How have you been
all these years?
I don't know.
What do you mean you don't know?
How'd you get from the south
up to Bangkok?
Last time I saw you,
we got arrested.
You know,
there's this dream I keep having
ever since we met.
I can't shake it.
It starts and I'm in the middle
of a dark black ocean.
I'm underwater.
My legs are wrapped in chains
and stuck to the floor.
I break free
and swim up to the surface
but just before I get there,
there's this monster,
giant thing
with hands the size of my body
and it pinches my chains
and tugs me down
toying with me.
It lets me surface
and suck in some air
and then pulls me
back under again.
I struggle...
and struggle...
until I see a boat arrive.
It's you...
and your boat.
I reach out for you.
And you reach out for me.
But then I wake up.
Drink up, buddy!
It'll make the whole
seduction part a lot easier.
You're so quiet.
You weren't like this
ten years ago.
Let's, um
Let's do something wild tonight.
I have an idea.
Come on!
Don't be chicken.
Ether!
I go home.
What?
Already?
No!
Why?
No.
What the hell is your problem?
Am I not enough?
Tomorrow, okay?
See you tomorrow.
Hey, what's the matter?
Ether?
You're an ant.
You'll always be an ant.
Broke as dirt.
Feeding off hard-working
people like me.
She wondered why people
came up with the most
complicated ways to say
the most simple things.
You knew
they were in Bangkok.
Find a new partner.
I'm not working
with you anymore.
- Take a seat.
- No.
Sit down!
It's too late to back out.
What about the children?
What about my child?
Sydney, we are sitting
on a pile of cash.
I'm only doing this
because I love you.
You said your word is your soul.
Remember that time
you threw a helmet at my face?
I was 16.
Still a breach of contract.
You can't enter
a contract with a minor.
Nui's building doesn't
even have walls, okay?
The people living there
are sleeping on cement.
When the rain blows in,
they get soaked.
We need walls, Sydney!
Walls!
To separate us from the monkeys.
There's nothing for you there.
Nothing that matters.
The contract says
you're liable for losses.
That's it.
You take the heat,
I take the meat.
Capeesh!
Crybaby!
Okay.
Whose turn is it
to dance for me?
Come on.
Let me see it.
You were right.
I was too late.
What?
You look just like your mother
when we first met.
I was a...
about to take a shower.
No, Daddy.
You deserve a bath.
Let me start it for you.
You know what?
A bath sounds really
fucking amazing.
Thank you, sweetie.
Of course.
I love you.
You know, I like this.
We're gonna build empires,
Sydney.
The Arias.
Arias!
It's got a good ring to it.
You ready?
Almost.
Careful. It's hot.
It's nothing.
It's all yours.
Calm down.
How's the water?
Very nice.
You good?
Well, I'm a little sleepy.
Try to relax.
You've worked hard.
Honey.
Try to rest.
Sydney!
There is a place
I once found as a kid,
which exists deep inside
the crevices of my mind.
I go there in the moments
before waking.
It remains there.
It will always be there.
One day, I will never leave.
There is a place
I once found as a kid
which exists deep
inside the crevices
of my mind.
I go there
in the moments before waking.
It remains there.
It will always be there.
One day, I will never leave.
Sydney!
Get down from there!
Sorry.
I just wanted to see.
-Nui, right?
-Yeah, yeah.
The flight out of America
was brutal.
Some child kept kicking
the back of my chair.
I asked the flight attendant
to tell the kid to shut up.
But you know,
they wouldn't do it. So...
I almost turned around
and did it myself.
Yeah, I hope so.
So, how old are you?
I'm fifteen years old.
How old are you?
I'm sixteen.
Uhm...
Do you know the band Oasis?
-Oasis?
-Oasis.
Um, it's music.
America.
Daddy and me like...
Like sisters, right?
You married, Nui?
No, sir.
Makes two of us.
Dad, look!
They're not wearing any helmets.
They'll crash and burn.
You promised me
you'll never be so stupid.
I promise.
Atta girl.
You know what she loves?
The color red.
Once upon a time,
I was, you know,
going through her things,
and I accidentally misplaced
a few red items.
God, did she have a fit!
All I did was move
this red thing there, or...
red shirt to this drawer--
Whatever, you know?
She had
a full nervous breakdown.
Wouldn't eat for a week.
She believed
every piece of clothing
needed to have a story
otherwise,
clothes were meaningless...
a costume for parrots.
She questioned
if a new story was brewing
in this foreign land.
Yeah.
Hold on.
What's the area?
It's expensive, no?
Hold on. What's that?
What? No.
No, that's not gonna work.
No. Client's gonna be there
on Monday.
That is exactly what I said.
No.
Hold on.
Mr. Nui, what were you saying?
This shit?
Yeah.
Okay.
Yeah, okay.
That'll do.
Yeah, call me when it's done.
Okay.
Yeah, okay.
Mr. Nui.
Where do you see yourself
in ten years time?
Huh?
Ten years from now,
what do you see yourself doing?
You know, your dreams,
your ambitions.
Why do you need to sell
this land?
Well, Mr. Nui.
When you have no money
you gotta get creative
with your resources.
Hello?
Mom?
What time is it there?
Sunset.
It's the middle of the night
here.
Do you think
when I'm back from Thailand
I could stay with you
for a while?
Honey.
But...
can I see you at least?
I mean, that's allowed, right?
Does he know you're calling?
No.
Baby.
I know, I know, but like...
I don't know, I don't know.
Babe, it's late.
It's my daughter.
You didn't show up
at my recital.
Baby, I was in
a different state.
But you could've come, right?
Dad said he offered
to buy your plane ticket.
What? No.
That's not what happened, Syd.
We had a talk.
He told me not to show up.
What? Why?
I don't know.
He was really stern.
Made threats and everything.
And I'm not about
to battle him in court.
Maybe if things cool off,
I'll be there for the next one.
All right?
Pinky promise?
Pinky promise.
Ugh, Dad, I can't breathe.
Yeah, yeah,
it'll loosen up in the water.
Stop it.
There you go.
Hey!
Take a picture of me
and my daughter?
Can we not?
Smile, Sydney.
Ah! Yeah, it's perfect.
We look happy.
Alright.
Have fun, you two.
There are no sharks here, right?
What?
Shark?
No, no have.
- No, no have.
- It's not funny!
No, you have sharks,
or no, there are no sharks?
No have shark.
Hey, what's your name?
Huh?
Your name?
Name I, Ether.
I'm Sydney.
She could lose herself
in things like
speckled patterns of sunlight
bouncing over ocean waves.
She considered
these minute details
expressive
of some universal truth.
I don't know how to fish.
Scared?
Oh, no, not scared.
Just, um, it's dead.
Okay, you.
Again.
-Oh my god.
-Oooh!
Oh, that was good, right?
Um, now what?
Okay, now waiting.
Maybe one minute.
Maybe one day.
What? Are you just gonna...?
Ether?
Um, Ether!
Big.
You can! Go, Sydney!
No, no, I can't, it's too heavy!
Pull!
Ooh, it's slipping!
You can!
-I can't.
-Why?
I'm too weak!
You, this.
You, this.
You can.
You can.
Pull, pull!
You can.
I show sister.
Oh, hey, wait a second!
Dad?
Oh, shit.
Whoa, whoa, whoa!
That's not necessary.
Come on.
Sydney!
Stay.
She saw time like water.
Death, not an end.
Birth, not a beginning.
All moments,
droplets in the sea.
Where are we going?
Let's go.
Ether!
Monkey!
Where?
It was just there.
Wait, wait, wait.
Slow, slow, slow, slow, slow.
Slow, slow, slow, slow, slow.
Sydney.
Have you ever been to Bangkok?
No, not go.
So let's go.
We'll catch the biggest fish
the world has ever seen,
and ride into the city.
It'll be so big--
It'll be so big that
they'll need twenty people
to hold it up.
They'll even talk about us
in America.
Okay, okay.
Just do what they say.
Sydney, see you, Bangkok.
He didn't do anything!
Why is this happening?
Ether, what's going on? Hey!
-Go.
-Me?
Go.
He didn't do anything.
Go, go, go, go, go.
Ether, what about Ether?
Go.
Sir, can you tell me
what I'm doing here?
Hey!
Great.
Thanks.
Where's Ether?
No! No!
- Come here!
- No!
Let go, let go!
- Let go!
- Get in the car!
- Let me go!
- Now!
Stop acting crazy!
I won't go until I see Ether!
Help me!
No, let me go!
Let me go!
Ether!
Ether!
No!
Ether!
Ether!
Sydney, calm down!
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Get us out of here.
Hey.
Do you remember this?
I think it's broken.
You're doing it wrong.
Yeah, yeah, been great Nui.
Thanks.
You're looking fresh.
I like the watch.
What is it, a Rolex?
That's a $6,000 watch, Sydney.
Patek Philippe.
I bought it for her.
24th birthday.
$150,000.
How's Jaan and Ether?
And Ether?
He-- they're not in Bangkok?
There is a place where trauma
burrowed within her,
where it elongated and echoed
to infinity thereafter.
Hey.
Never leaving.
Take your meds.
In every nerve ending
of every limb.
- They're in my suitcase.
- Fuck, Sydney.
It resurrected in panic,
tremors, short breaths.
The gates to her prison.
A persistent erosion
of her mind.
Sydney, what's wrong?
She spent her life deciphering
the puzzle of its origin.
Running through
the labyrinth of memory.
Desperate to heal.
She ran too deep.
Suffocated.
Nothing.
Imploded.
I'm fine.
Open your window.
Now's not the time to crack.
Russell, I'm fine.
Bump me.
Atta girl.
Atta girl.
You've got squatters.
In America, the city would tear
this place down
before anyone
could call it their home.
Thank you.
I hear flooding's an issue
in Bangkok.
What do you think, Sydney?
What?
Head in the game, sweetheart.
My time ain't free.
Sorry.
I was lost in thought.
Yeah, I was asking you
what you think.
The noise might be an issue.
And there's that
notorious Bangkok smell.
Thai people don't care.
Yeah, I'm not so sure
about that.
Let's, uh,
let's look at the numbers
then we can chat.
It's a good opportunity.
Yeah.
But what do you really think?
There were children.
Slum families!
Ants feeding off free hand outs
from hard working people
like you and me.
They mean nothing to you.
Sydney, when I am gone,
all of this
will belong to you.
So stop bitching!
I'm not bitching,
I'm just wondering
if it's worth it.
Worth it?
It's 50 million dollars.
-That's not what I mean.
-Read the contract, dummy!
You cannot blame me
for all the problems
in the world.
I am just one man.
Honey.
Are you with me?
We'll take care of the families.
I promise.
-You give me your word?
-Yes.
My word is my soul.
Now for a week of R&R
and then...
demolition.
Whiskey?
-Cheers.
-Cheers.
Aha, Nui!
Oh yeah!
This is my name.
Russell Aria.
Approaching the sprawling
metropolis of Bangkok
triggered memories of Ether.
They flooded in
like monsoon rain.
She thought about
where he might be
if he was even alive.
In fact, she understood this
about herself very well.
Losing him ten years ago
was the defining moment
of her outlook on life.
She grew up a slave
to powerful people
graduated reform school
with excellent grades
got through college
without making any friends.
Salmon for the lady.
It was hard for her to love.
After a two month fling,
she married an older man,
but quickly divorced
when she realized
the man would fail
to provide her
with the cutting behavior
she craved.
Where's the Klonopin?
Upstairs.
I, um, just got back
from the South.
And?
Couldn't find them.
Look...
I'll get you some more
when we're back in New York.
Stop fiending.
You're a grown man.
Stop fiending for food.
You're fat.
Seriously?
What are you, twelve?
Well, I mean,
you know, we can't have you
attending company meetings
If you're...
overweight.
You call this overweight?
Yeah.
Well...
What are you gonna do?
-Eat your emotions?
-What are you gonna do?
Get wasted and whine
about your divorce again?
Crybaby.
Would you like
to tell some jokes?
For a dollar a minute?
I'd do anything.
Waiter!
Russell.
-Yes, sir?
-Yeah,
you see that microphone
over there?
Would you mind bringing it over?
-You want the microphone, sir?
-Don't listen to him.
No, shut up.
Yeah. That microphone.
Bring it over.
My daughter here is
a fantastic comedian.
Well, I'm not sure.
I can check with the manager.
No, no, no.
I'm your manager.
I'm paying.
So move your little feet.
Bring me the microphone.
Bring me the fucking microphone!
Sir.
Sir?
Let me do it, sir.
Cold feet.
Five years of rehab.
Why aren't you laughing, Daddy?
Yeah, can, uh,
someone come and clean this up,
please?
I'm sorry about dinner.
I know.
The thing they don't tell you
about turning fifty
is that it really fucks you up.
You do things...
just to prove how much
you hate yourself.
You don't hate yourself.
You hate
that you're not young anymore.
Maybe, maybe I should just
give it all up
and leave it all to you.
And what in the world
would you do
with all your time?
Night, Russell.
She knew back home
her father was just
another schmuck shootin' dice.
But in Thailand,
he was king.
Nice television.
Jaan?
If you don't want food,
then you can leave.
Jaan?
Oh hey, wait a minute.
Wait a minute.
I went down south.
I looked for you
and your brother.
You can't be back here.
How is he?
I won't ask again.
Your English...
You improved.
Why are you living
in this shit hole?
Sydney?
Yeah, you dickwad. It's me.
Been a while, huh?
-Uh.
-Oh, I stumbled
into your sister.
Sydney, waiting one minute, na?
I... dirty.
I can manage a minute.
I was married, you know?
Husband?
Was.
Not anymore.
It was short.
Two months.
Stupid.
Few years back.
Sydney okay?
I think so.
What about you?
Any kids?
Kid?
No.
No have.
Married?
What happened ten years ago?
How did you end up in Bangkok?
Here.
How did you end up
in Bangkok?
Take a seat.
So...
How have you been
all these years?
I don't know.
What do you mean you don't know?
How'd you get from the south
up to Bangkok?
Last time I saw you,
we got arrested.
You know,
there's this dream I keep having
ever since we met.
I can't shake it.
It starts and I'm in the middle
of a dark black ocean.
I'm underwater.
My legs are wrapped in chains
and stuck to the floor.
I break free
and swim up to the surface
but just before I get there,
there's this monster,
giant thing
with hands the size of my body
and it pinches my chains
and tugs me down
toying with me.
It lets me surface
and suck in some air
and then pulls me
back under again.
I struggle...
and struggle...
until I see a boat arrive.
It's you...
and your boat.
I reach out for you.
And you reach out for me.
But then I wake up.
Drink up, buddy!
It'll make the whole
seduction part a lot easier.
You're so quiet.
You weren't like this
ten years ago.
Let's, um
Let's do something wild tonight.
I have an idea.
Come on!
Don't be chicken.
Ether!
I go home.
What?
Already?
No!
Why?
No.
What the hell is your problem?
Am I not enough?
Tomorrow, okay?
See you tomorrow.
Hey, what's the matter?
Ether?
You're an ant.
You'll always be an ant.
Broke as dirt.
Feeding off hard-working
people like me.
She wondered why people
came up with the most
complicated ways to say
the most simple things.
You knew
they were in Bangkok.
Find a new partner.
I'm not working
with you anymore.
- Take a seat.
- No.
Sit down!
It's too late to back out.
What about the children?
What about my child?
Sydney, we are sitting
on a pile of cash.
I'm only doing this
because I love you.
You said your word is your soul.
Remember that time
you threw a helmet at my face?
I was 16.
Still a breach of contract.
You can't enter
a contract with a minor.
Nui's building doesn't
even have walls, okay?
The people living there
are sleeping on cement.
When the rain blows in,
they get soaked.
We need walls, Sydney!
Walls!
To separate us from the monkeys.
There's nothing for you there.
Nothing that matters.
The contract says
you're liable for losses.
That's it.
You take the heat,
I take the meat.
Capeesh!
Crybaby!
Okay.
Whose turn is it
to dance for me?
Come on.
Let me see it.
You were right.
I was too late.
What?
You look just like your mother
when we first met.
I was a...
about to take a shower.
No, Daddy.
You deserve a bath.
Let me start it for you.
You know what?
A bath sounds really
fucking amazing.
Thank you, sweetie.
Of course.
I love you.
You know, I like this.
We're gonna build empires,
Sydney.
The Arias.
Arias!
It's got a good ring to it.
You ready?
Almost.
Careful. It's hot.
It's nothing.
It's all yours.
Calm down.
How's the water?
Very nice.
You good?
Well, I'm a little sleepy.
Try to relax.
You've worked hard.
Honey.
Try to rest.
Sydney!
There is a place
I once found as a kid,
which exists deep inside
the crevices of my mind.
I go there in the moments
before waking.
It remains there.
It will always be there.
One day, I will never leave.