The Desiring (2021) Movie Script

1
But if you through
the spirit
do mortify the deeds
of the body...
you shall live.
Show yourself
you fucking coward.
If you really gave a damn,
you'd show yourself.
Show yourself!
Richard.
Richard.
Yeah.
Richard, are you getting up?
Yeah, I'm up. I'm up.
What time did you get home
last night?
After 1:00.
Why'd you have to work
so late?
Just work stuff.
Mmm.
Oh, that feels good.
Mmm.
It feels really good.
What a beaut!
Did you feel her spirit?
Why didn't we shoot that one?
She was right in front of us.
Your first hunt
is just about watching.
Paying homage
to God's presence in nature.
What's homage mean?
Reverence.
Oh, hey Richard.
You wanted to see me?
Yeah, um...
well, I want you
to have this.
It's a gift certificate
to Nomi's
-You don't have to do that.
-Here. Go ahead.
You know, you've been up
all night and...
-Thank you.
-No, you're welcome.
Yeah. Did that order
go out last week?
It did.
All right. Yeah.
Thanks, Joyce.
Hey. Thanks for covering
for me the other night.
No worries.
Actually, Mary wanted me
to give you this.
Nice. Nomi's.
Do you want to go to lunch?
I'm going to take a half day.
I'll treat.
Yeah. Let's go.
Is my--
is my daddy in heaven?
When I was younger, I used to
sit up in my tree stand
with my bow and arrow
till the sun went down.
I like to imagine
that I was like Elijah,
waiting for God to pass.
Richard, your daddy
was waiting for something too.
He wanted God so bad.
I don't know where he is...
but I sure hope he found
what he was looking for.
So you got any plans
for this evening?
Not really.
I'm just going to head up
to the river house.
I got a few things
to take care of.
You're welcome to join me.
Nah, I'll pass.
Can I ask you something?
Yeah.
Are you still in love
with Claire?
Of course.
But how do you know?
It was love at first sight.
I guess it's not as romantic
to say,
you know,
like at first sight or--
or mildly attracted
at first glance.
No, I guess not.
I think it's the feeling
of truly knowing someone...
and them knowing you.
There's an intimacy
that you feel
and it's unlike anything
you've experienced
with anyone else.
Have you ever been in love?
I mean... I think I am now.
So why are you asking me?
-How's it going?
-Hey.
-The usual?
-Yes, please. Thank you.
Do you want
to hear something funny?
-Yeah.
-When I was a boy,
there's a traveling preacher
who came to town.
He parked right here
in this lot.
This pastor
who lit his hands on fire,
started yelling,
"Are you on fire for the Lord?
Because I am."
Oh. And then that all
happened right here
where you're making coffee.
Hard act to follow.
Hope I don't disappoint.
Here's to liquid salvation.
Crazy story back there.
Why'd you tell her that?
Did you see
many traveling preachers?
I saw some.
They were all the same really.
Different gimmick,
but same bullshit.
What is it?
What are you looking at?
Come on.
Let's get back to work.
Goddamn it! Fuck!
-Morning.
-Hey.
Whoa!
Jeez. Everything okay?
Yeah, everything's fine.
Did you bring
any eggs back with you?
No. I totally forgot.
That's okay.
Are you sure you're okay?
Yeah, everything's fine.
You know, I'm just having
an off day I guess.
Oh, come on now.
Let's try it out.
Oh, yeah.
Oh, no.
Claire, are you happy?
I don't know.
Sometimes I'm happy.
How about you?
I want you to be happy
all the time.
I don't know
if that's possible.
Of course it is.
Good night.
Hey, man.
Hey. How's it going?
Exhausted.
That should help, huh?
So are you going to grab
some coffee
or are you just going to stand
there like a psychopath?
Yeah.
How was the, uh,
the date last night?
It was good.
Hey, guys.
Hey, Mary.
I have a suspicion you're trying
to avoid me, Eric.
I have an innate sense
of when a storm is coming.
-The new FARO arm
is up and running.
-It's almost 5:00.
The FARO arm
should have been up and running
a couple days ago.
So I guess
you'll put us on track.
How's it going, Richard?
I can't complain.
Goddamn it.
Fuck me.
Richard, can you cover for me
tonight?
You're going to be here anyway.
I got a lot going on, man.
I can't tonight.
Shit.
Yeah, man. No worries.
Sorry.
You scared me.
By all means please, continue.
When did you get
into hip-hop dancing?
Oh, well a girl
can have her own interests.
Thought you had to work
late tonight.
God, you look amazing.
Oh, thanks.
There was that reception
at the hospital.
Must have been fancy.
Very.
-Did you have
a good day at work?
-Same old.
Look at that.
Not a care in the world.
Those are old.
You should think
about making some new ones.
-That sounds nice.
-You want to try something fun?
Oh!
-Oh, those look new.
-Oh, yeah.
I threw out
a lot of my old ones.
They were getting ratty.
No, leave them on.
I like them.
Oh, okay.
Sorry.
Oh.
I'm just tired.
That's okay. I just--
seemed like you wanted to.
I thought I did, but it's
just been an exhausting day
with the reception
and everything.
All right.
Good night.
I mean,
look at it out there.
It's endless.
We're just
another speck of dust.
You think we'll ever get
to go up in space?
Nah.
Well, not folks
like you and me.
It's funny...
the only way we can see
anything on Earth
is because the sun
shines light on it.
When the sun is up,
it blinds us.
It blinds us
from the heavens.
Hey, I'm still
stuck at the office,
so don't wait up.
Not sure how long
it's going to be.
Love you.
When you were hired,
we made it very clear,
this company runs on deadlines,
not clocked hours.
I just assumed that that
meant I could leave by five
if I got all my work done.
Get all your work done,
you can leave whenever you want.
I hate that woman.
Let's get back to work.
-All right, I'll see you.
-Later.
Hey, Eric. Wait.
-I can cover for you tonight.
-Really?
Yeah. Yeah, I'm going
to be here anyway,
so I'll take care of it.
Wow, man. Thank you.
Yeah, but only for you,
so don't tell anybody,
all right?
-Hey.
-Hi, how are you?
-Come on in.
-Good. How are you?
I'm well.
Did you find us all right?
-I did. Thank you.
-Hey, big boy.
-Hey.
-How you doing?
Hey. I'm good. How are you?
You all have a lovely home.
Thank you.
Hey, wait till you see
the swimming pool.
-Oh.
-He is very proud of his pool.
Oh, I should have told you guys
to bring swimsuits.
-Oh.
-Oh, maybe next time. Huh?
Well, night is young,
might not even need them.
-You should have seen her face.
-Yeah.
Don't worry, darling.
I'm just messing with you.
-Okay.
-Well, who's hungry?
Okay, this is my last one.
So, Richard,
why don't you tell us a story?
Okay.
When I was six years old,
my dad took me camping.
We had everything set up right.
The fire was going,
we were about to eat dinner...
when out of the woods...
jumps an ape.
-An ape?
-An ape.
Where were you?
Well, remember I was only six.
So anyway, this ape
jumps out of the woods.
My dad hops up and he says,
"Stay back, son."
And he just goes in
and attacks this thing.
I mean,
it was mayhem, violent.
Just punches being thrown.
I was terrified.
The ape eventually ran off.
And my dad, he limps back over
says, "Don't worry, son,
that ape won't be coming back
here again."
And to this six year old boy,
that man was the strongest,
most brave man in the world.
Until a few weeks later
when we were
at Pat's General Store
and I look back
in Pat's office
and I see the--
I see the gorilla suit.
And I knew immediately.
Motherfucker,
put me through all of that.
Wow.
Holy shit,
your dad is hilarious, man.
All right.
It's all right honey.
Come on, let's go get
these ladies something to eat.
We'll be back ladies,
don't worry.
-Oh, God!
-Oh, my God!
-Oh, you asshole!
-Whoo!
Okay. You ladies coming in
or are we going to come out
there and get you?
Please, do not leave me
in here by myself with him.
Well, I'm not skinny dipping.
You can borrow one of my suits.
-All right.
-Yeah! All right.
Finally getting some use
out of this pool.
Hey, Mary's still got it,
doesn't she?
I mean, she looks good, right?
-Yeah.
-Yeah.
She's older now, but, oh,
man, you should have seen her
20 years ago.
Oh, hey, there they are.
Whoo!
Ladies, you are going
to learn how to dive.
Come on.
It was actually a lot of fun.
A lot more fun
than I thought it would be.
You never know how
those things are going to go.
That might have been
the first story
I've ever heard you
tell about your dad.
That's not true.
I think Michael
has a crush on you.
He was drinking.
Are you blushing?
Why would I be blushing?
You enjoying that, boy?
Yup.
It's a shame you're just
going to get hungry again.
You always get hungry.
About time, you slow bastard.
Yeah, yeah.
I can't stay long.
I got plans tonight.
You got a date?
Why, yes I do.
Let's get to it.
God forbid I get
in the way of love.
Pretty good cast.
So, yeah, hey, tell me
a little bit more
about this new girl.
Oh, she's great.
She's different.
I've dated
a lot of women, man, and I
can never seem to break
through that first layer,
you know?
Yeah, but...
you were sleeping
with all those women,
weren't you?
Yeah, you were.
Yeah.
You finally, uh,
finally found it.
Natural, easy.
Once you think about it,
you know, it's simple.
Speaking of which, man...
I got to run.
-No!
-See you, man.
Oh!
Nothing! There's nothing.
You lied to me.
Why, Daddy?
I'm going to look
inside your very soul.
My what?
I'm going to find all
your deepest, darkest secrets.
-I got nothing to hide.
-Okay.
Boring.
-What is this?
-Yeah.
There's a picture
of mi padre in there, too.
Really?
Yeah.
So loving.
Just, they were so in love.
It's really sweet.
Where are you going?
I'm going to go
find your wallet.
What?
It's meaningless.
This isn't it!
This ain't it!
John.
-Stop! Please!
-I have seen the face of God.
And I'm left with this?
Why am I stuck here
in this flesh?
Shadows. It's mere shadows.
You're missing the point, John.
You don't know what I know.
You don't get it!
I have seen what could be.
Don't touch me.
-John.
-Don't touch me.
-John!
-Don't touch me!
-Don't touch me!
-John!
I know what this means!
Why do we do this
to ourselves?
There's work to be done.
There's always work to be done.
What difference does it make
if is done tonight
versus tomorrow?
-Deadlines, remember?
-Hm, deadlines.
I think I use the deadlines
to avoid my marriage.
We don't have to be husband
and wife here.
How are you and Claire doing?
She's cheating on me.
What? How do you know?
-I just know.
-Oh, my-- I had no idea.
I'm so sorry.
Are you okay?
I don't know anymore. I--
What do you mean?
I'm not so sure that...
I can blame her
for cheating on me.
Don't say that.
No one deserves
to be cheated on.
Especially not you.
You don't really know me.
I catch glimpses.
It actually feels good
telling somebody.
-Thank you.
-Yeah.
You okay?
Yeah. Yeah.
I thought I wanted to--
No, I'm... sorry.
Relax. Relax.
And good morning.
Good morning.
What time is it?
It's about 5:00 a.m.
Oh, shit.
I was just
going to rest my eyes
for a few minutes.
Come on,
let me make us some coffee.
So y'all are redoing
the lights on this property?
Yeah.
They gave us a key in case
we needed to use the bathroom.
Has Richard been here before?
Yeah. Tons.
Wow.
Can't believe he never told me
about this place.
It's really amazing, huh?
Look at this.
When did you
lose the connection?
What?
With Richard.
Oh, I don't know.
Did you ever have one?
Yeah. We really did.
What was it
that you felt he had?
That I was worth something.
Worth something?
Yeah.
Richard made me feel
like I was the only woman
in the world.
I mean, just,
it was like this
weird tunnel vision
or something.
And it was exactly
what I needed.
What happened?
I don't know. I mean...
I think we have these--
these things
that we check off in our life
and I think I became
one of those things
for Richard.
Something
that he just checked off.
And now it's like
he doesn't even really see me.
It's like I'm invisible to him
or something.
And, you know,
maybe I'm to blame.
I mean...
maybe I didn't even know
myself to begin with.
Maybe I just...
was an idea of myself...
when I met Richard.
Do you still love him?
I don't know.
Maybe I do.
Come sit here next to me.
-Can I play it?
-No.
You got to know the secret.
Try to concentrate
on the music.
Sometimes the music
will take you with it.
And if we're lucky...
even if
for just a split second...
time stops...
and all your worries...
they're gone.
That is when you know...
your offering
has been accepted.
Desire is the only thing
that separates us
from the animals.
You should take it easy.
You're killing
my tree down there.
I don't mean to.
Has that new girl
got you off your game?
No, not really.
So you--
you seem different.
Why you want to know
about my love life so bad?
No, man, really.
It's getting weird.
It's like
you're living vicariously
through me or something.
Don't flatter yourself.
Then what is it?
Everything all right?
Everything's fine
Maybe I just know you.
I know you're not capable
of an actual lasting
relationship.
What the hell
is that supposed to mean?
Means you'll get tired of her
just like you do all the rest.
That's not true.
I'm finally
starting to understand
what it's like to be
in a real relationship.
Are you?
I've seen you...
hurt woman after woman.
String them along.
You can't just be flippant
with their feelings like that.
This one's different.
Ah, shit.
I put the last one up.
Fine.
What are you doing here?
I want
to take you on a date.
Richard, I'm so tired.
I kind of want
to go home and crash.
No, no, I'm sorry.
I'm going
to take you on a date.
I brought you
a change of clothes.
It's going to be fun, I swear.
-Okay.
-Come on.
-Hop in.
-All right.
Forget that one.
Do you remember what happened
at our rehearsal dinner
at the lake?
Oh, yeah.
You really made me
feel special back then.
I remember.
I threw you over my shoulder
and we went right
in the deep end.
I couldn't believe you.
I wanted to kill you.
That night
was so special to me.
I remember it
like it was yesterday.
Not now.
What?
What do you mean?
It doesn't work
like that for me.
I can't just turn it off
and on like you can.
I'll give you a massage.
Intimacy.
I mean,
can't you understand that?
We're married, Claire,
why does this
have to be a thing?
I'm a person, Richard.
I know you're a person, Claire.
I mean, what do you see
when you see me?
-Are you joking right now?
-No, I'm not.
I mean, what do you see
when you see me?
Am I funny? Am I smart?
I mean, I just want
to be known, Richard.
Is that so much to ask?
You know what I see?
I see my wife.
I see the woman
that I married.
the most beautiful woman
in the world to me.
Claire,
what am I supposed to see?
I just don't think you get
what I'm saying.
No, no.
I think I do.
I'm trying to, Claire.
Do you even see me anymore?
I want you.
Gentle.
Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop.
Just, I'm sorry.
I just,
I can't do this right now.
-No.
-Honey, it was just
a bump on the head.
Come on.
I just can't. I just can't.
Claire, don't go. Claire.
But if ye
through the spirit do mortify
the deeds of the body,
ye shall live.
No, no, no, don't you hide
behind that bullshit.
If you really gave a damn,
you'd show yourself, you coward.
Show yourself!
You're starting to want more.
Why are you resisting?
You're always searching
for something.
I was right there beside you.
Richard.
I was just a boy,
you piece of shit.
Just a boy.
You're right, Ricky.
I was always
searching for something.
But nothing I ever chased
showed me the face of God
more than you did.
I know that now.
Fuck you.
I lost it all.
I gambled it all away
because I thought
there was more.
But you, boy,
you ain't gambled a damn thing.
Is that supposed
to make me feel better?
-I never meant to hurt you.
-Oh, don't.
You were the only thing that
kept me alive all that time.
You think that helps now?
Huh?
-Richard.
-Stay back.
Just stay back.
We all want
more than our fathers.
And I never gave you
that grace.
I left you wanting less.
No!
-Oh, shit!
-Richard! Richard.
Richard.
Who's there? Who is it?
Who is it?
I can't see.
I can't see you.
I can't see you.
Hey.
Richard, it's me.
And that was the first time
I experienced death.
It was supposed to be such a--
a triumphant event,
but I couldn't see
past the lifeless deer.
He took the deer and he said,
"This is the blooding rite.
It means you're now a hunter."
And he marked my forehead
with the blood of my first
kill.
"Life given for life,"
he said.
No one saw the world
like he did.
Everything had a deeper,
more spiritual meaning.
He was determined to find it.
When he died,
the magic went with him.
Why are you telling me this?
Because I want more.
I love you, Claire.
I know that now.