The Kindred (2021) Movie Script
[]
[WOMAN BREATHING HEAVILY]
[PANTING]
[WHIMPERING]
[PUSHING BUTTONS]
[BREATHING HEAVILY]
[DOOR CLOSES]
- [BODY THUDS]
- [GASPS]
- Dad!
- [CAR HORN HONKS]
[]
ROBERT:
Could you ever forgive me?
Hi.
Who are you?
- [CHUCKLES SOFTLY]
- [SIGHS]
[BOTH CHUCKLING]
You need a shave, huh?
Hey, your hair has got long.
They told me
there was an accident.
[SIGHS]
You were hit by a car.
- I feel fine.
- Good. That's good.
So I can go home?
The accident was, uh...
It was a while ago.
A while ago?
Greg, how long
have I been here?
The doctor said
that it's best not...
Greg?
A year.
Just over.
That's not funny.
- [SIGHS HEAVILY]
- It's okay. It's okay.
I'm gonna get you home soon,
I promise.
And, yeah,
we're gonna be a family.
All three of us.
You, me...
and Heidi.
It's a miracle
she survived the accident.
[WHIMPERING]
Helen? Helen, it's okay.
Helen?
Doctor?
- [GASPING]
- Doctor! Doctor!
[]
DOCTOR:
Congratulations.
You're one of only three women
in recorded history
to have successfully given birth
while in a coma.
When can I go home?
Soon.
You'll have to continue with
your rehabilitation.
Your legs will need to get
their memory back too.
[BABY COOING]
I'll leave you two
to get acquainted.
- Thank you.
- That's fine.
Come on. Heidi...
this is Mommy.
Mommy, this is Heidi.
You go to Mama.
[GASPS]
That's it. Good girl.
Yeah.
That's it.
No, no, no, it's okay.
You stay with Mama.
That's okay.
Yeah? Oh!
Okay.
Oh, she's just being fussy.
You're just being
a fusspot.
NURSE:
How does that feel?
- Fine. Yeah.
- Yeah? Good.
Nice rotation.
Fantastic.
[KNOCKS ON DOOR]
- Uh, Helen Tullet?
- Yes.
Sorry. My interruption.
Um, Detective Shepherd.
Is it okay if I speak
to Mrs. Tullet in private?
Uh, yeah. Sure.
Mrs. Tullet.
Please. Call me Helen.
Helen.
Um, I've been given the job
of just wrapping up
your father's case.
In cases like this, you know,
when there's no history
of depression
or mental illness,
we look for a kind of stressor.
You know what
that might have been?
I wish I knew.
An eyewitness
reported seeing you
running from the building
in a state of distress.
Why would I have done that?
Look, I've got
little left to do here,
just crossing T's
and dotting I's.
And the coroner has
already ruled a suicide.
But since you're
the one and only witness...
I have to ask you,
what was your relationship like
with your father?
He raised me by himself.
We were close.
Okay, look,
if you're ever able to recall
anything, then please...
give me a call.
[]
GREG:
Beautiful, isn't she?
HELEN: Don't they say
all babies are beautiful?
GREG: Yeah,
only to the parents of ugly babies.
HELEN:
What does she like?
GREG:
She's a baby, you know?
She likes to eat, sleep,
cry and poop.
Listen, um...
I didn't know
how to tell you this, but, uh...
I had to sell the house.
Taking care of Heidi and you,
I couldn't keep up
with the repayments.
We have savings.
We had savings.
So we have nothing?
I'm sorry, I...
I did everything I could.
Oh, God, no, I'm... I'm sorry.
I'm sorry,
it's not your fault.
So where is home now?
[]
Sorry, no, no, I can't.
Where else are we gonna go,
Helen?
- He left it to us.
- Doesn't make it okay.
It won't be forever.
It's not just us anymore.
- Thanks.
- That's okay.
I'm just gonna go
and pop Heidi down.
Okay.
GREG:
There we go.
Here we go. Yes.
I love you.
[]
[WHEELS THUNK]
[GRUNTS SOFTLY]
[SIGHS]
Okay.
I'll give you the tour.
- You forget I was born here.
- [CHUCKLES SOFTLY]
Dad's study.
Yeah, I thought you could give
it new purpose and new life.
Everything's here,
all of your work,
just waiting for whenever
you're ready.
I was looking forward
to getting back to my studio.
This way you can be at home
with Heidi all the time, right?
I missed you.
You didn't even know
I was gone.
[WHISPERS]
I know.
But still.
Are you sure?
Come on. Here it comes.
Come on.
- [WHIMPERS]
- What's your secret?
No secret.
Just be mommyish.
Mmm...
Mmm!
Yummy.
[HEIDI FUSSING]
- Come on, Heidi.
- Helen.
- Come on, Heidi.
- Helen.
- Eat it, eat it!
- Helen!
GREG:
She just gets cranky.
I'll put her down.
Come on.
Here we go.
[]
[DOOR CLOSES]
Is something wrong?
Just wonder how he went
from writing a list
to buy bread to...
- Look, I'll throw it out.
- No, no, no, don't. Leave it.
GREG:
Come on. Go, Mommy. Go, Mommy.
- [GRUNTS]
- Yes!
Clap, clap, clap.
Clap, clap, clap.
Well done, Mommy.
Clap, clap, clap.
Come on, Mommy.
See? Oh, look,
she's doing so well.
You're doing brilliantly.
You're doing great.
Come on, Mommy.
Yes!
Oh, yes!
Well done, Mommy.
Say, "Well done, Mommy."
[]
[LAUGHING]
GREG:
Very good.
We put it down?
And it's down.
That's good, yeah!
Yes!
Lift it up.
[BEEPS]
ROBERT [ON RECORDING]:
Hi, you've reached Robert.
Please leave a message
after the beep.
- [ANSWERING MACHINE BEEPS]
- Robert, it's Frank.
I'm back.
It would be great to catch up.
You have my address.
[DOORBELL RINGS]
Who is it?
HELEN:
I hope you don't mind.
I think you knew my dad.
I looked you up
in his address book.
I'm Frank. Frank Menzies.
- And you must be...
- Helen.
Well, you'd better
come in then, huh?
Thanks.
[CHILDREN LAUGHING]
Well, I was hoping
that we might one day meet.
[CHUCKLES]
- There we are.
- Thank you.
[SIGHS]
Well, I can see
the family resemblance.
- [SIGHS]
- [LAUGHS]
I knew your father
from years ago.
We were both in the church.
But, uh, over the years,
we drifted apart.
To be honest, I read about him
in the... The newspaper.
But I hadn't seen him in years,
despite my efforts.
And then when I read
about the daughter...
[LAUGHS]
...I thought,
wonder how many more secrets
he's keeping?
And of course
I couldn't wait
- to meet the lovely lady.
- [CHUCKLES]
Are you comfortable?
Oh, yes.
Yeah, this isn't permanent.
He said something to me...
the night...
I need to remember
what he told me before it...
happened.
Look, I know
I'm practically a stranger,
my opinion doesn't
count for anything, but, um...
I think these things
are best put to rest.
Take it from a lonely old man
who's seen his share of hurt,
that people come and go
in and out of your life.
Sometimes you've got
a say in it...
sometimes you don't.
Um...
I, uh... I...
- Do you have your own family?
- Yeah.
Oh. Oh.
Oh, God, sorry.
I'll get you a tissue.
[MUFFLED VOICES CHATTERING]
WOMAN:
Mom and baby...
There you go.
Who's a clever girl?
Oh?
- Where were you?
- Ah.
Helen, I'm Trisha.
I'm your health visitor.
- Is there a problem?
- No. Nothing to worry about.
I'm just here
for your 12:30 appointment.
You forgot.
TRISHA:
It's all fine.
Anyway, let's get this
little one...
Ooh!
...checked out.
She been getting
overexcited at the park?
- GREG: Oh, my God.
- TRISHA: It's okay.
I mean, kids bump into things
all the time.
It'd be odd if I saw a baby
who didn't have
a few scrapes and bruises.
Helen, you need to keep
an eye on her all the time.
- I do.
- Then how did she get bruises?
Wait, what do you really think
caused those bruises?
- Like I said...
- I know what you said.
I wanna know what you think.
I have no reason
to think anything
other than
the obvious explanation.
She took a tumble the moment
you turned your back.
And I'm not sure why you would
think otherwise either.
Okay?
Yeah.
[SOFTLY]
Okay.
[]
That's a very good look
for you.
Oh, hi, Mr. Mulvaney.
Ha, once upon a time,
you were the little girl
across the hall, weren't you?
- Yeah, I suppose so.
- [CHUCKLES]
Now look at you. A mother.
Yeah, it's nice.
Nice?
Um, it was just not
what I expected it to be.
She seems to like you.
Do you want to hold her?
Yes, I'd love to.
Come here.
Hey, pretty girl.
Hey.
GREG:
...trouble letting go.
Mm-hm.
Maybe you can just help her
- put things to bed.
- Mm.
Greg?
Hi.
You know, I'm gonna see
if anyone needs a drink.
Uh, thank you so much
for coming, Father Monroe.
Thank you, Greg.
Helen, I... I just wanted
to tell you how sorry I was
to hear about what happened
to your father.
Thank you.
We miss you down at the church.
I hope you take
some comfort in knowing
that he is in a better place.
Do I know that?
Faith is that gray area where
the heart and the mind meets.
If there is ever
anything I can do...
Yeah.
You can tell me
if he ever mentioned
why he might kill himself.
I only wish he had.
If you ever need
some guidance...
you know where to find me.
MULVANEY:
Wave to Mommy.
[LAUGHS]
[ROCK MUSIC PLAYING FAINTLY]
Helen? You have a visitor.
Frank. You came.
Yeah. Hope I'm not intruding.
I wouldn't have invited you
if I didn't want you here.
Frank's a friend of my dad's.
Oh, uh, these are for you.
Thank you.
- Oh, they're lovely.
- GREG: I'll...
I'll put those in some water.
Thank you.
So no crutches, eh?
Yeah, getting there.
You're looking well.
GREG:
Helen, I-I can't find a vase.
Oh, um, I'll be right back.
What are you doing?
Tell me bringing that man here
has nothing to do
with bringing up the past.
Thanks for the party, Greg.
[]
No, it's okay.
No, once she's down,
she's out, so it's fine.
[OVER MONITOR]
So, what do you do, Frank?
FRANK:
Take it easy.
Relax.
Mostly spend time
with my thoughts.
- Oh, retired then?
- Yeah.
Thirty-five years
as a traveling salesman.
- Oh, that sounds interesting.
- Nah. Boring as hell.
But you find ways
to make it exciting.
Have you got any kids?
FRANK:
Yeah, a daughter.
So tell me, are the teenage
years as bad as everyone says?
I'm afraid
I didn't get to find out.
Oh, um, I'm sorry.
I... I didn't mean to...
It's okay.
I hope you realize
how lucky you are.
- Here we go. Just a little bit?
- [CRYING]
Oh, yummy.
Oh, yes, delicious.
Do you want
a little bit more?
- Good morning.
- Yeah, uh, you're half right.
You know, there's a thing
called decaf.
I need to go out of town
for a conference.
I thought you said
you hated this new job.
I do, but I can't turn down
the overtime.
So you're leaving?
[SIGHS]
When will you be back?
A few days.
I... I can get out of it.
Can you?
Will you be okay?
We'll be fine.
Won't we, Heidi?
Time for a girly catch-up.
I'm really sorry.
Are you sure
you're gonna be okay?
Well, food goes in the top
and poop comes out
the bottom, right?
Heh, you'll be perfect.
- I love you. Mwah.
- You too.
Okay. Mwah! I love you.
See you later.
[DOOR OPENS, CLOSES]
[COOS, THEN CRIES]
[HEIDI WAILING]
HELEN:
It's okay, darling.
It's okay.
Everything's going to be fine.
Come on.
[DOOR BUZZES OPEN]
[HEIDI WAILS]
Did I come at a bad time?
Come on.
[DOOR CLOSES]
Sorry about that.
Finally got her down.
[SIGHS]
Got any parenting advice?
Looks like you're doing
just fine.
My advice?
Just love her.
Love her in the way
that only you know how.
Everything else
will fall into place.
I just came back to, uh...
A present for the little one.
[BOTH CHUCKLE]
That's so sweet, thank you.
So you had a daughter?
Sounds so finite, doesn't it?
Oh, I'm sorry.
- No.
- Sorry.
No, when you have a child,
it changes your perspective
on everything, doesn't it?
You know, first time you really
have something to lose.
Something to live for.
Die for.
How did you know?
How did you know
that you loved her?
Oh, there was
never any question.
But when did you know?
Uh...
the first time
I looked in her eyes...
and I saw myself.
If you could go back again,
do anything different...
what would it be?
More time.
I'd give everything
just for one more second.
Tell her I was sorry. Sorry...
I wasn't the father
that she needed.
Too little, too late.
So I'm, uh, sensing
a theme in your questions.
Being a parent is hard.
[WHISPERS] I think there's
something wrong with me, Frank.
No.
Nobody's perfect.
The best you can be
is yourself.
[CHUCKLES]
[]
[]
[WHIMPERS]
[MUFFLED]
Could you ever forgive me?
[GASPS]
[POUNDING ON DOOR]
[POUNDING ON DOOR CONTINUES]
Hello?
Who are you?
[HEAD HITS DOOR]
Stop it. Stop it!
[POUNDING]
Leave us alone!
[BREATHING HEAVILY]
[SIGHS]
[]
[COOING]
[LINE RINGING]
[PHONE RINGS]
Helen, is everything all right?
- When are you coming home?
- What's wrong?
In the time you lived here,
did you ever see
or hear anything...
I don't know, strange?
Like what?
Did you ever notice
anything weird?
- I'll come home.
- No.
No, it's fine.
What kind of parent
can't look after their own kid
for a few days?
[WHIMPERS]
I love you.
I love you too.
MAN:
I didn't fucking do anything!
SHEPHERD:
Sit down.
Sort him out.
Mrs. Tullet.
How can I help you?
You're gonna think I'm crazy.
Go on.
Detective Shepherd,
what do you think happens
when we die?
My judgment's reserved
on that one.
What's on your mind,
Mrs. Tullet?
Hypothetically...
what would happen if my father
was trying to remind me
what he said to me that night?
What exactly has happened?
Nothing I can explain easily.
Mrs. Tullet...
I think you're confused
as to what it is I actually do.
I'm not confused.
I'm just scared.
Which is understandable
with the state of things,
your health, new baby.
Spare me.
Look, I'm being
as polite as I can.
Fuck polite!
I just need to know
if you can help me or not.
I can't.
Fine.
Right.
- [GLASS SHATTERS]
- [GASPS]
[ANSWERING MACHINE
CLICKS, THEN BEEPS]
[ON RECORDING]
Hi, you've reached Robert...
[RECORDING WARBLES,
THEN ECHOING BEEP]
Hi... Hi...
Hi, you've reached...
You've reached Robert,
please leave a message.
[ANSWERING MACHINE BEEPS,
THEN CLICKS]
[OBJECT CLATTERS]
[]
[DOOR BUZZES OPEN]
Bloody lift's broken.
- Who are you?
- Call me Stu.
You're the psychic investigator?
Expecting a little old lady
with bees and incense?
First it was the little things.
I thought it was my imagination.
But now, I don't know
what I believe anymore.
It could possibly be SWP.
Is that
a stone wall phenomenon?
Mmm.
Certain environments can act
like a recording device,
repeating an event
that occurred there,
repeating,
repeating, repeating.
The ghost that manifests
is compelled to replay
a moment from its life,
often their dying or their
most excruciating moments,
and then it is simply existing
in a cycle
of ongoing pain and torment.
It's cheerful stuff.
- So, what now?
- Well, we just ask
a few questions,
see if we get any answers.
- You ready?
- Now?
- What's your father's name?
- Robert.
Okay. Robert.
[CLEARS THROAT]
We wish to communicate
with Robert.
[HEIDI GIGGLES]
Robert, are you with us?
If you are,
then please give us a sign.
[CLEARS THROAT]
Robert, if you're present
but you'd prefer
to be left alone,
please also give us a sign.
Sorry, can we stop for a second?
I feel a bit funny.
- How funny?
- Short of breath.
Okay.
Well, spooks can
sometimes impose
their own feelings
on a living target.
Why would my father do that?
- Maybe it's not your father.
- Who else is it gonna be?
[HIGH-PITCHED WHIRRING]
[SCREAMING]
Make it stop!
Make it stop!
Stuart! Stuart!
[HIGH-PITCHED NOISE STOPS]
[GASPING]
[SIGHING]
[SIGHS]
[HEIDI GIGGLING]
Do these names
mean anything to you?
No.
I think they're revenants.
- Revenants?
- Mm.
Lost souls that can't get
into heaven.
- I don't believe in heaven.
- [SCOFFS]
Bet you don't believe
in ghosts, neither.
What do they want?
Well, they're angry.
These things
are wrought emotion.
Whatever wrong's been done,
they want put right.
And if I just do nothing,
will they go away?
No, this is...
Longer this goes on,
the worse this is gonna get.
They have targeted you
and those closest to you.
No!
What?
[COOING]
[]
- Mr. Mulvaney!
- Oh!
Ha-ha, hello.
You've lived here
a long time, right?
Ever since Harold Wilson
was in Number 10, yes.
Okay, do you remember anything
about the people that lived here
before my dad?
Uh, well, um,
there was the Nolans.
Not the singers, obviously.
A nice young couple. Um...
The Goldings, uh, Mr. Rodman.
- There was a Mrs. Gorman.
- [HEIDI CRYING]
Hermann Goering,
I used to call her.
- The Hawks...
- What about first names?
Any first names?
What's all this about?
- Any kids? Children?
- [HEIDI CONTINUES CRYING]
No, not as far
as I can remember.
Okay.
Bye. Bye then.
[KEYS JINGLE]
[]
Thank you so much,
Mr. Mulvaney.
I promise, it really will
only be a few hours.
No, it's absolutely fine,
absolutely fine, fine.
And you're sure it's okay
about the car?
Oh, yes,
you might as well use it.
It's just sitting
in a pile of leaves.
- Thank you so much.
- All right.
Uh...
Look, is everything all right?
- HELEN: Everything's fine.
- [DOOR CLOSES]
Right.
- Mr. Collins?
- Yes.
This is gonna sound weird.
COLLINS:
Bollocks!
HELEN:
I know.
I'd be saying the same thing
if I was in your position.
Then you won't blame me
if I say I don't believe you.
All I want is answers.
Surely that's
what you want too.
I was out every day
after school...
and every weekend
after Carl went missing.
Putting up posters,
asking around...
talking to the local kids.
Nothing.
He just vanished.
I'll show you something.
Carl was born deaf mute.
He never said a word
in his whole short life.
But he loved to draw.
Couldn't keep a blank sheet
of paper lying around anywhere.
[]
What's this?
All I ever got
out of the kids I spoke to.
Sack Head took him.
Sack Head?
You don't remember?
It was that stupid rhyme
we used to say to each other
to scare ourselves.
Sack Head's at your window
Sack Head's at your door
Lay your head
He'll grab you from your bed
And you'll be seen no more
[]
Susan was only 8 years old.
She wanted to be a vet.
I know it was such
a long time ago,
but if you can
tell me anything
that you remember
from back then, anything.
The day before it happened,
she came home from school
and said she'd been followed
by a man with no face.
Well, I just thought
she was telling stories.
She was scared,
so I made her
ride her bike the next day.
I'm certain the man
that my Susan saw
was the one that took her
from me.
The man with no face.
I won't forget the look
that detective gave me
when I told her
what I'd just told you.
- She didn't believe you.
- That's just it,
she did believe me.
Do you remember
this detective's name?
[]
[KNOCKS ON DOOR]
Can I help you?
If you're Detective Burrows,
you can.
I haven't been a detective
for some years now.
But you're still
Gillian Burrows, right?
As far as I'm aware.
So then you can help me.
I'm Helen. Helen Tullet.
What's this about?
The disappearances of kids
all aged between 5 and 9
in the late 1980s.
Do you remember?
I take it from that look
that you do.
I worked out of Stoneworth
for 15 years.
There's one child...
who I only have a name,
no face: Anna?
I don't remember investigating
the disappearance of any Anna.
And none were ever found?
No, we did find one body.
A little girl, 5 years old.
I've always suspected
that whoever killed her
took the other kids as well.
- Why?
- Same age group,
same time frame,
disappeared under
similar circumstances.
We found her in an abandoned
shed which had burned down.
Cause of death,
smoke inhalation.
And you don't agree?
Oh, she did die
of smoke inhalation...
two whole days before
that shed ever caught fire.
The coroner got lazy,
ruled death
by criminal negligence.
I quit as soon
as the case was shut down.
Coming face to face with death
is no way to make a living.
In the whole time
that you were
investigating
the disappearances,
did you ever come across
the name Sack Head?
About a month after I quit,
I got a phone call,
here in my own home.
All I heard was breathing.
Whoever it was
never said a word,
but to this day I'm convinced
that the person
the other end of that line
was the same person
the kids called Sack Head.
The same person
who killed the Stoneworth kids.
That case...
took a part of me.
I had children of my own
I should have been there for.
You got any?
A little girl.
My children paid
for my mistake,
and that was to think
I could split my time
between being a mother
and chasing after the dead.
But I made my choice.
But they were never
confirmed dead...
Listen, I don't need
to know who you are.
Whatever this means to you,
you have your reasons.
But the less I know,
the less I'll remember.
The bliss of ignorance...
is all I have these days.
[]
- What have you got there?
- Oh!
- Sorry.
- She give you any trouble?
No, no. No problem at all.
She's sleeping soundly now.
Yeah.
Are you, uh, planning
to have any more?
What? What do you mean?
Well, brothers and sisters.
Keep Heidi company, you know.
Oh, uh...
I don't know.
Because I remember
how lonely you seemed to be
when you first moved here.
What... What do you mean?
Well, you asked me
if I remembered
any children living here,
and for the longest time,
you were the only one.
And the week
you and your father arrived,
I remember you walking
up and down the hallways,
for days on end
with your doll in your hand.
[CHUCKLES]
You were...
You were such a quiet child.
- But I was born here.
- No.
No, you came here
when you were 4.
I remember that distinctly,
because you told me
you'd been given that doll
for your 4th birthday present.
Did my father ever mention
where we'd moved from?
Oh, um...
I know it began with an S.
Stoneworth?
[SNAPS]
Stoneworth.
[]
[GASPS SOFTLY]
[SIREN BLARING IN DISTANCE]
HELEN: How well did
you know my father?
And I mean really know him?
Well, I guess I knew him
as well as anyone.
Why did he lie to me?
We all have our secrets,
Helen.
Even the best of us.
So, what was he hiding?
If he loved you...
does it matter?
It matters to me!
If your father lied to you,
he must have had a reason.
What if his reasons
weren't good?
What if you found out that
it wasn't, hmm?
Would that affect
your love for him,
would that change
the way you see him?
It might change
the way I see myself.
What do you mean?
What if
I'm my father's daughter?
Your daughter...
what was her name?
Anna.
Her name was Anna.
- Helen? Helen?
- [BREATHING HEAVILY]
- [HEIDI SCREAMS]
- Heidi!
[]
Heidi!
- Heidi, where are you?
- [DOOR CREAKS OPEN]
- [SHRIEKS]
- [SCREAMS]
- HELEN: Stay away from her!
- [HEIDI CRYING]
Helen? Mrs. Tullet?
[PANTING]
Heidi!
- Heidi!
- SHEPHERD: Open the door.
Mrs. Tullet?
- Helen?
- HELEN: Stay away from her!
Open the fucking door!
[HEIDI CRYING]
- HELEN [SOBBING]: Please stop!
- SHEPHERD: Mrs. Tullet?
Fuck!
- [HEIDI CRYING]
- Heidi!
Mrs. Tullet?
- [SOBBING]
- Helen!
- Heidi!
- Mrs. Tullet?
Helen?
Helen?
Open the door!
I've put in lots of sugar.
You'll thank me for it.
Look, after you came
to see me the other day,
- I thought it best to...
- Spy on me?
No. Keep an eye out.
Make sure you was all right.
After I heard the screams coming
from your apartment, I...
I decided to move.
What I saw...
What did you see?
I saw you...
just crying your eyes out.
And you left your daughter
all alone.
You didn't see anything else?
Well, should I?
So, what now?
[SIGHS]
That all depends on you.
You got me at a crossroads,
Mrs. Tullet.
It's Helen.
Helen.
I've got a choice to make.
I can either
do it by the book,
which means filing a report
with Child Protection Services,
or...
we can talk this out.
But talking things out
means it works both ways.
Where's Heidi?
She's fine, she's safe.
Look...
I'm just trying
to be the good guy.
Just help me
to be the good guy.
You can't help me.
[SIGHS]
Okay, let's say I'm willing
to hear you out again, okay?
My ears are open.
Oh, so now you believe me?
I believe...
I believe...
we don't need ghosts
to haunt us.
What I'm trying to say is,
if there's anything
you want to tell me,
then now's the time.
I think you were right.
I'm just tired.
My health, new baby.
You know what, Mrs. Tullet?
If there's one thing we coppers
hate more than being lied to,
it's being told
what we want to hear.
I think I should just go home.
Get some rest.
Are you sure there's nothing
more I can help you with?
Am I free to go?
Don't...
make me regret my choice.
[]
[SIGHS]
GREG:
I shouldn't have gone.
It was too early to leave you
alone with Heidi like that.
What's that supposed
to mean?
The police told me
how they found you.
You don't trust me
with her, do you?
How did she get
those bruises?
Let's... Let's leave.
Let's start over again.
- What?
- You were right.
We never should've moved here.
We can go anywhere you want.
No, no, no, I can't leave.
Not now. I'm so close to...
No! This is about us.
You, me and Heidi.
My dad killed himself
in front of me!
[HEIDI CRYING]
How can you blame me
for wanting to know why?
Uh, do you know what? I'm...
I can't do this anymore.
- You're leaving me?
- That's not what this is.
So tell me what it is, Greg.
Do you love me?
It's not that simple anymore.
It is that simple.
I'm taking Heidi.
Try it.
I won't have to.
Given your recent behavior,
most people would agree
that Heidi coming with me
would be for the best.
Don't you?
[]
[]
[SCREAMS]
[WHIMPERS]
GILLIAN:
At 1040 hours today,
I received a fully addressed,
handwritten envelope.
Upon opening this envelope,
I found
a handwritten letter inside.
The letter, tagged
"Case number 3462, article 17,"
describes an adolescent female
which closely matches
the description
of Susan Pettifer,
reported missing
seven days previously.
It goes on to allude
to details of her abduction.
[BREATHING HEAVILY]
HELEN:
Just wonder how he went
from writing a list
to buy bread to...
[]
[HELEN GASPS]
[TAKING SHUDDERING BREATHS]
[]
ROBERT [ECHOES]: I'm not the
man you believed me to be.
JAMES:
Just vanished.
GILLIAN: The same person
the kids called Sack Head
killed the Stoneworth kids.
JAMES: All I ever got out
of the kids I spoke to.
Sack Head took him.
Hey, what are you doing?
[GRUNTING]
JAMES:
Sack Head took him.
GILLIAN:
The same person.
The kids called him Sack Head.
JAMES:
Just vanished.
PETTIFER:
She was scared.
Rode her bike the next day.
MULVANEY:
I know it began with an S.
Stoneworth.
ROBERT:
Could you ever forgive me?
WOMAN: Who the hell are
you and what are you doing?
All right, right,
that is enough.
Oh, Jesus.
[SIRENS BLARING]
How could I not have known?
Well, don't beat yourself up.
Guys like your father,
they're master manipulators.
They manipulate us into having
as much hate in us as they do.
Why don't you get somebody
to take you home?
I've got a car.
You shouldn't have to see this.
Maybe I should see this.
Maybe it's my cross to bear now.
No, it's not. It's mine.
You got a child that needs you.
What if I'm not
the mother she deserves?
How many were there?
Look, I shouldn't be
sharing this with you.
I need to know.
The less you know, the better.
So my father just goes
unpunished now?
Unless you believe in hell.
[]
HELEN:
That offer of guidance...
is it still on?
MONROE:
Of course.
HELEN:
So tell me.
What does the Bible say
about the sins of the father?
It depends on
your interpretation.
I'm not in
the interpreting kind of mood.
Only the soul that has sinned
shall die.
And the son shall not suffer
the iniquity of the father.
Righteousness of the righteous
be upon himself,
and the wickedness
of the wicked be upon himself.
[SCOFFS]
See, I was thinking more
about the part that says...
he shall not clear the guilty,
visiting the iniquity
of the father upon the children,
and the children's children,
to the third
and the fourth generation.
You remember your scripture
very well, Helen.
My memory hasn't
completely given up on me.
I only say that because I wonder
why it was that you chose
to abandon the teachings
of the Church.
Contradictions aside,
there were always
a couple of things
I could never quite reconcile.
Tell me.
If God has the power
to intervene, how...
How can he allow so much pain
and so much evil?
I believe our God is a wise God,
and in his wisdom...
he bestowed upon us free will.
Unfortunately for the few,
free will is a desire
to inflict suffering
and to commit evil.
Am I paying for my own sins
or the sins of my father?
Helen, your father's part
in those crimes
does not indicate
that you have to follow suit.
You knew.
I-I-I heard it on the news,
those children...
No. No.
The police haven't said
anything about my father.
So you knew.
Helen, your father came to me
in confession for forgiveness.
- And you gave it to him?!
- I told him he should not
just ask for God's forgiveness,
but for yours also.
Helen!
Helen!
GILLIAN:
Carpenter?
It's Burrows.
Yeah, I saw the news.
I need a favor.
I need you to find
an address for me.
Helen Tullet.
And keep me updated on anything
that comes in tonight.
[]
[CELL PHONE BUZZING]
I don't know what time it is,
I assume you do.
I need to speak to my dad,
and I need your help to do it.
- Helen?
- You know you said that
when some people die
and they can't get into heaven,
it's because they've got
unfinished business?
It's not an exact science, but,
yeah, that's what I said, yeah.
Well, what if I wanted to speak
to him, how would I do it?
Find yourself something
reflective.
It can be a mirror,
glass, ice, water, anything.
Stare into it,
don't do nothing
but stare and concentrate
on the person you wanna see.
Stare long enough and hard
enough until something appears.
[]
Dad.
Dad. I've got something
to say to you this time.
I don't... I don't hate you.
I might never love you again,
so you might just become
a fading memory to me...
but I could
never, ever forgive you.
Dad. Dad!
[SOBBING]
[GASPS]
STU:
The ghost that manifests
is compelled to replay
a moment from its life.
- [GLASS BREAKS]
- Often their dying
or their most
excruciating moments.
And then it is simply existing
in a cycle
of ongoing pain and torment.
Repeating, repeating,
repeating.
[]
Frank.
Hey, are you excited
to see Mommy?
[GURGLES]
[]
[GURGLES SOFTLY]
[TIRES SCREECH]
[CELL PHONE RINGING]
[PHONE CHIMES]
AUTOMATED VOICE:
You have one new message.
HELEN [ON VOICEMAIL]: Greg,
this has got something to do with Frank.
He lives at 15 Bolney Avenue.
Take Heidi to your mom's
and meet me there.
[LINE BEEPS]
[]
[ENGINE SHUTS OFF]
[DOG BARKS]
[DOOR CREAKS]
Frank?
[FLOORBOARDS CREAKING]
FRANK:
Sack Head's at your window
Sack Head's at your door
Lay down your head
You're grabbed from your bed
And you'll be seen no more
[DOOR CREAKS]
[EXHALES SHARPLY]
Frank?
Frank?
Is that even your real name?
I could ask you the same.
What are you talking about?
We have more in common
than you could ever know.
Tell me who you really are.
I'm just a parent...
looking to be reunited
with my child.
Desperate...
to have her back
in my warm embrace.
Welcome home...
my sweet, darling daughter.
- Anna.
- No.
I've kept a secret.
A secret that never
should have been.
I've lied.
I'm not your father.
Your father...
is...
a murderer.
He...
killed.
And I, uh...
stayed silent.
I did what I thought
was best at the time
and buried the ones
that he left to rot.
I... I thought in vain...
a letter to the police
might ease their anguish
and serve as a warning.
There are parents...
waiting for children
who will never come home.
But I could get you.
I could keep you safe.
So I gave you...
a new home.
I gave you a new name...
a new life.
Your real name...
is Anna.
And your real father...
is a monster.
He's... He's my brother.
I'm sorry I wasn't the father
you needed me to be.
I can't help who I am.
That's why I do...
the things I do.
- [SOFT THUNK]
- [GASPS]
[WHISPERS]
What is that?
[SIGHS]
MAN:
Detective Shepherd.
I've been looking
all over for you.
Calls came in
five minutes ago.
Abduction, little girl,
6 years old.
Name's Sasha Bennes.
You know the procedure.
Just file a misper.
No, no, you don't understand.
Second call came from parents
when they reported her missing.
First call...
from the guy who took her.
- You trace the call?
- He gave us his address.
And get this: both calls
came from the same street.
[]
[SCREAMS, THEN GASPING]
Oh, God! Oh, God!
[SOBBING]
Funny...
I always wanted a boy.
When they call to me,
I have no choice
but to silence them.
It's like an itch,
a throbbing ache,
a warm breath down my spine.
I know that they call to you.
And knowing this truth,
does that change how you feel
about your father?
You are not my father!
And does it change
how you see yourself?
What you live for?
What you die for?
Remember when I said that
you and I have more in common
than you could imagine?
When I said I was simply
a parent longing for a daughter
that was taken from me?
How is little Heidi?
[SOBS]
Where is she?
You're asking
the wrong questions.
Where is she?
[GRUNTS]
[SIREN WAILING]
[]
FRANK:
You should have heard.
She would not stop crying
for her mother.
Frank...
[GASPING]
Where is she?
You ought to be
asking yourself:
"What am I willing to do?
Can I take a life
for a life?"
Where is she?
"Am I my father's daughter?"
You want the truth?
You'll see her in death.
[SOBBING]
No! No.
Please don't.
- You want to be a family?
- Frank...
- Join us, Heidi.
- Frank.
Where is she?
FRANK:
Greg.
Oh, no, no!
FRANK:
Your father...
- [SCREAMS] No!
- [BODY THUDS]
HELEN [SOBBING]:
No.
[SIREN WAILING IN DISTANCE]
[]
[CAR DOOR CLOSES]
[ENGINE STARTS]
DETECTIVE:
Sir, we've dug up another one.
Six or 7 years old.
It's too soon to tell,
but the rate of decomposition
suggests she's been here
a year,
give or take a few weeks.
Check mispers dating back
10 to 14 months.
Yes, sir.
Not that it makes
a difference now.
There's still no sign
of the, uh...
We haven't found Heidi yet.
Just keep checking.
[SOFTLY]
Maybe I should take you, yeah?
[]
Helen...
[CLEARS THROAT]
[BABY CRYING FAINTLY]
[]
[BABY CRYING]
[CELL PHONE BUZZES, BEEPS ON]
DETECTIVE:
We found Heidi.
She's alive.
- [LINE RINGING]
- Pick up the phone, Helen.
Come on.
Helen!
Helen!
[]
[WOMAN BREATHING HEAVILY]
[PANTING]
[WHIMPERING]
[PUSHING BUTTONS]
[BREATHING HEAVILY]
[DOOR CLOSES]
- [BODY THUDS]
- [GASPS]
- Dad!
- [CAR HORN HONKS]
[]
ROBERT:
Could you ever forgive me?
Hi.
Who are you?
- [CHUCKLES SOFTLY]
- [SIGHS]
[BOTH CHUCKLING]
You need a shave, huh?
Hey, your hair has got long.
They told me
there was an accident.
[SIGHS]
You were hit by a car.
- I feel fine.
- Good. That's good.
So I can go home?
The accident was, uh...
It was a while ago.
A while ago?
Greg, how long
have I been here?
The doctor said
that it's best not...
Greg?
A year.
Just over.
That's not funny.
- [SIGHS HEAVILY]
- It's okay. It's okay.
I'm gonna get you home soon,
I promise.
And, yeah,
we're gonna be a family.
All three of us.
You, me...
and Heidi.
It's a miracle
she survived the accident.
[WHIMPERING]
Helen? Helen, it's okay.
Helen?
Doctor?
- [GASPING]
- Doctor! Doctor!
[]
DOCTOR:
Congratulations.
You're one of only three women
in recorded history
to have successfully given birth
while in a coma.
When can I go home?
Soon.
You'll have to continue with
your rehabilitation.
Your legs will need to get
their memory back too.
[BABY COOING]
I'll leave you two
to get acquainted.
- Thank you.
- That's fine.
Come on. Heidi...
this is Mommy.
Mommy, this is Heidi.
You go to Mama.
[GASPS]
That's it. Good girl.
Yeah.
That's it.
No, no, no, it's okay.
You stay with Mama.
That's okay.
Yeah? Oh!
Okay.
Oh, she's just being fussy.
You're just being
a fusspot.
NURSE:
How does that feel?
- Fine. Yeah.
- Yeah? Good.
Nice rotation.
Fantastic.
[KNOCKS ON DOOR]
- Uh, Helen Tullet?
- Yes.
Sorry. My interruption.
Um, Detective Shepherd.
Is it okay if I speak
to Mrs. Tullet in private?
Uh, yeah. Sure.
Mrs. Tullet.
Please. Call me Helen.
Helen.
Um, I've been given the job
of just wrapping up
your father's case.
In cases like this, you know,
when there's no history
of depression
or mental illness,
we look for a kind of stressor.
You know what
that might have been?
I wish I knew.
An eyewitness
reported seeing you
running from the building
in a state of distress.
Why would I have done that?
Look, I've got
little left to do here,
just crossing T's
and dotting I's.
And the coroner has
already ruled a suicide.
But since you're
the one and only witness...
I have to ask you,
what was your relationship like
with your father?
He raised me by himself.
We were close.
Okay, look,
if you're ever able to recall
anything, then please...
give me a call.
[]
GREG:
Beautiful, isn't she?
HELEN: Don't they say
all babies are beautiful?
GREG: Yeah,
only to the parents of ugly babies.
HELEN:
What does she like?
GREG:
She's a baby, you know?
She likes to eat, sleep,
cry and poop.
Listen, um...
I didn't know
how to tell you this, but, uh...
I had to sell the house.
Taking care of Heidi and you,
I couldn't keep up
with the repayments.
We have savings.
We had savings.
So we have nothing?
I'm sorry, I...
I did everything I could.
Oh, God, no, I'm... I'm sorry.
I'm sorry,
it's not your fault.
So where is home now?
[]
Sorry, no, no, I can't.
Where else are we gonna go,
Helen?
- He left it to us.
- Doesn't make it okay.
It won't be forever.
It's not just us anymore.
- Thanks.
- That's okay.
I'm just gonna go
and pop Heidi down.
Okay.
GREG:
There we go.
Here we go. Yes.
I love you.
[]
[WHEELS THUNK]
[GRUNTS SOFTLY]
[SIGHS]
Okay.
I'll give you the tour.
- You forget I was born here.
- [CHUCKLES SOFTLY]
Dad's study.
Yeah, I thought you could give
it new purpose and new life.
Everything's here,
all of your work,
just waiting for whenever
you're ready.
I was looking forward
to getting back to my studio.
This way you can be at home
with Heidi all the time, right?
I missed you.
You didn't even know
I was gone.
[WHISPERS]
I know.
But still.
Are you sure?
Come on. Here it comes.
Come on.
- [WHIMPERS]
- What's your secret?
No secret.
Just be mommyish.
Mmm...
Mmm!
Yummy.
[HEIDI FUSSING]
- Come on, Heidi.
- Helen.
- Come on, Heidi.
- Helen.
- Eat it, eat it!
- Helen!
GREG:
She just gets cranky.
I'll put her down.
Come on.
Here we go.
[]
[DOOR CLOSES]
Is something wrong?
Just wonder how he went
from writing a list
to buy bread to...
- Look, I'll throw it out.
- No, no, no, don't. Leave it.
GREG:
Come on. Go, Mommy. Go, Mommy.
- [GRUNTS]
- Yes!
Clap, clap, clap.
Clap, clap, clap.
Well done, Mommy.
Clap, clap, clap.
Come on, Mommy.
See? Oh, look,
she's doing so well.
You're doing brilliantly.
You're doing great.
Come on, Mommy.
Yes!
Oh, yes!
Well done, Mommy.
Say, "Well done, Mommy."
[]
[LAUGHING]
GREG:
Very good.
We put it down?
And it's down.
That's good, yeah!
Yes!
Lift it up.
[BEEPS]
ROBERT [ON RECORDING]:
Hi, you've reached Robert.
Please leave a message
after the beep.
- [ANSWERING MACHINE BEEPS]
- Robert, it's Frank.
I'm back.
It would be great to catch up.
You have my address.
[DOORBELL RINGS]
Who is it?
HELEN:
I hope you don't mind.
I think you knew my dad.
I looked you up
in his address book.
I'm Frank. Frank Menzies.
- And you must be...
- Helen.
Well, you'd better
come in then, huh?
Thanks.
[CHILDREN LAUGHING]
Well, I was hoping
that we might one day meet.
[CHUCKLES]
- There we are.
- Thank you.
[SIGHS]
Well, I can see
the family resemblance.
- [SIGHS]
- [LAUGHS]
I knew your father
from years ago.
We were both in the church.
But, uh, over the years,
we drifted apart.
To be honest, I read about him
in the... The newspaper.
But I hadn't seen him in years,
despite my efforts.
And then when I read
about the daughter...
[LAUGHS]
...I thought,
wonder how many more secrets
he's keeping?
And of course
I couldn't wait
- to meet the lovely lady.
- [CHUCKLES]
Are you comfortable?
Oh, yes.
Yeah, this isn't permanent.
He said something to me...
the night...
I need to remember
what he told me before it...
happened.
Look, I know
I'm practically a stranger,
my opinion doesn't
count for anything, but, um...
I think these things
are best put to rest.
Take it from a lonely old man
who's seen his share of hurt,
that people come and go
in and out of your life.
Sometimes you've got
a say in it...
sometimes you don't.
Um...
I, uh... I...
- Do you have your own family?
- Yeah.
Oh. Oh.
Oh, God, sorry.
I'll get you a tissue.
[MUFFLED VOICES CHATTERING]
WOMAN:
Mom and baby...
There you go.
Who's a clever girl?
Oh?
- Where were you?
- Ah.
Helen, I'm Trisha.
I'm your health visitor.
- Is there a problem?
- No. Nothing to worry about.
I'm just here
for your 12:30 appointment.
You forgot.
TRISHA:
It's all fine.
Anyway, let's get this
little one...
Ooh!
...checked out.
She been getting
overexcited at the park?
- GREG: Oh, my God.
- TRISHA: It's okay.
I mean, kids bump into things
all the time.
It'd be odd if I saw a baby
who didn't have
a few scrapes and bruises.
Helen, you need to keep
an eye on her all the time.
- I do.
- Then how did she get bruises?
Wait, what do you really think
caused those bruises?
- Like I said...
- I know what you said.
I wanna know what you think.
I have no reason
to think anything
other than
the obvious explanation.
She took a tumble the moment
you turned your back.
And I'm not sure why you would
think otherwise either.
Okay?
Yeah.
[SOFTLY]
Okay.
[]
That's a very good look
for you.
Oh, hi, Mr. Mulvaney.
Ha, once upon a time,
you were the little girl
across the hall, weren't you?
- Yeah, I suppose so.
- [CHUCKLES]
Now look at you. A mother.
Yeah, it's nice.
Nice?
Um, it was just not
what I expected it to be.
She seems to like you.
Do you want to hold her?
Yes, I'd love to.
Come here.
Hey, pretty girl.
Hey.
GREG:
...trouble letting go.
Mm-hm.
Maybe you can just help her
- put things to bed.
- Mm.
Greg?
Hi.
You know, I'm gonna see
if anyone needs a drink.
Uh, thank you so much
for coming, Father Monroe.
Thank you, Greg.
Helen, I... I just wanted
to tell you how sorry I was
to hear about what happened
to your father.
Thank you.
We miss you down at the church.
I hope you take
some comfort in knowing
that he is in a better place.
Do I know that?
Faith is that gray area where
the heart and the mind meets.
If there is ever
anything I can do...
Yeah.
You can tell me
if he ever mentioned
why he might kill himself.
I only wish he had.
If you ever need
some guidance...
you know where to find me.
MULVANEY:
Wave to Mommy.
[LAUGHS]
[ROCK MUSIC PLAYING FAINTLY]
Helen? You have a visitor.
Frank. You came.
Yeah. Hope I'm not intruding.
I wouldn't have invited you
if I didn't want you here.
Frank's a friend of my dad's.
Oh, uh, these are for you.
Thank you.
- Oh, they're lovely.
- GREG: I'll...
I'll put those in some water.
Thank you.
So no crutches, eh?
Yeah, getting there.
You're looking well.
GREG:
Helen, I-I can't find a vase.
Oh, um, I'll be right back.
What are you doing?
Tell me bringing that man here
has nothing to do
with bringing up the past.
Thanks for the party, Greg.
[]
No, it's okay.
No, once she's down,
she's out, so it's fine.
[OVER MONITOR]
So, what do you do, Frank?
FRANK:
Take it easy.
Relax.
Mostly spend time
with my thoughts.
- Oh, retired then?
- Yeah.
Thirty-five years
as a traveling salesman.
- Oh, that sounds interesting.
- Nah. Boring as hell.
But you find ways
to make it exciting.
Have you got any kids?
FRANK:
Yeah, a daughter.
So tell me, are the teenage
years as bad as everyone says?
I'm afraid
I didn't get to find out.
Oh, um, I'm sorry.
I... I didn't mean to...
It's okay.
I hope you realize
how lucky you are.
- Here we go. Just a little bit?
- [CRYING]
Oh, yummy.
Oh, yes, delicious.
Do you want
a little bit more?
- Good morning.
- Yeah, uh, you're half right.
You know, there's a thing
called decaf.
I need to go out of town
for a conference.
I thought you said
you hated this new job.
I do, but I can't turn down
the overtime.
So you're leaving?
[SIGHS]
When will you be back?
A few days.
I... I can get out of it.
Can you?
Will you be okay?
We'll be fine.
Won't we, Heidi?
Time for a girly catch-up.
I'm really sorry.
Are you sure
you're gonna be okay?
Well, food goes in the top
and poop comes out
the bottom, right?
Heh, you'll be perfect.
- I love you. Mwah.
- You too.
Okay. Mwah! I love you.
See you later.
[DOOR OPENS, CLOSES]
[COOS, THEN CRIES]
[HEIDI WAILING]
HELEN:
It's okay, darling.
It's okay.
Everything's going to be fine.
Come on.
[DOOR BUZZES OPEN]
[HEIDI WAILS]
Did I come at a bad time?
Come on.
[DOOR CLOSES]
Sorry about that.
Finally got her down.
[SIGHS]
Got any parenting advice?
Looks like you're doing
just fine.
My advice?
Just love her.
Love her in the way
that only you know how.
Everything else
will fall into place.
I just came back to, uh...
A present for the little one.
[BOTH CHUCKLE]
That's so sweet, thank you.
So you had a daughter?
Sounds so finite, doesn't it?
Oh, I'm sorry.
- No.
- Sorry.
No, when you have a child,
it changes your perspective
on everything, doesn't it?
You know, first time you really
have something to lose.
Something to live for.
Die for.
How did you know?
How did you know
that you loved her?
Oh, there was
never any question.
But when did you know?
Uh...
the first time
I looked in her eyes...
and I saw myself.
If you could go back again,
do anything different...
what would it be?
More time.
I'd give everything
just for one more second.
Tell her I was sorry. Sorry...
I wasn't the father
that she needed.
Too little, too late.
So I'm, uh, sensing
a theme in your questions.
Being a parent is hard.
[WHISPERS] I think there's
something wrong with me, Frank.
No.
Nobody's perfect.
The best you can be
is yourself.
[CHUCKLES]
[]
[]
[WHIMPERS]
[MUFFLED]
Could you ever forgive me?
[GASPS]
[POUNDING ON DOOR]
[POUNDING ON DOOR CONTINUES]
Hello?
Who are you?
[HEAD HITS DOOR]
Stop it. Stop it!
[POUNDING]
Leave us alone!
[BREATHING HEAVILY]
[SIGHS]
[]
[COOING]
[LINE RINGING]
[PHONE RINGS]
Helen, is everything all right?
- When are you coming home?
- What's wrong?
In the time you lived here,
did you ever see
or hear anything...
I don't know, strange?
Like what?
Did you ever notice
anything weird?
- I'll come home.
- No.
No, it's fine.
What kind of parent
can't look after their own kid
for a few days?
[WHIMPERS]
I love you.
I love you too.
MAN:
I didn't fucking do anything!
SHEPHERD:
Sit down.
Sort him out.
Mrs. Tullet.
How can I help you?
You're gonna think I'm crazy.
Go on.
Detective Shepherd,
what do you think happens
when we die?
My judgment's reserved
on that one.
What's on your mind,
Mrs. Tullet?
Hypothetically...
what would happen if my father
was trying to remind me
what he said to me that night?
What exactly has happened?
Nothing I can explain easily.
Mrs. Tullet...
I think you're confused
as to what it is I actually do.
I'm not confused.
I'm just scared.
Which is understandable
with the state of things,
your health, new baby.
Spare me.
Look, I'm being
as polite as I can.
Fuck polite!
I just need to know
if you can help me or not.
I can't.
Fine.
Right.
- [GLASS SHATTERS]
- [GASPS]
[ANSWERING MACHINE
CLICKS, THEN BEEPS]
[ON RECORDING]
Hi, you've reached Robert...
[RECORDING WARBLES,
THEN ECHOING BEEP]
Hi... Hi...
Hi, you've reached...
You've reached Robert,
please leave a message.
[ANSWERING MACHINE BEEPS,
THEN CLICKS]
[OBJECT CLATTERS]
[]
[DOOR BUZZES OPEN]
Bloody lift's broken.
- Who are you?
- Call me Stu.
You're the psychic investigator?
Expecting a little old lady
with bees and incense?
First it was the little things.
I thought it was my imagination.
But now, I don't know
what I believe anymore.
It could possibly be SWP.
Is that
a stone wall phenomenon?
Mmm.
Certain environments can act
like a recording device,
repeating an event
that occurred there,
repeating,
repeating, repeating.
The ghost that manifests
is compelled to replay
a moment from its life,
often their dying or their
most excruciating moments,
and then it is simply existing
in a cycle
of ongoing pain and torment.
It's cheerful stuff.
- So, what now?
- Well, we just ask
a few questions,
see if we get any answers.
- You ready?
- Now?
- What's your father's name?
- Robert.
Okay. Robert.
[CLEARS THROAT]
We wish to communicate
with Robert.
[HEIDI GIGGLES]
Robert, are you with us?
If you are,
then please give us a sign.
[CLEARS THROAT]
Robert, if you're present
but you'd prefer
to be left alone,
please also give us a sign.
Sorry, can we stop for a second?
I feel a bit funny.
- How funny?
- Short of breath.
Okay.
Well, spooks can
sometimes impose
their own feelings
on a living target.
Why would my father do that?
- Maybe it's not your father.
- Who else is it gonna be?
[HIGH-PITCHED WHIRRING]
[SCREAMING]
Make it stop!
Make it stop!
Stuart! Stuart!
[HIGH-PITCHED NOISE STOPS]
[GASPING]
[SIGHING]
[SIGHS]
[HEIDI GIGGLING]
Do these names
mean anything to you?
No.
I think they're revenants.
- Revenants?
- Mm.
Lost souls that can't get
into heaven.
- I don't believe in heaven.
- [SCOFFS]
Bet you don't believe
in ghosts, neither.
What do they want?
Well, they're angry.
These things
are wrought emotion.
Whatever wrong's been done,
they want put right.
And if I just do nothing,
will they go away?
No, this is...
Longer this goes on,
the worse this is gonna get.
They have targeted you
and those closest to you.
No!
What?
[COOING]
[]
- Mr. Mulvaney!
- Oh!
Ha-ha, hello.
You've lived here
a long time, right?
Ever since Harold Wilson
was in Number 10, yes.
Okay, do you remember anything
about the people that lived here
before my dad?
Uh, well, um,
there was the Nolans.
Not the singers, obviously.
A nice young couple. Um...
The Goldings, uh, Mr. Rodman.
- There was a Mrs. Gorman.
- [HEIDI CRYING]
Hermann Goering,
I used to call her.
- The Hawks...
- What about first names?
Any first names?
What's all this about?
- Any kids? Children?
- [HEIDI CONTINUES CRYING]
No, not as far
as I can remember.
Okay.
Bye. Bye then.
[KEYS JINGLE]
[]
Thank you so much,
Mr. Mulvaney.
I promise, it really will
only be a few hours.
No, it's absolutely fine,
absolutely fine, fine.
And you're sure it's okay
about the car?
Oh, yes,
you might as well use it.
It's just sitting
in a pile of leaves.
- Thank you so much.
- All right.
Uh...
Look, is everything all right?
- HELEN: Everything's fine.
- [DOOR CLOSES]
Right.
- Mr. Collins?
- Yes.
This is gonna sound weird.
COLLINS:
Bollocks!
HELEN:
I know.
I'd be saying the same thing
if I was in your position.
Then you won't blame me
if I say I don't believe you.
All I want is answers.
Surely that's
what you want too.
I was out every day
after school...
and every weekend
after Carl went missing.
Putting up posters,
asking around...
talking to the local kids.
Nothing.
He just vanished.
I'll show you something.
Carl was born deaf mute.
He never said a word
in his whole short life.
But he loved to draw.
Couldn't keep a blank sheet
of paper lying around anywhere.
[]
What's this?
All I ever got
out of the kids I spoke to.
Sack Head took him.
Sack Head?
You don't remember?
It was that stupid rhyme
we used to say to each other
to scare ourselves.
Sack Head's at your window
Sack Head's at your door
Lay your head
He'll grab you from your bed
And you'll be seen no more
[]
Susan was only 8 years old.
She wanted to be a vet.
I know it was such
a long time ago,
but if you can
tell me anything
that you remember
from back then, anything.
The day before it happened,
she came home from school
and said she'd been followed
by a man with no face.
Well, I just thought
she was telling stories.
She was scared,
so I made her
ride her bike the next day.
I'm certain the man
that my Susan saw
was the one that took her
from me.
The man with no face.
I won't forget the look
that detective gave me
when I told her
what I'd just told you.
- She didn't believe you.
- That's just it,
she did believe me.
Do you remember
this detective's name?
[]
[KNOCKS ON DOOR]
Can I help you?
If you're Detective Burrows,
you can.
I haven't been a detective
for some years now.
But you're still
Gillian Burrows, right?
As far as I'm aware.
So then you can help me.
I'm Helen. Helen Tullet.
What's this about?
The disappearances of kids
all aged between 5 and 9
in the late 1980s.
Do you remember?
I take it from that look
that you do.
I worked out of Stoneworth
for 15 years.
There's one child...
who I only have a name,
no face: Anna?
I don't remember investigating
the disappearance of any Anna.
And none were ever found?
No, we did find one body.
A little girl, 5 years old.
I've always suspected
that whoever killed her
took the other kids as well.
- Why?
- Same age group,
same time frame,
disappeared under
similar circumstances.
We found her in an abandoned
shed which had burned down.
Cause of death,
smoke inhalation.
And you don't agree?
Oh, she did die
of smoke inhalation...
two whole days before
that shed ever caught fire.
The coroner got lazy,
ruled death
by criminal negligence.
I quit as soon
as the case was shut down.
Coming face to face with death
is no way to make a living.
In the whole time
that you were
investigating
the disappearances,
did you ever come across
the name Sack Head?
About a month after I quit,
I got a phone call,
here in my own home.
All I heard was breathing.
Whoever it was
never said a word,
but to this day I'm convinced
that the person
the other end of that line
was the same person
the kids called Sack Head.
The same person
who killed the Stoneworth kids.
That case...
took a part of me.
I had children of my own
I should have been there for.
You got any?
A little girl.
My children paid
for my mistake,
and that was to think
I could split my time
between being a mother
and chasing after the dead.
But I made my choice.
But they were never
confirmed dead...
Listen, I don't need
to know who you are.
Whatever this means to you,
you have your reasons.
But the less I know,
the less I'll remember.
The bliss of ignorance...
is all I have these days.
[]
- What have you got there?
- Oh!
- Sorry.
- She give you any trouble?
No, no. No problem at all.
She's sleeping soundly now.
Yeah.
Are you, uh, planning
to have any more?
What? What do you mean?
Well, brothers and sisters.
Keep Heidi company, you know.
Oh, uh...
I don't know.
Because I remember
how lonely you seemed to be
when you first moved here.
What... What do you mean?
Well, you asked me
if I remembered
any children living here,
and for the longest time,
you were the only one.
And the week
you and your father arrived,
I remember you walking
up and down the hallways,
for days on end
with your doll in your hand.
[CHUCKLES]
You were...
You were such a quiet child.
- But I was born here.
- No.
No, you came here
when you were 4.
I remember that distinctly,
because you told me
you'd been given that doll
for your 4th birthday present.
Did my father ever mention
where we'd moved from?
Oh, um...
I know it began with an S.
Stoneworth?
[SNAPS]
Stoneworth.
[]
[GASPS SOFTLY]
[SIREN BLARING IN DISTANCE]
HELEN: How well did
you know my father?
And I mean really know him?
Well, I guess I knew him
as well as anyone.
Why did he lie to me?
We all have our secrets,
Helen.
Even the best of us.
So, what was he hiding?
If he loved you...
does it matter?
It matters to me!
If your father lied to you,
he must have had a reason.
What if his reasons
weren't good?
What if you found out that
it wasn't, hmm?
Would that affect
your love for him,
would that change
the way you see him?
It might change
the way I see myself.
What do you mean?
What if
I'm my father's daughter?
Your daughter...
what was her name?
Anna.
Her name was Anna.
- Helen? Helen?
- [BREATHING HEAVILY]
- [HEIDI SCREAMS]
- Heidi!
[]
Heidi!
- Heidi, where are you?
- [DOOR CREAKS OPEN]
- [SHRIEKS]
- [SCREAMS]
- HELEN: Stay away from her!
- [HEIDI CRYING]
Helen? Mrs. Tullet?
[PANTING]
Heidi!
- Heidi!
- SHEPHERD: Open the door.
Mrs. Tullet?
- Helen?
- HELEN: Stay away from her!
Open the fucking door!
[HEIDI CRYING]
- HELEN [SOBBING]: Please stop!
- SHEPHERD: Mrs. Tullet?
Fuck!
- [HEIDI CRYING]
- Heidi!
Mrs. Tullet?
- [SOBBING]
- Helen!
- Heidi!
- Mrs. Tullet?
Helen?
Helen?
Open the door!
I've put in lots of sugar.
You'll thank me for it.
Look, after you came
to see me the other day,
- I thought it best to...
- Spy on me?
No. Keep an eye out.
Make sure you was all right.
After I heard the screams coming
from your apartment, I...
I decided to move.
What I saw...
What did you see?
I saw you...
just crying your eyes out.
And you left your daughter
all alone.
You didn't see anything else?
Well, should I?
So, what now?
[SIGHS]
That all depends on you.
You got me at a crossroads,
Mrs. Tullet.
It's Helen.
Helen.
I've got a choice to make.
I can either
do it by the book,
which means filing a report
with Child Protection Services,
or...
we can talk this out.
But talking things out
means it works both ways.
Where's Heidi?
She's fine, she's safe.
Look...
I'm just trying
to be the good guy.
Just help me
to be the good guy.
You can't help me.
[SIGHS]
Okay, let's say I'm willing
to hear you out again, okay?
My ears are open.
Oh, so now you believe me?
I believe...
I believe...
we don't need ghosts
to haunt us.
What I'm trying to say is,
if there's anything
you want to tell me,
then now's the time.
I think you were right.
I'm just tired.
My health, new baby.
You know what, Mrs. Tullet?
If there's one thing we coppers
hate more than being lied to,
it's being told
what we want to hear.
I think I should just go home.
Get some rest.
Are you sure there's nothing
more I can help you with?
Am I free to go?
Don't...
make me regret my choice.
[]
[SIGHS]
GREG:
I shouldn't have gone.
It was too early to leave you
alone with Heidi like that.
What's that supposed
to mean?
The police told me
how they found you.
You don't trust me
with her, do you?
How did she get
those bruises?
Let's... Let's leave.
Let's start over again.
- What?
- You were right.
We never should've moved here.
We can go anywhere you want.
No, no, no, I can't leave.
Not now. I'm so close to...
No! This is about us.
You, me and Heidi.
My dad killed himself
in front of me!
[HEIDI CRYING]
How can you blame me
for wanting to know why?
Uh, do you know what? I'm...
I can't do this anymore.
- You're leaving me?
- That's not what this is.
So tell me what it is, Greg.
Do you love me?
It's not that simple anymore.
It is that simple.
I'm taking Heidi.
Try it.
I won't have to.
Given your recent behavior,
most people would agree
that Heidi coming with me
would be for the best.
Don't you?
[]
[]
[SCREAMS]
[WHIMPERS]
GILLIAN:
At 1040 hours today,
I received a fully addressed,
handwritten envelope.
Upon opening this envelope,
I found
a handwritten letter inside.
The letter, tagged
"Case number 3462, article 17,"
describes an adolescent female
which closely matches
the description
of Susan Pettifer,
reported missing
seven days previously.
It goes on to allude
to details of her abduction.
[BREATHING HEAVILY]
HELEN:
Just wonder how he went
from writing a list
to buy bread to...
[]
[HELEN GASPS]
[TAKING SHUDDERING BREATHS]
[]
ROBERT [ECHOES]: I'm not the
man you believed me to be.
JAMES:
Just vanished.
GILLIAN: The same person
the kids called Sack Head
killed the Stoneworth kids.
JAMES: All I ever got out
of the kids I spoke to.
Sack Head took him.
Hey, what are you doing?
[GRUNTING]
JAMES:
Sack Head took him.
GILLIAN:
The same person.
The kids called him Sack Head.
JAMES:
Just vanished.
PETTIFER:
She was scared.
Rode her bike the next day.
MULVANEY:
I know it began with an S.
Stoneworth.
ROBERT:
Could you ever forgive me?
WOMAN: Who the hell are
you and what are you doing?
All right, right,
that is enough.
Oh, Jesus.
[SIRENS BLARING]
How could I not have known?
Well, don't beat yourself up.
Guys like your father,
they're master manipulators.
They manipulate us into having
as much hate in us as they do.
Why don't you get somebody
to take you home?
I've got a car.
You shouldn't have to see this.
Maybe I should see this.
Maybe it's my cross to bear now.
No, it's not. It's mine.
You got a child that needs you.
What if I'm not
the mother she deserves?
How many were there?
Look, I shouldn't be
sharing this with you.
I need to know.
The less you know, the better.
So my father just goes
unpunished now?
Unless you believe in hell.
[]
HELEN:
That offer of guidance...
is it still on?
MONROE:
Of course.
HELEN:
So tell me.
What does the Bible say
about the sins of the father?
It depends on
your interpretation.
I'm not in
the interpreting kind of mood.
Only the soul that has sinned
shall die.
And the son shall not suffer
the iniquity of the father.
Righteousness of the righteous
be upon himself,
and the wickedness
of the wicked be upon himself.
[SCOFFS]
See, I was thinking more
about the part that says...
he shall not clear the guilty,
visiting the iniquity
of the father upon the children,
and the children's children,
to the third
and the fourth generation.
You remember your scripture
very well, Helen.
My memory hasn't
completely given up on me.
I only say that because I wonder
why it was that you chose
to abandon the teachings
of the Church.
Contradictions aside,
there were always
a couple of things
I could never quite reconcile.
Tell me.
If God has the power
to intervene, how...
How can he allow so much pain
and so much evil?
I believe our God is a wise God,
and in his wisdom...
he bestowed upon us free will.
Unfortunately for the few,
free will is a desire
to inflict suffering
and to commit evil.
Am I paying for my own sins
or the sins of my father?
Helen, your father's part
in those crimes
does not indicate
that you have to follow suit.
You knew.
I-I-I heard it on the news,
those children...
No. No.
The police haven't said
anything about my father.
So you knew.
Helen, your father came to me
in confession for forgiveness.
- And you gave it to him?!
- I told him he should not
just ask for God's forgiveness,
but for yours also.
Helen!
Helen!
GILLIAN:
Carpenter?
It's Burrows.
Yeah, I saw the news.
I need a favor.
I need you to find
an address for me.
Helen Tullet.
And keep me updated on anything
that comes in tonight.
[]
[CELL PHONE BUZZING]
I don't know what time it is,
I assume you do.
I need to speak to my dad,
and I need your help to do it.
- Helen?
- You know you said that
when some people die
and they can't get into heaven,
it's because they've got
unfinished business?
It's not an exact science, but,
yeah, that's what I said, yeah.
Well, what if I wanted to speak
to him, how would I do it?
Find yourself something
reflective.
It can be a mirror,
glass, ice, water, anything.
Stare into it,
don't do nothing
but stare and concentrate
on the person you wanna see.
Stare long enough and hard
enough until something appears.
[]
Dad.
Dad. I've got something
to say to you this time.
I don't... I don't hate you.
I might never love you again,
so you might just become
a fading memory to me...
but I could
never, ever forgive you.
Dad. Dad!
[SOBBING]
[GASPS]
STU:
The ghost that manifests
is compelled to replay
a moment from its life.
- [GLASS BREAKS]
- Often their dying
or their most
excruciating moments.
And then it is simply existing
in a cycle
of ongoing pain and torment.
Repeating, repeating,
repeating.
[]
Frank.
Hey, are you excited
to see Mommy?
[GURGLES]
[]
[GURGLES SOFTLY]
[TIRES SCREECH]
[CELL PHONE RINGING]
[PHONE CHIMES]
AUTOMATED VOICE:
You have one new message.
HELEN [ON VOICEMAIL]: Greg,
this has got something to do with Frank.
He lives at 15 Bolney Avenue.
Take Heidi to your mom's
and meet me there.
[LINE BEEPS]
[]
[ENGINE SHUTS OFF]
[DOG BARKS]
[DOOR CREAKS]
Frank?
[FLOORBOARDS CREAKING]
FRANK:
Sack Head's at your window
Sack Head's at your door
Lay down your head
You're grabbed from your bed
And you'll be seen no more
[DOOR CREAKS]
[EXHALES SHARPLY]
Frank?
Frank?
Is that even your real name?
I could ask you the same.
What are you talking about?
We have more in common
than you could ever know.
Tell me who you really are.
I'm just a parent...
looking to be reunited
with my child.
Desperate...
to have her back
in my warm embrace.
Welcome home...
my sweet, darling daughter.
- Anna.
- No.
I've kept a secret.
A secret that never
should have been.
I've lied.
I'm not your father.
Your father...
is...
a murderer.
He...
killed.
And I, uh...
stayed silent.
I did what I thought
was best at the time
and buried the ones
that he left to rot.
I... I thought in vain...
a letter to the police
might ease their anguish
and serve as a warning.
There are parents...
waiting for children
who will never come home.
But I could get you.
I could keep you safe.
So I gave you...
a new home.
I gave you a new name...
a new life.
Your real name...
is Anna.
And your real father...
is a monster.
He's... He's my brother.
I'm sorry I wasn't the father
you needed me to be.
I can't help who I am.
That's why I do...
the things I do.
- [SOFT THUNK]
- [GASPS]
[WHISPERS]
What is that?
[SIGHS]
MAN:
Detective Shepherd.
I've been looking
all over for you.
Calls came in
five minutes ago.
Abduction, little girl,
6 years old.
Name's Sasha Bennes.
You know the procedure.
Just file a misper.
No, no, you don't understand.
Second call came from parents
when they reported her missing.
First call...
from the guy who took her.
- You trace the call?
- He gave us his address.
And get this: both calls
came from the same street.
[]
[SCREAMS, THEN GASPING]
Oh, God! Oh, God!
[SOBBING]
Funny...
I always wanted a boy.
When they call to me,
I have no choice
but to silence them.
It's like an itch,
a throbbing ache,
a warm breath down my spine.
I know that they call to you.
And knowing this truth,
does that change how you feel
about your father?
You are not my father!
And does it change
how you see yourself?
What you live for?
What you die for?
Remember when I said that
you and I have more in common
than you could imagine?
When I said I was simply
a parent longing for a daughter
that was taken from me?
How is little Heidi?
[SOBS]
Where is she?
You're asking
the wrong questions.
Where is she?
[GRUNTS]
[SIREN WAILING]
[]
FRANK:
You should have heard.
She would not stop crying
for her mother.
Frank...
[GASPING]
Where is she?
You ought to be
asking yourself:
"What am I willing to do?
Can I take a life
for a life?"
Where is she?
"Am I my father's daughter?"
You want the truth?
You'll see her in death.
[SOBBING]
No! No.
Please don't.
- You want to be a family?
- Frank...
- Join us, Heidi.
- Frank.
Where is she?
FRANK:
Greg.
Oh, no, no!
FRANK:
Your father...
- [SCREAMS] No!
- [BODY THUDS]
HELEN [SOBBING]:
No.
[SIREN WAILING IN DISTANCE]
[]
[CAR DOOR CLOSES]
[ENGINE STARTS]
DETECTIVE:
Sir, we've dug up another one.
Six or 7 years old.
It's too soon to tell,
but the rate of decomposition
suggests she's been here
a year,
give or take a few weeks.
Check mispers dating back
10 to 14 months.
Yes, sir.
Not that it makes
a difference now.
There's still no sign
of the, uh...
We haven't found Heidi yet.
Just keep checking.
[SOFTLY]
Maybe I should take you, yeah?
[]
Helen...
[CLEARS THROAT]
[BABY CRYING FAINTLY]
[]
[BABY CRYING]
[CELL PHONE BUZZES, BEEPS ON]
DETECTIVE:
We found Heidi.
She's alive.
- [LINE RINGING]
- Pick up the phone, Helen.
Come on.
Helen!
Helen!
[]