The Midnight Swim (2014) Movie Script
(woman humming lullaby)
(woman singing)
(woman 1)
You don't think
it was an accident?
(woman 2)
It just doesn't...
something about it doesn't
sit right, you know?
I mean, she knew diving.
She knew that lake
so well.
And she knew no one would
be able to find her in it.
She was dumb to go
diving by herself.
(woman 1)
Do you guys think
Mom was reincarnated?
(woman 3)
I don't know. Maybe.
(woman 2)
She told me this story
of, um, the river
of forgetting.
Do you guys...
Have you heard that?
(woman 1)
No.
(woman 2)
She said before you're born,
your soul travels across
the river of forgetting,
and it just wipes
your memory clean,
so that you can go be born
again, into a new life.
You just keep doing this
over and over again,
lifetime over
lifetime, you know,
just the... the cycle
of reincarnation.
And finally once you...
Your soul has learned
everything that it's
supposed to learn,
then you get to travel back
over the river of remembering.
And all your
previous selves
come together, being one
with everything
that has come before,
and is, and will come.
(woman 1)
It's weird to think
that Mom's still down there.
(woman 2)
I think it's fitting.
She loved the
lake so much.
It's where she'd
want to be.
(woman 1)
When was the last
time you were home?
(woman 3)
Not since before
I got married.
(woman 1)
Didn't you
miss the lake?
(woman 3)
Nope.
(woman 1)
Are you okay?
Yeah.
Should we go down?
You go ahead.
Seriously, go ahead.
(waves crashing)
It's cold.
(woman 2)
Are you still
afraid of swimming?
(woman 1)
Mmm...
I think I probably am.
Is that Josh?
Do you remember
Josh Jasper?
No.
No?
Annie was, like,
obsessed with him.
Like, sick obsessed.
Hey, Josh?
Are you Josh Jasper?
Yeah, who's that?
Uh, we're Annie's
sisters, Isa and June.
Annie here?
Yeah, she is.
You should come over
for dinner tonight.
Uh, thanks, I got...
I got stuff I gotta do,
but thanks.
No, you have to,
she's gonna be so excited.
(Isa)
Yes.
(Josh)
So, the home ec teachers...
We were making
chocolate freshman year.
Yeah.
For a parfait...
We had to make
parfaits, right?
And Annie, she had to
make chocolate mousse,
and she messed up 'cause
she got the yogurt.
And she poured, like,
cinnamon on top,
but the top fell off and
all the cinnamon was like...
(Isa laughing)
And she got so upset.
(muffled conversation
continues)
Dinner's ready!
Okay, here we go.
(Isa laughing)
Sorry it's just pasta.
I didn't realize we would
be entertaining tonight.
It looks beautiful.
Big camera.
(June laughing)
Is it digital,
is it...?
(June)
Mm-hmm.
So, we're in your
documentary?
(all laughing)
(June)
Right now you are.
(Josh)
Aren't you gonna eat?
(June)
No.
June only eats alone.
Mmm, I mean,
you gotta be hungry.
(June)
I said no.
She has since
she was little.
It's not really
like a big deal.
Do you want
some more pasta?
I eat alone
a lot too, so...
Parmesan?
Yeah, please.
Yeah.
Okay.
So, you see how the lines
of your palm are shallow?
Mmm.
Um, it just means that
you're a young soul.
Is that good?
Um, well, it's neither
good or bad.
It's just...
It just means that
you have to come back
for more lifetimes...
Oh.
To continue learning.
(Isa)
Two kids.
That's true too.
Who'd you have
two kids with?
Remember Molly
from high school?
Yeah.
Well done,
she was a babe.
Yeah, she was.
We're not
together anymore.
Um, sorry to
hear that.
Yeah.
Yeah, it's been
a rough summer.
That it has.
For all of us.
Mm-hmm.
I wanted to tell
you guys
how sorry I am
about your mom.
(Annie and Isa)
Thanks.
Yeah, there's a bunch
of us who tried to help,
and, um...
you know, by the time
they got some divers,
I think it's... you know,
it was just too deep.
How'd you hear
about it?
Through the
Sheriff's Department.
Like... five days
after the fact.
Guess they had a
hard time finding us.
So, are you... you guys here
for a memorial, or what?
No.
No, no.
She was clear she didn't
want that kind of thing.
We're just here to, you know,
figure out the next step
and take care of
some affairs.
Mmm.
(Isa)
The, like, coming back home
is... is the part
that makes you feel,
like, so strange.
It's... it's like
this lake has a power.
I can't explain it,
it's like a draw.
(Josh)
You know, no one's
ever found the bottom.
It's pretty strange.
(June)
Remember that story
that Mom used to tell us?
The one about the
seven sisters?
(Isa)
Yeah.
Do you remember?
I do, I do, I do.
So, like, what...
So, the first sister
jumps in, and...
Mm-hmm?
She never resurfaces.
So, then the second
sister jumps in
to try and save her,
but she gets pulled down.
Then the third sister
jumps in,
tries to save that sister,
same thing happens.
And one by one,
they all jump in
trying to save each other,
and drown.
The legend of the story
is that you can...
go out at midnight
and summon up the spirit
of the seventh sister.
There have been people
who have seen her
but, if you go swimming...
there has been talk that it
may be the last time you swim.
Oh, God,
it's so crazy.
Ooh.
What time is it?
(Isa laughing)
(Annie)
Okay, so what do
we have to do
to conjure the
seventh sister?
First of all you have...
You have to be very quiet.
No, no, you have to
speak from the heart.
Speak from the heart.
From the heart.
And be sincere.
In order for the seventh
sister to arise
and show herself,
you have to say
"seventh sister"
seven... seven times.
Seventh sister,
seventh Sister...
No, no, no.
Not now!
(girls laughing)
Shh, shh.
You can't do it now.
Sorry.
Because she's going to hear it
and nothing is going to happen.
(whispering)
Guys, guys, wait, wait.
What? What?
Wait. Wait.
I think we
need candles.
Yes.
(June)
Yeah, definitely.
Yeah.
I think Mom
would have some.
She has a whole bunch
of them in the basement.
Okay, okay,
I'll be right back.
Okay.
Do you want me
to come with you?
Hurry.
(June)
Is everybody ready?
(Annie)
Yes.
Okay, Is, tell it
to the camera.
With the
permission of fire
and the permission
of matter,
we now begin.
(women chanting)
Seventh sister,
seventh sister,
seventh sister,
seventh sister,
seventh sister,
seventh sister,
seventh sister.
(Annie)
Did you hear that?
(June)
What?
I heard something.
(loud splash)
(laughing)
(June)
Why'd you do that?
It's not...
It was him!
(laughing)
Well, that was a
disappointment.
Oh, well.
(Annie laughing)
Oh, well.
(Josh)
I'll have to tell
you the story
about the seven
brothers next.
Oh, God.
(all laughing)
(June)
Spirit of the seventh sister...
(whispering)
I invoke thee.
Did you hear that?
(June)
Yeah.
What was that?
I don't know.
(stair creaks)
Shh.
(laughing)
(bang,
gasping)
Should we go upstairs?
No.
Do you see
anything?
No.
Get the door.
(wind blowing)
(Isa)
What kind of bird
do you think it is?
(June)
I don't know.
It's got that
orange belly.
And a pointy nose.
Maybe it's a
woodpecker.
(Annie)
Guys, what are you doing?
It's the middle
of the night.
What is that?
It flew into
the window.
Do birds even
fly at night?
What is he doing
in the kitchen?
How did you
get him in here?
It's a wild animal.
They have diseases,
guys.
It's unsanitary.
Isa,
don't touch it!
Isa, don't touch it.
Okay, okay.
I want to give it
a proper burial.
Honey, let's just
take him outside, okay?
Please don't put
it in the trash.
We're not keeping
him inside right now.
It's the middle of
the night, okay?
Annie hates funerals.
(waves crashing)
Here we go.
(Isa)
Yeah.
I don't know if
I wanna see this.
Yeah!
This is so embarrassing.
(singing)
Join me,
in standing up to greed,
(both singing)
and diving into blue.
(music playing)
(woman)
Though inland far we be,
our souls have sight of
that immortal sea
which brought us hither.
That was
William Wordsworth.
Hello, I am
Dr. Amelia Brooks
and I am the founder
and president
of the Blue Water
Conservation Society.
If you love our beautiful
blue lake as much as I do,
please, vote yes
on measure "F".
Join me in
standing up to greed
and diving into blue.
(chuckles)
(dialing phone number)
Hi, may I please speak
to Dr. Amelia Brooks?
Oh, well, do you know
when she might be back?
Oh, no, I didn't.
Oh.
Oh, I'm so sorry.
I'm very sorry
for your loss.
No, thank you.
Bye.
(woman)
These are the comparables
that are in your neighborhood
that the appraiser
was working off of.
You might wanna take
a peek at those.
Okay.
And then um... oh!
Will we do a...
Who's this?
Oh, this is
our sister June.
Oh!
Are you a photographer?
(June)
Mm-hmm.
(Annie)
She's our family archivist.
That's neat.
Um, will we have
to do photographs
for our own comp card
or is that something
that your agency does?
Oh, um... definitely have
a phenomenal photographer
that will come
out and, uh, take...
I have a question, though.
How is this like
a comparable
if it's not on
the water, and...?
Well, because
this is actually...
You know,
it's a newer home,
but because it's
not on the water,
it's not gonna have
the same price.
And due to the fact that
this is an older home
and it has a
lot of issues...
So they kinda of equal
each other out.
Yeah.
Okay.
Are you recording
that right now?
Um, sorry.
It's not gonna be...
She's just doing
a documentary.
A documentary?
Okay.
Um, okay, now my other
question is, um,
do we have to
fix the roofing
and the electrical problems
that the appraisers found,
or can we just do a
faster, as-is sale?
You know I think it's
really gonna be up to you.
Okay.
I have to be honest...
You know, if you wanna
make that investment,
but I don't think you do.
Right.
And I'm gonna
tell you right now,
they're probably
just gonna bust
the house down anyways.
They're really
buying this house
for the property itself.
Does this have to be on?
If we have the
open house...
Yeah.
And someone is interested
in buying it,
Sure.
But then as we talk
we decide we don't
wanna sell,
like, that's fine,
right? Because...
Well, we do want to sell.
Well...
(sighs)
No, I think that...
It's too much of a
financial responsibility
to put... you know,
having to fix the roof
and pay the
property taxes
and bring the electrical
up to code.
Well, what if
there was a way
to turn it into some
sort of rental unit or...
But then who's gonna run
the rental property?
That's a lot of
responsibility
and I know that
I cannot take that on.
You wouldn't wanna
take that on.
No, and I think...
I guess what
I'm hearing
is that you've
already decided,
and this is only
one-third yours.
I don't think
I should be here.
I think that you need to
have this conversation...
I'm sorry,
I don't mean to make
it uncomfortable for you.
It's okay.
We'll discuss.
I think you need to get on
the same page because...
Yes.
You don't want anyone
walking in this door and
you're not ready to sell.
Right.
I'll walk you out.
All right,
sounds good.
Difficult
decision for her.
I understand, but I gotta
tell you right now...
If my dad were to
give me a loan,
then... I could fix
the roof and...
the other things,
and then...
(Annie)
And then what?
Well, that's the thing...
I was talking to June before,
and it was like,
we could, um...
like, rent it out for
different things.
You know, like there's,
like, so many yoga schools
that rent out places
to do retreats,
and, like, art programs
and just...
I mean, what do
you think, June?
Do you...?
What do you
wanna do, Junie?
(June)
I don't really feel
like it's my decision.
I mean, it's Mom's house.
(humming)
(laughing)
Aah!
(laughing)
Uhh!
Annie, come in!
No way.
It's too cold.
No, it warms up...
once you're in it for
like a few seconds.
Once you're in there,
for a few seconds...
(laughing)
No!
Come on,
grab her feet.
No! No!
Let's go!
Wait, we're gonna make
her drink first.
(laughing)
(singing)
Miss Spirit Lake!
Welcome back,
ladies and gentleman
to the Little Miss
Spirit Lake competition.
We've now moved on to the
swimsuit portion of the evening.
Now, you may be confused,
you may think
that this is
a swimsuit, but it's not.
However... it doesn't
really matter,
'cause guess who's
gonna be nice and warm
and dry and cozy on the
way home, unlike...
these two right here.
You should be
drunk every day.
I am.
Wait, I felt something.
What?
Come on.
Seriously, I felt
something touch my foot.
(mocking)
Seriously, I felt
something touch my foot.
It was so scary.
It was so scary.
(Isa and Josh scream)
Is?
(June)
Isa?
Isa?
Isa!
(June)
Oh, my God!
(panicked breathing)
(laughing)
I'm sorry!
It was...
(Annie)
Screw you.
No, no.
It's not funny!
Annie, it was a joke.
Whatever.
Oh, come on, Annie!
Geez.
Annie, I'm sorry,
it was just a joke.
(Josh)
Annie, come on!
Annie!
My leg!
(chuckles)
It's not funny.
(June)
That wasn't
too funny, you guys.
(Josh)
Huh?
That wasn't very funny.
Oh, come on.
You coming in?
No.
Come on.
(June)
You okay, Annie?
I'm fine.
I can't do the camera
right now, June. Sorry.
(humming)
(humming continues)
(Isa)
He's a good person, you know?
He's kind of
different than...
the normal kind of guy
I'm attracted to usually.
(June)
I think he really likes you.
Yeah, I think that he...
the way that he
likes people...
would be really good for me.
(sighs)
(Isa)
Okay, now I'm ready.
So, tell me from
the beginning.
Um, okay, so, uh,
there were seven sisters,
and they were walking
in a field with their mother,
and Orion saw them
walking through the field,
and he fell madly in
love with them,
and he pursued them.
He chased them everywhere
for years and years.
And finally,
after seven years,
Zeus answered their...
Their prayers,
and he turned them into birds
so they could fly away.
And they flew up
into the sky,
and then they
became stars.
They became
the Pleiades.
Okay, but tell me...
Tell me the weird part.
Okay, the weird part
is that...
there... there are
seven sisters,
but there are
actually only six stars
that are visible to
the naked eye.
And in spite of that,
in almost every culture,
the constellation is called
the seven sisters.
So, there's this
seventh star
that everybody seems to know
is there and it is there,
but it's completely
invisible.
And I just think
that's really interesting.
Shh.
(Annie)
June?
(Isa)
June?
(Annie)
June!
(June)
I'm over here!
(Annie)
Oh, God, oh...
Jesus Christ, June,
you really scared me.
Why?
What'd I do?
Well, I heard a noise
and woke up
but you weren't there.
What are you even
doing out here?
I wanted to
go swimming.
In the middle
of the night?
Please don't do
this to me again.
We found another bird.
(Isa)
Don't you think it's
a little strange
that this is the
second night in a row
that it's happened?
(Annie)
Maybe it's the
change in weather.
They just got confused.
Yeah, but birds
fly south.
They just don't
fall out of the sky.
(June)
You don't think that Josh
would be doing this, do you?
No.
No.
I'm sorry I scared
you guys.
Josh, you didn't leave
the birds, did you?
No.
Are you sure?
Yeah, I'm sure.
I thought you might be
trying to scare us
'cause of the whole
seven sisters thing?
No.
(Isa)
It's just totally
disrespectful,
Annie just put
them in the trash.
(Josh)
Certain time of the day
that my dad calls
the change over.
It's right when the
sun is about to set.
Everything goes silent.
All the waves in the lake
just kind of stop.
It only happens on this lake,
and I've been to a lot...
Really?
I've never noticed that.
Wait, you got one!
Okay, what do I do?
What do I do?
Adjust the drag.
Right here, right here.
Yeah, okay.
June, you gotta
back up, June...
Ow!
Back up June!
All right, get up,
get it up.
(laughs)
Stand up.
Reel it in.
Okay, okay.
It feels... ah!
You got it, you got it!
Feels really heavy.
It's coming.
Oh! What?
Wow.
What is that?
It's definitely
not a fish.
No, that is...
it's a red fish.
Yeah right,
yeah, you do it.
I got it, I got it.
This is your first...
First catch?
(laughing)
Yeah.
And it's...
Here, June.
I like this way better
than a fish.
(Josh)
You guys wanna get going?
Um, kinda wanna ride
the roller coaster.
The roller coaster's been
closed since Labor Day.
I know.
(Josh)
Come on.
You can do it.
I'll catch you.
Here, take that.
Put it over there.
You're so bossy.
(laughing)
I'm not bossy.
"Put it over there!"
"Here, take this.
Put it over there!"
(laughing)
All right,
you ready to catch me?
Yeah, I'll catch you.
Good.
(Isa humming)
(laughing)
(continues humming)
I feel like the lake
gave this to me.
(June)
I want one.
Well... you chose
not to fish.
You have to throw your
line in to catch something.
Annie?
(Josh)
Is she here?
Look.
Oh, here she is.
Wow.
How are you?
Hey, Annie!
You guys were fishing?
(Josh)
Yeah, we didn't
catch anything.
(Isa)
Yeah, we didn't
really catch anything.
We were just trying to...
(Isa and Josh laugh)
Well, I didn't
realize that you guys
had a fishing trip
planned,
so I was, um,
just gonna do
like a sisters' breakfast,
because we haven't really
had a chance to talk.
But if you'd like to stay,
I can set a place for you.
No I got... I got stuff
to do. That's fine.
You sure?
Yeah.
(Isa)
Yeah.
Yeah.
See you later.
Bye, June.
Um, I was
actually thinking
that maybe we could do like
a full sisters' day today.
Take a break from...
Like a half-sisters' day.
What?
Like a
half-sisters' day.
It was just a joke, 'cause you
said like a full sisters' day.
Go on.
Um, I don't know.
I was thinking I could maybe
take you guys shopping
and we could get some
manicures and pedicures.
We could go out
for lunch.
(sighs)
I mean, that's a big part
of this trip for me,
is spending time
with you guys.
So, I just thought
that it would be fun.
I mean, we don't have to.
We can stay here.
Or you can...
you know, hang out
with Josh or whatever.
(scoffs)
No, it...
No, it's not like I wanna
hang out with Josh
over you guys.
I just think it's funny
that all of a sudden,
you're, like,
all, like, about family,
and... spending time...
All of a sudden,
like all about family?
Yeah, all of
a sudden. I mean...
This is like the first
time you've been home in...
In like over ten years...
You said it yourself.
So, it's just
funny that...
That doesn't mean that
I don't care about you,
and that I haven't made
a lot of efforts.
I've invited you to
Chicago so many times.
No, I know, it's...
And you've each
come once.
One time.
It's more like...
I don't think you're,
like, aware of how hard...
(sighs)
I just... I don't
think you're aware
of hard it was for Mom...
(scoffs)
to not have, like,
reconciled with you.
Well...
that is...
Mom's cross to bear.
Well,
but it's yours too.
She wanted so badly
to just have everything
be okay with you,
(laughs)
to the point where, like...
Go look in
that bedroom.
She brought the crib up
and, like, put toys in it.
She was so excited that you
were gonna have a baby...
That has nothing
to do with me.
Yeah it does, it does.
The crib had
nothing to do with me.
It was like a chance
to reconnect with you,
for you to be a mother and,
like, know what it's like.
When I called her to tell
her that I was pregnant,
she barely
acknowledged that.
She immediately started
talking about
something to do with
the lake, and, like,
it was like,
"Oh, that's nice honey."
She didn't care.
No, she... she did care.
I mean, she set
the crib up herself,
and she brought out...
Out all of our toys,
and, you know...
Well, I'm sorry that my
miscarriage was so selfish,
so inconvenient for her.
(Annie)
God, I don't know
what I was thinking.
(Isa)
Annie, that's not what
I'm talking about.
She made it about her
just like she made
everything about her.
(boat motor running)
(Isa)
And um, well,
it's basically the idea
of before you're born,
your soul has to cross
over the river of forgetting.
And that sort of wipes
its memory clean
of the life it had
just lived, so you can go
into the next one.
(Josh)
Hmm.
And it just keeps happening,
you know, at the end of life,
just over and over again,
different cycles
of reincarnation.
There's something
very comforting
about knowing you've
already learned things
and had just forgotten them.
Huh.
Like, you just don't
know how to see them.
Yeah, I know
what you mean.
I think if we could remember
our past lives when we
were first babies,
we might not want to live.
(wind blowing)
Haven't been to Mom's lab
since I was little.
(June)
Me neither.
We should go.
These are Amelia's
daughters... they're here
to look at some of their
mother's things.
Hey, welcome,
come on in.
And this was her desk.
I'll be in the other room
if you need anything.
(June)
Oh, my God. Isa!
It's the seven sisters.
(Isa)
That's so weird.
Do you remember how
Mom used to say
when she was going
deep water diving,
that she was going
for a space walk?
Did she really
used to say that?
Yeah.
Hmm.
This is the lake.
Hmm.
"August 18th,
170 feet.
Fear, sadness."
"August 25th,
190 feet.
Sadness,
nostalgia."
"August 31st,
200 feet."
She wrote
"Fear subsides."
"Deep samples
resemble...
amniotic fluid?"
(Josh)
What's in the fridge?
Oh, that's where we
keep our samples.
(Isa)
I wonder if
they still have
some of Mom's
samples in there.
(June chuckling)
(baby mobile playing)
(Annie)
I don't think
she was excited.
(baby mobile continues playing)
I think she was just
trying to prove a point.
(June)
What point was she
trying to prove?
Same point she was
trying to prove
every time
she had a baby.
This was just
another baby.
There's a land that I see
Where the children
are free
And I say it ain't far
To this land
from where we are
Take my hand
come with me
Where the children are free
Come with me
take my hand
And we'll live
In a land where the
river runs free
In a land through
the green country
In a land to a shining sea
And you and me
are free to be
You and me
Every boy in this land
Grows to be
his own man
In this land
every girl
Grows to be her own woman
Take my hand
come with me
Where the children are free
Come with me
take my hand
And we'll run
To a land where the
river runs free
To a land through
the green country
To a land to a shining sea
To a land where
the horses run free
To a land where the
children are free
And you and me
are free to be
And you and me are
free to be
And you and me
are free to be
You and me.
(Isa singing)
(singing continues)
That's pretty.
Where'd you learn
that song?
Mmm, I just keep
dreaming about it.
(June)
You dreamt that?
What language is it?
I don't know.
I just woke up
knowing those words.
I just keep thinking
about Mom.
If she's still
down there somewhere.
I know that they did everything
that they could, but...
I can't help feeling that
if we went down there,
we would be able
to find her.
Josh and I were talking today
about, um, the plans
for the house,
and he's really been
helping me, like, solidify them.
And, I spoke to my dad.
Um... I think he's
really on board.
He just mentioned that I
need a business proposal
just to make it really
official, and like...
just like the structure.
Right.
I thought you might be
really good at that.
I am really good at that.
I had a feeling.
Um, yes, I can absolutely
help you with that.
Thank you.
If you kind of draft
out all of your ideas,
all of the thoughts that
you've been having
for this commune thing,
then I will help put it
into some structure
and we can do a
formal business plan.
Thank you.
I wouldn't say a
commune around here.
I wouldn't use that word,
'cause I think that
you might get into a
little bit of hot water.
But it's more
like a...
Like a...
Like a school, or uh...
Or like a place for people
to practice what they do.
Like, I think that's missing
from so many people's life.
It's just like space.
You know, just like a space.
(laughs)
Shut up!
I'm serious though.
(laughing)
Sorry.
No, but I'm
super serious.
I love...
You're so sweet.
But it's true.
No, but it's true.
Into the unknown, but this
might be amazing for you,
is that we'd turn our bedroom
into like a video
editing facility.
(June)
Yeah, that would be great.
And you could come
during the summer.
Mm-hmm.
And it's yours.
Yeah.
You know?
And, um, well,
but I also thought,
like, make the sunroom
like a painter's studio.
Mm-hmm.
You know, you have the light.
You have the view...
Why is that funny?
(laughing) I don't know.
It's a great idea.
We really could.
Like, we have a
little bit of land.
We could even
grow things.
It's just, like, it's just...
(laughing)
A compost.
We could be totally
self-sufficient.
Oh, my God, she's dying.
(laughing)
It could be completely
self-sufficient.
Wait, are you, like,
into this or not?
I can't tell.
I think she's...
I love that
she's so into it.
See, I knew
you would win.
I love it.
(laughing)
(June)
It's great.
Let's do it.
Let's do it.
Why not?
You should name it
after your mom.
That's a really
beautiful...
The Amelia Brooks
Art Institute.
(all)
Institute.
(June)
Cheers.
(chuckles)
Look.
What do you think, June?
(June)
Looks good.
Oh, God.
(Annie)
Isa! Isa!
Isa! Isa! Isa!
Isa! Isa!
(cheering, laughing)
(June)
Those shorts.
Those shorts.
Do you remember?
She wore them all the time.
Come on, every day.
Oh, Mom?
Justice for our lake.
Justice for our lake.
Justice for our lake.
Justice for our lake.
(all)
No, no, we won't go!
No, no, we won't go!
No, no...
(laughter)
Please. Please.
Please. Please.
(Isa)
You can do it.
(sighs deeply)
You look just like Mom.
You know that?
(Isa and June)
Annie!
Annie! Annie!
Annie! Annie!
(singing)
The...
moon is shining.
(other girls singing along)
The stars are sparkling.
The lake fairies
are here
to bring you to bed.
Where are
my babies?
My sweet little babies?
Mama is here...
(all girls)
to bring you to bed.
Who's ready for bed?
Are all my little girls
ready for bed?
Mama's here
to tuck you in.
Annie?
Why aren't the girls
ready for bed?
I asked you over a
half an hour ago to get them
into their pajamas and
to brush their teeth,
and nothing has happened.
Why aren't they
ready for bed?
You never listen to me.
Do you have no respect
for your mother?
You're such a
little daddy's girl.
That's the only person
that you'll listen to.
I asked you to help
with your sisters.
Must I do it
all on my own?
I have to do everything
all on my own.
The only person who loves me
in this whole house is the dog.
Do you want me to
just sleep with the dog?
Is that what I should do?
I should just go and
sleep with the dog.
You're a selfish little brat.
You're a selfish little brat!
All I wanted was a
little bit of help.
All I wanted was
a little bit of help.
Is that too much to ask?
I have to get up
early in the morning.
(laughing)
Let me go again.
Let me go again.
I'm gonna go again and
I'm just gonna do the song.
Okay, I'm just
gonna do the song.
(girls crying, sniffling)
Okay?
(laughs)
(singing)
The moon is shining.
The stars are sparkling.
The lake fairies are here
to bring you to bed.
Where are my babies?
My sweet little babies?
'Cause Mama is here
to bring you to bed.
Don't forget
to breathe, Junebug.
(inhales deeply)
(exhaling)
There, that's better.
(June whispering)
Hey.
Get up.
I have to show
you something.
(Annie)
That's beautiful, June.
(June)
Yeah, it is very beautiful,
but I didn't take it.
That's what I wanted
to ask you guys about.
I mean, we didn't
take it.
You think
we took it?
Well, I didn't
take it.
So, somebody else did.
I woke up this morning and
this footage was on my camera
and I didn't take it.
You sure you didn't
take it a couple days ago
and you just didn't
check the footage?
Yes. I'm sure.
You guys were sleeping on
the couch and I left
my camera down here.
I really actually
don't care if you did,
I just want to know.
Yeah, but first of all,
I wouldn't touch your
camera, and I didn't do this.
Yeah, I wouldn't touch
your camera either.
Just, it's not funny anymore,
I'm getting really freaked out.
But I'm not trying to
play a joke on you,
I just didn't
touch your camera.
(Annie)
All right, this is
getting really weird.
What?
I found another bird
this morning.
(Josh)
I told you already
about the birds,
it's just the time
of the year, it's not...
(Annie)
I would be able
to believe that
if it was just one,
but every single day.
I know, but it's
this time of year...
Isa, do you promise me?
June, I swear, I didn't
touch your camera.
I wouldn't do anything
like that to you.
I really, really, don't care
if you did, but I...
But I didn't, you just have
to believe that I didn't.
I don't like getting
blamed for it.
(Annie)
I think we should
call the police.
Me too.
What are you gonna
tell the police?
We need to report
that somebody broke
into the house and
stole her camera.
Okay, somebody broke
into the house, they
stole the camera,
they went out to
the dock, and then
they filmed some stuff...
Something really
weird is going on...
and then they came back in,
and then they just decided
to leave the camera,
and put it back.
Yeah, that's a
crime isn't it?
I mean, do you think Mom
could be doing this?
Mom had nothing
to do with this.
Jesus, come on.
Why are you laughing at me?
It's not funny.
Okay, June your mom
came back from the dead,
and she knows how
to use the camera.
Okay, that's enough.
She went down to
the lake, she did a
time lapse just for fun.
That's enough.
And then she put it back
for you just to kinda find.
Hey!
I mean,
you guys gotta...
Really.
(Annie)
Let's just leave it.
All right.
I just have this really
bad feeling that...
that night that
we went out
and we summoned
the seventh sister,
that we, like, opened
some kind of door that
we shouldn't have.
(Annie)
No.
(Josh)
No, it's a tale.
That's all
it is, okay?
Hey, you know what?
Let's go see
Maggie Holmes.
She's lived here forever.
She knows all about
the folklore.
You can ask her about
the seven sisters, okay?
If that'll make
you feel better.
(Maggie)
In the olden days,
the period costumes were
so heavy and so layered,
pantaloons and petticoats
on top of one another.
And this particular family
was very conservative
and they didn't
want their seven girls
to disrobe and swim.
And this one night
it was so sweltering hot
that they snuck out at midnight,
took off their clothes
and went for a swim.
The first sister
went in and didn't emerge.
And the second one followed,
and didn't emerge.
And the third
and fourth.
All seven went in.
Do you think that
if you summon
the seventh sister,
then she'll pull you under
next time you swim?
You know, I don't
know about that.
I know that I had
a very odd experience
many years ago.
I went into the
water off the dock,
and I dove down.
And suddenly, I saw
this tiny light...
A very bright light.
It was simply
beautiful,
and I felt this
pull toward it,
'til, all of a sudden,
it wasn't a
comfortable pull.
I felt that I had no power
to stop from going down.
So, I fought to turn
myself around as...
It was if I was
fighting a current...
And with all my strength,
I rose to the top
of the water.
And I remember
gasping for breath.
And as I approached
the ladder,
this overwhelming
sense came to me
that I should
go back or look back.
But it was a very great
sense of loss
that I have
even to this day,
that... I left something
down there.
So, you girls...
you dear girls,
you take good care, please.
Just use wisdom.
(Josh)
If you want,
you can stay with me,
if it'll make it easier.
Make you feel better.
Yeah, I don't know.
Are you guys actually...
Are you still thinking
about selling the house?
Mm-hmm.
I thought you said
you wanted to stay.
I don't know.
June, can you
just back off?
You know what? Let's go
somewhere and talk.
(breathes deeply)
(splash)
(breathing through mask)
(faint singing)
(echoing scream)
(panicked breathing)
(panicked breathing
intensifies)
(panicked breathing
subsides)
(June humming)
(humming continues)
(Isa)
Yeah.
That's the same one
from my dream.
I thought so.
Do you still
dream it?
No, it stopped.
And...
I'm kind of relieved
'cause...
there was always something that
felt like it was calling me...
to somewhere...
something dangerous.
June, don't go swimming
in the lake.
Why not?
(knocking)
Yeah?
Hi.
Hi.
Can I sleep with
you guys tonight?
I don't wanna be alone.
Yeah, of course.
You okay?
Yeah.
I felt like
such a little kid.
You know, just every
little noise that I heard
was making me feel
so freaked out,
and I started
holding my breath in bed,
and I swear I heard
a baby crying.
Is it my mind
playing tricks on me?
(Isa)
I think something
is telling us to go.
(June)
It's really weird... it's
almost exactly the same
as the other one, but
it's a little bit closer
this time, I think.
What is that?
Do you see that?
Yeah.
What?
I don't know.
I saw something flash
by the... right here.
Oh!
Whoa.
I totally missed that.
(Isa)
Oh, my God, it's the
seventh sister.
Isn't that you?
That's you, June.
That's impossible,
I didn't take this.
Something really, really
weird is going on.
Okay, I need you to put down
the camera for a little while.
Why?
Let's just talk
about this, okay?
We should talk.
We can talk about it
with the camera.
Put it down, June.
You guys,
I didn't take that.
She's not asking, June.
Put the camera down.
I'm not gonna put
the camera down.
(sniffling)
Take a deep breath, June.
(scoffs)
Take a deep breath.
It's okay.
We're so proud of
you for... for...
how far you've come
and how well
you've been doing,
and we just don't wanna
see you revert back.
And I think that
being home is just...
It's too hard.
It's too hard for you.
It's... it's too hard
for all of us.
But I'm doing
really well.
(Isa)
I went into your closet
and I noticed that you
have the shawl.
And I went to pick it up,
and inside of it
I found a dead bird.
We know that you've been
sneaking out at night,
and you've been
leaving the birds...
and the time lapses.
(June sighs, sniffles)
I think that we should all
go out onto the dock
and say our
goodbyes to Mom
and then we should go.
But the camera's
not invited.
(June continues crying,
sniffling)
(door closing)
(June)
You guys?
You guys?
(Annie)
What?
I'm sorry.
You guys were right.
I... I didn't mean to do
any of this stuff.
I didn't... I don't think
I even knew I was doing it,
but I was just
so sad about Mom,
and just so upset,
and I just...
(sniffling)
I'm sorry, I just got confused,
and I was just dealing with
it in the wrong way.
But I promise
I'll... I promise
I won't do it
anymore, and I...
(Annie)
We're not gonna
do this again.
We've been down this road
before, and we're not
gonna do it again.
(Isa)
We see that you're starting
to spiral out of control.
I'm not spiraling
out of control.
And the doctors
have always told us
that when we are with you,
we enable you.
Oh, my God, I am not
out of control.
The doctors are idiots.
They don't know anything.
I'm sorry if you're too
scared to deal with it.
I'm sorry if you're cowards,
but I'm your sister.
You listen to my
words right now.
I'm not doing this
with you again.
We're leaving
in three hours,
and you can get in that
car and go home with us...
How can you talk
to me like that?
Or you stay.
It's your decision.
Look at me!
It's your decision.
What is wrong with you?
What the hell is wrong
with you guys?
I hate you so much!
Ah, I hate
you guys!
(breathing deeply)
(sniffling)
(sighing)
(whispering)
Mom.
Mom, do you believe me?
Do you believe me?
(sniffling)
(splash)
(record playing)
I see a land
bright and clear
And the time's
coming near, when...
(song skips, starts over)
I see a land
bright and clear
And the time's
coming near...
(door creaking)
(rain falling, wind blowing)
(humming)
(singing)
I'll just read my
favorite passages.
(man)
Which one?
"Though inland far we be,"
"our souls have sight
of that immortal sea"
"which brought us hither."
"Our birth is but a sleep
and a forgetting."
"The soul that rises
with us, our life's Star,"
"hath had elsewhere its setting
and cometh from afar."
"Not in entire
forgetfulness,
"and not in
utter nakedness,
but in trailing clouds
we come."
(door opening)
(bubbling)
(breathing with mask)
(faint singing)
(singing becomes louder)
(singing stops abruptly)
(humming)
(baby cooing)
(people speaking in
native language throughout)
(woman singing)
(woman 1)
You don't think
it was an accident?
(woman 2)
It just doesn't...
something about it doesn't
sit right, you know?
I mean, she knew diving.
She knew that lake
so well.
And she knew no one would
be able to find her in it.
She was dumb to go
diving by herself.
(woman 1)
Do you guys think
Mom was reincarnated?
(woman 3)
I don't know. Maybe.
(woman 2)
She told me this story
of, um, the river
of forgetting.
Do you guys...
Have you heard that?
(woman 1)
No.
(woman 2)
She said before you're born,
your soul travels across
the river of forgetting,
and it just wipes
your memory clean,
so that you can go be born
again, into a new life.
You just keep doing this
over and over again,
lifetime over
lifetime, you know,
just the... the cycle
of reincarnation.
And finally once you...
Your soul has learned
everything that it's
supposed to learn,
then you get to travel back
over the river of remembering.
And all your
previous selves
come together, being one
with everything
that has come before,
and is, and will come.
(woman 1)
It's weird to think
that Mom's still down there.
(woman 2)
I think it's fitting.
She loved the
lake so much.
It's where she'd
want to be.
(woman 1)
When was the last
time you were home?
(woman 3)
Not since before
I got married.
(woman 1)
Didn't you
miss the lake?
(woman 3)
Nope.
(woman 1)
Are you okay?
Yeah.
Should we go down?
You go ahead.
Seriously, go ahead.
(waves crashing)
It's cold.
(woman 2)
Are you still
afraid of swimming?
(woman 1)
Mmm...
I think I probably am.
Is that Josh?
Do you remember
Josh Jasper?
No.
No?
Annie was, like,
obsessed with him.
Like, sick obsessed.
Hey, Josh?
Are you Josh Jasper?
Yeah, who's that?
Uh, we're Annie's
sisters, Isa and June.
Annie here?
Yeah, she is.
You should come over
for dinner tonight.
Uh, thanks, I got...
I got stuff I gotta do,
but thanks.
No, you have to,
she's gonna be so excited.
(Isa)
Yes.
(Josh)
So, the home ec teachers...
We were making
chocolate freshman year.
Yeah.
For a parfait...
We had to make
parfaits, right?
And Annie, she had to
make chocolate mousse,
and she messed up 'cause
she got the yogurt.
And she poured, like,
cinnamon on top,
but the top fell off and
all the cinnamon was like...
(Isa laughing)
And she got so upset.
(muffled conversation
continues)
Dinner's ready!
Okay, here we go.
(Isa laughing)
Sorry it's just pasta.
I didn't realize we would
be entertaining tonight.
It looks beautiful.
Big camera.
(June laughing)
Is it digital,
is it...?
(June)
Mm-hmm.
So, we're in your
documentary?
(all laughing)
(June)
Right now you are.
(Josh)
Aren't you gonna eat?
(June)
No.
June only eats alone.
Mmm, I mean,
you gotta be hungry.
(June)
I said no.
She has since
she was little.
It's not really
like a big deal.
Do you want
some more pasta?
I eat alone
a lot too, so...
Parmesan?
Yeah, please.
Yeah.
Okay.
So, you see how the lines
of your palm are shallow?
Mmm.
Um, it just means that
you're a young soul.
Is that good?
Um, well, it's neither
good or bad.
It's just...
It just means that
you have to come back
for more lifetimes...
Oh.
To continue learning.
(Isa)
Two kids.
That's true too.
Who'd you have
two kids with?
Remember Molly
from high school?
Yeah.
Well done,
she was a babe.
Yeah, she was.
We're not
together anymore.
Um, sorry to
hear that.
Yeah.
Yeah, it's been
a rough summer.
That it has.
For all of us.
Mm-hmm.
I wanted to tell
you guys
how sorry I am
about your mom.
(Annie and Isa)
Thanks.
Yeah, there's a bunch
of us who tried to help,
and, um...
you know, by the time
they got some divers,
I think it's... you know,
it was just too deep.
How'd you hear
about it?
Through the
Sheriff's Department.
Like... five days
after the fact.
Guess they had a
hard time finding us.
So, are you... you guys here
for a memorial, or what?
No.
No, no.
She was clear she didn't
want that kind of thing.
We're just here to, you know,
figure out the next step
and take care of
some affairs.
Mmm.
(Isa)
The, like, coming back home
is... is the part
that makes you feel,
like, so strange.
It's... it's like
this lake has a power.
I can't explain it,
it's like a draw.
(Josh)
You know, no one's
ever found the bottom.
It's pretty strange.
(June)
Remember that story
that Mom used to tell us?
The one about the
seven sisters?
(Isa)
Yeah.
Do you remember?
I do, I do, I do.
So, like, what...
So, the first sister
jumps in, and...
Mm-hmm?
She never resurfaces.
So, then the second
sister jumps in
to try and save her,
but she gets pulled down.
Then the third sister
jumps in,
tries to save that sister,
same thing happens.
And one by one,
they all jump in
trying to save each other,
and drown.
The legend of the story
is that you can...
go out at midnight
and summon up the spirit
of the seventh sister.
There have been people
who have seen her
but, if you go swimming...
there has been talk that it
may be the last time you swim.
Oh, God,
it's so crazy.
Ooh.
What time is it?
(Isa laughing)
(Annie)
Okay, so what do
we have to do
to conjure the
seventh sister?
First of all you have...
You have to be very quiet.
No, no, you have to
speak from the heart.
Speak from the heart.
From the heart.
And be sincere.
In order for the seventh
sister to arise
and show herself,
you have to say
"seventh sister"
seven... seven times.
Seventh sister,
seventh Sister...
No, no, no.
Not now!
(girls laughing)
Shh, shh.
You can't do it now.
Sorry.
Because she's going to hear it
and nothing is going to happen.
(whispering)
Guys, guys, wait, wait.
What? What?
Wait. Wait.
I think we
need candles.
Yes.
(June)
Yeah, definitely.
Yeah.
I think Mom
would have some.
She has a whole bunch
of them in the basement.
Okay, okay,
I'll be right back.
Okay.
Do you want me
to come with you?
Hurry.
(June)
Is everybody ready?
(Annie)
Yes.
Okay, Is, tell it
to the camera.
With the
permission of fire
and the permission
of matter,
we now begin.
(women chanting)
Seventh sister,
seventh sister,
seventh sister,
seventh sister,
seventh sister,
seventh sister,
seventh sister.
(Annie)
Did you hear that?
(June)
What?
I heard something.
(loud splash)
(laughing)
(June)
Why'd you do that?
It's not...
It was him!
(laughing)
Well, that was a
disappointment.
Oh, well.
(Annie laughing)
Oh, well.
(Josh)
I'll have to tell
you the story
about the seven
brothers next.
Oh, God.
(all laughing)
(June)
Spirit of the seventh sister...
(whispering)
I invoke thee.
Did you hear that?
(June)
Yeah.
What was that?
I don't know.
(stair creaks)
Shh.
(laughing)
(bang,
gasping)
Should we go upstairs?
No.
Do you see
anything?
No.
Get the door.
(wind blowing)
(Isa)
What kind of bird
do you think it is?
(June)
I don't know.
It's got that
orange belly.
And a pointy nose.
Maybe it's a
woodpecker.
(Annie)
Guys, what are you doing?
It's the middle
of the night.
What is that?
It flew into
the window.
Do birds even
fly at night?
What is he doing
in the kitchen?
How did you
get him in here?
It's a wild animal.
They have diseases,
guys.
It's unsanitary.
Isa,
don't touch it!
Isa, don't touch it.
Okay, okay.
I want to give it
a proper burial.
Honey, let's just
take him outside, okay?
Please don't put
it in the trash.
We're not keeping
him inside right now.
It's the middle of
the night, okay?
Annie hates funerals.
(waves crashing)
Here we go.
(Isa)
Yeah.
I don't know if
I wanna see this.
Yeah!
This is so embarrassing.
(singing)
Join me,
in standing up to greed,
(both singing)
and diving into blue.
(music playing)
(woman)
Though inland far we be,
our souls have sight of
that immortal sea
which brought us hither.
That was
William Wordsworth.
Hello, I am
Dr. Amelia Brooks
and I am the founder
and president
of the Blue Water
Conservation Society.
If you love our beautiful
blue lake as much as I do,
please, vote yes
on measure "F".
Join me in
standing up to greed
and diving into blue.
(chuckles)
(dialing phone number)
Hi, may I please speak
to Dr. Amelia Brooks?
Oh, well, do you know
when she might be back?
Oh, no, I didn't.
Oh.
Oh, I'm so sorry.
I'm very sorry
for your loss.
No, thank you.
Bye.
(woman)
These are the comparables
that are in your neighborhood
that the appraiser
was working off of.
You might wanna take
a peek at those.
Okay.
And then um... oh!
Will we do a...
Who's this?
Oh, this is
our sister June.
Oh!
Are you a photographer?
(June)
Mm-hmm.
(Annie)
She's our family archivist.
That's neat.
Um, will we have
to do photographs
for our own comp card
or is that something
that your agency does?
Oh, um... definitely have
a phenomenal photographer
that will come
out and, uh, take...
I have a question, though.
How is this like
a comparable
if it's not on
the water, and...?
Well, because
this is actually...
You know,
it's a newer home,
but because it's
not on the water,
it's not gonna have
the same price.
And due to the fact that
this is an older home
and it has a
lot of issues...
So they kinda of equal
each other out.
Yeah.
Okay.
Are you recording
that right now?
Um, sorry.
It's not gonna be...
She's just doing
a documentary.
A documentary?
Okay.
Um, okay, now my other
question is, um,
do we have to
fix the roofing
and the electrical problems
that the appraisers found,
or can we just do a
faster, as-is sale?
You know I think it's
really gonna be up to you.
Okay.
I have to be honest...
You know, if you wanna
make that investment,
but I don't think you do.
Right.
And I'm gonna
tell you right now,
they're probably
just gonna bust
the house down anyways.
They're really
buying this house
for the property itself.
Does this have to be on?
If we have the
open house...
Yeah.
And someone is interested
in buying it,
Sure.
But then as we talk
we decide we don't
wanna sell,
like, that's fine,
right? Because...
Well, we do want to sell.
Well...
(sighs)
No, I think that...
It's too much of a
financial responsibility
to put... you know,
having to fix the roof
and pay the
property taxes
and bring the electrical
up to code.
Well, what if
there was a way
to turn it into some
sort of rental unit or...
But then who's gonna run
the rental property?
That's a lot of
responsibility
and I know that
I cannot take that on.
You wouldn't wanna
take that on.
No, and I think...
I guess what
I'm hearing
is that you've
already decided,
and this is only
one-third yours.
I don't think
I should be here.
I think that you need to
have this conversation...
I'm sorry,
I don't mean to make
it uncomfortable for you.
It's okay.
We'll discuss.
I think you need to get on
the same page because...
Yes.
You don't want anyone
walking in this door and
you're not ready to sell.
Right.
I'll walk you out.
All right,
sounds good.
Difficult
decision for her.
I understand, but I gotta
tell you right now...
If my dad were to
give me a loan,
then... I could fix
the roof and...
the other things,
and then...
(Annie)
And then what?
Well, that's the thing...
I was talking to June before,
and it was like,
we could, um...
like, rent it out for
different things.
You know, like there's,
like, so many yoga schools
that rent out places
to do retreats,
and, like, art programs
and just...
I mean, what do
you think, June?
Do you...?
What do you
wanna do, Junie?
(June)
I don't really feel
like it's my decision.
I mean, it's Mom's house.
(humming)
(laughing)
Aah!
(laughing)
Uhh!
Annie, come in!
No way.
It's too cold.
No, it warms up...
once you're in it for
like a few seconds.
Once you're in there,
for a few seconds...
(laughing)
No!
Come on,
grab her feet.
No! No!
Let's go!
Wait, we're gonna make
her drink first.
(laughing)
(singing)
Miss Spirit Lake!
Welcome back,
ladies and gentleman
to the Little Miss
Spirit Lake competition.
We've now moved on to the
swimsuit portion of the evening.
Now, you may be confused,
you may think
that this is
a swimsuit, but it's not.
However... it doesn't
really matter,
'cause guess who's
gonna be nice and warm
and dry and cozy on the
way home, unlike...
these two right here.
You should be
drunk every day.
I am.
Wait, I felt something.
What?
Come on.
Seriously, I felt
something touch my foot.
(mocking)
Seriously, I felt
something touch my foot.
It was so scary.
It was so scary.
(Isa and Josh scream)
Is?
(June)
Isa?
Isa?
Isa!
(June)
Oh, my God!
(panicked breathing)
(laughing)
I'm sorry!
It was...
(Annie)
Screw you.
No, no.
It's not funny!
Annie, it was a joke.
Whatever.
Oh, come on, Annie!
Geez.
Annie, I'm sorry,
it was just a joke.
(Josh)
Annie, come on!
Annie!
My leg!
(chuckles)
It's not funny.
(June)
That wasn't
too funny, you guys.
(Josh)
Huh?
That wasn't very funny.
Oh, come on.
You coming in?
No.
Come on.
(June)
You okay, Annie?
I'm fine.
I can't do the camera
right now, June. Sorry.
(humming)
(humming continues)
(Isa)
He's a good person, you know?
He's kind of
different than...
the normal kind of guy
I'm attracted to usually.
(June)
I think he really likes you.
Yeah, I think that he...
the way that he
likes people...
would be really good for me.
(sighs)
(Isa)
Okay, now I'm ready.
So, tell me from
the beginning.
Um, okay, so, uh,
there were seven sisters,
and they were walking
in a field with their mother,
and Orion saw them
walking through the field,
and he fell madly in
love with them,
and he pursued them.
He chased them everywhere
for years and years.
And finally,
after seven years,
Zeus answered their...
Their prayers,
and he turned them into birds
so they could fly away.
And they flew up
into the sky,
and then they
became stars.
They became
the Pleiades.
Okay, but tell me...
Tell me the weird part.
Okay, the weird part
is that...
there... there are
seven sisters,
but there are
actually only six stars
that are visible to
the naked eye.
And in spite of that,
in almost every culture,
the constellation is called
the seven sisters.
So, there's this
seventh star
that everybody seems to know
is there and it is there,
but it's completely
invisible.
And I just think
that's really interesting.
Shh.
(Annie)
June?
(Isa)
June?
(Annie)
June!
(June)
I'm over here!
(Annie)
Oh, God, oh...
Jesus Christ, June,
you really scared me.
Why?
What'd I do?
Well, I heard a noise
and woke up
but you weren't there.
What are you even
doing out here?
I wanted to
go swimming.
In the middle
of the night?
Please don't do
this to me again.
We found another bird.
(Isa)
Don't you think it's
a little strange
that this is the
second night in a row
that it's happened?
(Annie)
Maybe it's the
change in weather.
They just got confused.
Yeah, but birds
fly south.
They just don't
fall out of the sky.
(June)
You don't think that Josh
would be doing this, do you?
No.
No.
I'm sorry I scared
you guys.
Josh, you didn't leave
the birds, did you?
No.
Are you sure?
Yeah, I'm sure.
I thought you might be
trying to scare us
'cause of the whole
seven sisters thing?
No.
(Isa)
It's just totally
disrespectful,
Annie just put
them in the trash.
(Josh)
Certain time of the day
that my dad calls
the change over.
It's right when the
sun is about to set.
Everything goes silent.
All the waves in the lake
just kind of stop.
It only happens on this lake,
and I've been to a lot...
Really?
I've never noticed that.
Wait, you got one!
Okay, what do I do?
What do I do?
Adjust the drag.
Right here, right here.
Yeah, okay.
June, you gotta
back up, June...
Ow!
Back up June!
All right, get up,
get it up.
(laughs)
Stand up.
Reel it in.
Okay, okay.
It feels... ah!
You got it, you got it!
Feels really heavy.
It's coming.
Oh! What?
Wow.
What is that?
It's definitely
not a fish.
No, that is...
it's a red fish.
Yeah right,
yeah, you do it.
I got it, I got it.
This is your first...
First catch?
(laughing)
Yeah.
And it's...
Here, June.
I like this way better
than a fish.
(Josh)
You guys wanna get going?
Um, kinda wanna ride
the roller coaster.
The roller coaster's been
closed since Labor Day.
I know.
(Josh)
Come on.
You can do it.
I'll catch you.
Here, take that.
Put it over there.
You're so bossy.
(laughing)
I'm not bossy.
"Put it over there!"
"Here, take this.
Put it over there!"
(laughing)
All right,
you ready to catch me?
Yeah, I'll catch you.
Good.
(Isa humming)
(laughing)
(continues humming)
I feel like the lake
gave this to me.
(June)
I want one.
Well... you chose
not to fish.
You have to throw your
line in to catch something.
Annie?
(Josh)
Is she here?
Look.
Oh, here she is.
Wow.
How are you?
Hey, Annie!
You guys were fishing?
(Josh)
Yeah, we didn't
catch anything.
(Isa)
Yeah, we didn't
really catch anything.
We were just trying to...
(Isa and Josh laugh)
Well, I didn't
realize that you guys
had a fishing trip
planned,
so I was, um,
just gonna do
like a sisters' breakfast,
because we haven't really
had a chance to talk.
But if you'd like to stay,
I can set a place for you.
No I got... I got stuff
to do. That's fine.
You sure?
Yeah.
(Isa)
Yeah.
Yeah.
See you later.
Bye, June.
Um, I was
actually thinking
that maybe we could do like
a full sisters' day today.
Take a break from...
Like a half-sisters' day.
What?
Like a
half-sisters' day.
It was just a joke, 'cause you
said like a full sisters' day.
Go on.
Um, I don't know.
I was thinking I could maybe
take you guys shopping
and we could get some
manicures and pedicures.
We could go out
for lunch.
(sighs)
I mean, that's a big part
of this trip for me,
is spending time
with you guys.
So, I just thought
that it would be fun.
I mean, we don't have to.
We can stay here.
Or you can...
you know, hang out
with Josh or whatever.
(scoffs)
No, it...
No, it's not like I wanna
hang out with Josh
over you guys.
I just think it's funny
that all of a sudden,
you're, like,
all, like, about family,
and... spending time...
All of a sudden,
like all about family?
Yeah, all of
a sudden. I mean...
This is like the first
time you've been home in...
In like over ten years...
You said it yourself.
So, it's just
funny that...
That doesn't mean that
I don't care about you,
and that I haven't made
a lot of efforts.
I've invited you to
Chicago so many times.
No, I know, it's...
And you've each
come once.
One time.
It's more like...
I don't think you're,
like, aware of how hard...
(sighs)
I just... I don't
think you're aware
of hard it was for Mom...
(scoffs)
to not have, like,
reconciled with you.
Well...
that is...
Mom's cross to bear.
Well,
but it's yours too.
She wanted so badly
to just have everything
be okay with you,
(laughs)
to the point where, like...
Go look in
that bedroom.
She brought the crib up
and, like, put toys in it.
She was so excited that you
were gonna have a baby...
That has nothing
to do with me.
Yeah it does, it does.
The crib had
nothing to do with me.
It was like a chance
to reconnect with you,
for you to be a mother and,
like, know what it's like.
When I called her to tell
her that I was pregnant,
she barely
acknowledged that.
She immediately started
talking about
something to do with
the lake, and, like,
it was like,
"Oh, that's nice honey."
She didn't care.
No, she... she did care.
I mean, she set
the crib up herself,
and she brought out...
Out all of our toys,
and, you know...
Well, I'm sorry that my
miscarriage was so selfish,
so inconvenient for her.
(Annie)
God, I don't know
what I was thinking.
(Isa)
Annie, that's not what
I'm talking about.
She made it about her
just like she made
everything about her.
(boat motor running)
(Isa)
And um, well,
it's basically the idea
of before you're born,
your soul has to cross
over the river of forgetting.
And that sort of wipes
its memory clean
of the life it had
just lived, so you can go
into the next one.
(Josh)
Hmm.
And it just keeps happening,
you know, at the end of life,
just over and over again,
different cycles
of reincarnation.
There's something
very comforting
about knowing you've
already learned things
and had just forgotten them.
Huh.
Like, you just don't
know how to see them.
Yeah, I know
what you mean.
I think if we could remember
our past lives when we
were first babies,
we might not want to live.
(wind blowing)
Haven't been to Mom's lab
since I was little.
(June)
Me neither.
We should go.
These are Amelia's
daughters... they're here
to look at some of their
mother's things.
Hey, welcome,
come on in.
And this was her desk.
I'll be in the other room
if you need anything.
(June)
Oh, my God. Isa!
It's the seven sisters.
(Isa)
That's so weird.
Do you remember how
Mom used to say
when she was going
deep water diving,
that she was going
for a space walk?
Did she really
used to say that?
Yeah.
Hmm.
This is the lake.
Hmm.
"August 18th,
170 feet.
Fear, sadness."
"August 25th,
190 feet.
Sadness,
nostalgia."
"August 31st,
200 feet."
She wrote
"Fear subsides."
"Deep samples
resemble...
amniotic fluid?"
(Josh)
What's in the fridge?
Oh, that's where we
keep our samples.
(Isa)
I wonder if
they still have
some of Mom's
samples in there.
(June chuckling)
(baby mobile playing)
(Annie)
I don't think
she was excited.
(baby mobile continues playing)
I think she was just
trying to prove a point.
(June)
What point was she
trying to prove?
Same point she was
trying to prove
every time
she had a baby.
This was just
another baby.
There's a land that I see
Where the children
are free
And I say it ain't far
To this land
from where we are
Take my hand
come with me
Where the children are free
Come with me
take my hand
And we'll live
In a land where the
river runs free
In a land through
the green country
In a land to a shining sea
And you and me
are free to be
You and me
Every boy in this land
Grows to be
his own man
In this land
every girl
Grows to be her own woman
Take my hand
come with me
Where the children are free
Come with me
take my hand
And we'll run
To a land where the
river runs free
To a land through
the green country
To a land to a shining sea
To a land where
the horses run free
To a land where the
children are free
And you and me
are free to be
And you and me are
free to be
And you and me
are free to be
You and me.
(Isa singing)
(singing continues)
That's pretty.
Where'd you learn
that song?
Mmm, I just keep
dreaming about it.
(June)
You dreamt that?
What language is it?
I don't know.
I just woke up
knowing those words.
I just keep thinking
about Mom.
If she's still
down there somewhere.
I know that they did everything
that they could, but...
I can't help feeling that
if we went down there,
we would be able
to find her.
Josh and I were talking today
about, um, the plans
for the house,
and he's really been
helping me, like, solidify them.
And, I spoke to my dad.
Um... I think he's
really on board.
He just mentioned that I
need a business proposal
just to make it really
official, and like...
just like the structure.
Right.
I thought you might be
really good at that.
I am really good at that.
I had a feeling.
Um, yes, I can absolutely
help you with that.
Thank you.
If you kind of draft
out all of your ideas,
all of the thoughts that
you've been having
for this commune thing,
then I will help put it
into some structure
and we can do a
formal business plan.
Thank you.
I wouldn't say a
commune around here.
I wouldn't use that word,
'cause I think that
you might get into a
little bit of hot water.
But it's more
like a...
Like a...
Like a school, or uh...
Or like a place for people
to practice what they do.
Like, I think that's missing
from so many people's life.
It's just like space.
You know, just like a space.
(laughs)
Shut up!
I'm serious though.
(laughing)
Sorry.
No, but I'm
super serious.
I love...
You're so sweet.
But it's true.
No, but it's true.
Into the unknown, but this
might be amazing for you,
is that we'd turn our bedroom
into like a video
editing facility.
(June)
Yeah, that would be great.
And you could come
during the summer.
Mm-hmm.
And it's yours.
Yeah.
You know?
And, um, well,
but I also thought,
like, make the sunroom
like a painter's studio.
Mm-hmm.
You know, you have the light.
You have the view...
Why is that funny?
(laughing) I don't know.
It's a great idea.
We really could.
Like, we have a
little bit of land.
We could even
grow things.
It's just, like, it's just...
(laughing)
A compost.
We could be totally
self-sufficient.
Oh, my God, she's dying.
(laughing)
It could be completely
self-sufficient.
Wait, are you, like,
into this or not?
I can't tell.
I think she's...
I love that
she's so into it.
See, I knew
you would win.
I love it.
(laughing)
(June)
It's great.
Let's do it.
Let's do it.
Why not?
You should name it
after your mom.
That's a really
beautiful...
The Amelia Brooks
Art Institute.
(all)
Institute.
(June)
Cheers.
(chuckles)
Look.
What do you think, June?
(June)
Looks good.
Oh, God.
(Annie)
Isa! Isa!
Isa! Isa! Isa!
Isa! Isa!
(cheering, laughing)
(June)
Those shorts.
Those shorts.
Do you remember?
She wore them all the time.
Come on, every day.
Oh, Mom?
Justice for our lake.
Justice for our lake.
Justice for our lake.
Justice for our lake.
(all)
No, no, we won't go!
No, no, we won't go!
No, no...
(laughter)
Please. Please.
Please. Please.
(Isa)
You can do it.
(sighs deeply)
You look just like Mom.
You know that?
(Isa and June)
Annie!
Annie! Annie!
Annie! Annie!
(singing)
The...
moon is shining.
(other girls singing along)
The stars are sparkling.
The lake fairies
are here
to bring you to bed.
Where are
my babies?
My sweet little babies?
Mama is here...
(all girls)
to bring you to bed.
Who's ready for bed?
Are all my little girls
ready for bed?
Mama's here
to tuck you in.
Annie?
Why aren't the girls
ready for bed?
I asked you over a
half an hour ago to get them
into their pajamas and
to brush their teeth,
and nothing has happened.
Why aren't they
ready for bed?
You never listen to me.
Do you have no respect
for your mother?
You're such a
little daddy's girl.
That's the only person
that you'll listen to.
I asked you to help
with your sisters.
Must I do it
all on my own?
I have to do everything
all on my own.
The only person who loves me
in this whole house is the dog.
Do you want me to
just sleep with the dog?
Is that what I should do?
I should just go and
sleep with the dog.
You're a selfish little brat.
You're a selfish little brat!
All I wanted was a
little bit of help.
All I wanted was
a little bit of help.
Is that too much to ask?
I have to get up
early in the morning.
(laughing)
Let me go again.
Let me go again.
I'm gonna go again and
I'm just gonna do the song.
Okay, I'm just
gonna do the song.
(girls crying, sniffling)
Okay?
(laughs)
(singing)
The moon is shining.
The stars are sparkling.
The lake fairies are here
to bring you to bed.
Where are my babies?
My sweet little babies?
'Cause Mama is here
to bring you to bed.
Don't forget
to breathe, Junebug.
(inhales deeply)
(exhaling)
There, that's better.
(June whispering)
Hey.
Get up.
I have to show
you something.
(Annie)
That's beautiful, June.
(June)
Yeah, it is very beautiful,
but I didn't take it.
That's what I wanted
to ask you guys about.
I mean, we didn't
take it.
You think
we took it?
Well, I didn't
take it.
So, somebody else did.
I woke up this morning and
this footage was on my camera
and I didn't take it.
You sure you didn't
take it a couple days ago
and you just didn't
check the footage?
Yes. I'm sure.
You guys were sleeping on
the couch and I left
my camera down here.
I really actually
don't care if you did,
I just want to know.
Yeah, but first of all,
I wouldn't touch your
camera, and I didn't do this.
Yeah, I wouldn't touch
your camera either.
Just, it's not funny anymore,
I'm getting really freaked out.
But I'm not trying to
play a joke on you,
I just didn't
touch your camera.
(Annie)
All right, this is
getting really weird.
What?
I found another bird
this morning.
(Josh)
I told you already
about the birds,
it's just the time
of the year, it's not...
(Annie)
I would be able
to believe that
if it was just one,
but every single day.
I know, but it's
this time of year...
Isa, do you promise me?
June, I swear, I didn't
touch your camera.
I wouldn't do anything
like that to you.
I really, really, don't care
if you did, but I...
But I didn't, you just have
to believe that I didn't.
I don't like getting
blamed for it.
(Annie)
I think we should
call the police.
Me too.
What are you gonna
tell the police?
We need to report
that somebody broke
into the house and
stole her camera.
Okay, somebody broke
into the house, they
stole the camera,
they went out to
the dock, and then
they filmed some stuff...
Something really
weird is going on...
and then they came back in,
and then they just decided
to leave the camera,
and put it back.
Yeah, that's a
crime isn't it?
I mean, do you think Mom
could be doing this?
Mom had nothing
to do with this.
Jesus, come on.
Why are you laughing at me?
It's not funny.
Okay, June your mom
came back from the dead,
and she knows how
to use the camera.
Okay, that's enough.
She went down to
the lake, she did a
time lapse just for fun.
That's enough.
And then she put it back
for you just to kinda find.
Hey!
I mean,
you guys gotta...
Really.
(Annie)
Let's just leave it.
All right.
I just have this really
bad feeling that...
that night that
we went out
and we summoned
the seventh sister,
that we, like, opened
some kind of door that
we shouldn't have.
(Annie)
No.
(Josh)
No, it's a tale.
That's all
it is, okay?
Hey, you know what?
Let's go see
Maggie Holmes.
She's lived here forever.
She knows all about
the folklore.
You can ask her about
the seven sisters, okay?
If that'll make
you feel better.
(Maggie)
In the olden days,
the period costumes were
so heavy and so layered,
pantaloons and petticoats
on top of one another.
And this particular family
was very conservative
and they didn't
want their seven girls
to disrobe and swim.
And this one night
it was so sweltering hot
that they snuck out at midnight,
took off their clothes
and went for a swim.
The first sister
went in and didn't emerge.
And the second one followed,
and didn't emerge.
And the third
and fourth.
All seven went in.
Do you think that
if you summon
the seventh sister,
then she'll pull you under
next time you swim?
You know, I don't
know about that.
I know that I had
a very odd experience
many years ago.
I went into the
water off the dock,
and I dove down.
And suddenly, I saw
this tiny light...
A very bright light.
It was simply
beautiful,
and I felt this
pull toward it,
'til, all of a sudden,
it wasn't a
comfortable pull.
I felt that I had no power
to stop from going down.
So, I fought to turn
myself around as...
It was if I was
fighting a current...
And with all my strength,
I rose to the top
of the water.
And I remember
gasping for breath.
And as I approached
the ladder,
this overwhelming
sense came to me
that I should
go back or look back.
But it was a very great
sense of loss
that I have
even to this day,
that... I left something
down there.
So, you girls...
you dear girls,
you take good care, please.
Just use wisdom.
(Josh)
If you want,
you can stay with me,
if it'll make it easier.
Make you feel better.
Yeah, I don't know.
Are you guys actually...
Are you still thinking
about selling the house?
Mm-hmm.
I thought you said
you wanted to stay.
I don't know.
June, can you
just back off?
You know what? Let's go
somewhere and talk.
(breathes deeply)
(splash)
(breathing through mask)
(faint singing)
(echoing scream)
(panicked breathing)
(panicked breathing
intensifies)
(panicked breathing
subsides)
(June humming)
(humming continues)
(Isa)
Yeah.
That's the same one
from my dream.
I thought so.
Do you still
dream it?
No, it stopped.
And...
I'm kind of relieved
'cause...
there was always something that
felt like it was calling me...
to somewhere...
something dangerous.
June, don't go swimming
in the lake.
Why not?
(knocking)
Yeah?
Hi.
Hi.
Can I sleep with
you guys tonight?
I don't wanna be alone.
Yeah, of course.
You okay?
Yeah.
I felt like
such a little kid.
You know, just every
little noise that I heard
was making me feel
so freaked out,
and I started
holding my breath in bed,
and I swear I heard
a baby crying.
Is it my mind
playing tricks on me?
(Isa)
I think something
is telling us to go.
(June)
It's really weird... it's
almost exactly the same
as the other one, but
it's a little bit closer
this time, I think.
What is that?
Do you see that?
Yeah.
What?
I don't know.
I saw something flash
by the... right here.
Oh!
Whoa.
I totally missed that.
(Isa)
Oh, my God, it's the
seventh sister.
Isn't that you?
That's you, June.
That's impossible,
I didn't take this.
Something really, really
weird is going on.
Okay, I need you to put down
the camera for a little while.
Why?
Let's just talk
about this, okay?
We should talk.
We can talk about it
with the camera.
Put it down, June.
You guys,
I didn't take that.
She's not asking, June.
Put the camera down.
I'm not gonna put
the camera down.
(sniffling)
Take a deep breath, June.
(scoffs)
Take a deep breath.
It's okay.
We're so proud of
you for... for...
how far you've come
and how well
you've been doing,
and we just don't wanna
see you revert back.
And I think that
being home is just...
It's too hard.
It's too hard for you.
It's... it's too hard
for all of us.
But I'm doing
really well.
(Isa)
I went into your closet
and I noticed that you
have the shawl.
And I went to pick it up,
and inside of it
I found a dead bird.
We know that you've been
sneaking out at night,
and you've been
leaving the birds...
and the time lapses.
(June sighs, sniffles)
I think that we should all
go out onto the dock
and say our
goodbyes to Mom
and then we should go.
But the camera's
not invited.
(June continues crying,
sniffling)
(door closing)
(June)
You guys?
You guys?
(Annie)
What?
I'm sorry.
You guys were right.
I... I didn't mean to do
any of this stuff.
I didn't... I don't think
I even knew I was doing it,
but I was just
so sad about Mom,
and just so upset,
and I just...
(sniffling)
I'm sorry, I just got confused,
and I was just dealing with
it in the wrong way.
But I promise
I'll... I promise
I won't do it
anymore, and I...
(Annie)
We're not gonna
do this again.
We've been down this road
before, and we're not
gonna do it again.
(Isa)
We see that you're starting
to spiral out of control.
I'm not spiraling
out of control.
And the doctors
have always told us
that when we are with you,
we enable you.
Oh, my God, I am not
out of control.
The doctors are idiots.
They don't know anything.
I'm sorry if you're too
scared to deal with it.
I'm sorry if you're cowards,
but I'm your sister.
You listen to my
words right now.
I'm not doing this
with you again.
We're leaving
in three hours,
and you can get in that
car and go home with us...
How can you talk
to me like that?
Or you stay.
It's your decision.
Look at me!
It's your decision.
What is wrong with you?
What the hell is wrong
with you guys?
I hate you so much!
Ah, I hate
you guys!
(breathing deeply)
(sniffling)
(sighing)
(whispering)
Mom.
Mom, do you believe me?
Do you believe me?
(sniffling)
(splash)
(record playing)
I see a land
bright and clear
And the time's
coming near, when...
(song skips, starts over)
I see a land
bright and clear
And the time's
coming near...
(door creaking)
(rain falling, wind blowing)
(humming)
(singing)
I'll just read my
favorite passages.
(man)
Which one?
"Though inland far we be,"
"our souls have sight
of that immortal sea"
"which brought us hither."
"Our birth is but a sleep
and a forgetting."
"The soul that rises
with us, our life's Star,"
"hath had elsewhere its setting
and cometh from afar."
"Not in entire
forgetfulness,
"and not in
utter nakedness,
but in trailing clouds
we come."
(door opening)
(bubbling)
(breathing with mask)
(faint singing)
(singing becomes louder)
(singing stops abruptly)
(humming)
(baby cooing)
(people speaking in
native language throughout)