The Oval Portrait (2025) Movie Script
1
Ava.
Hey, what's going on?
Aren't you working today?
Uh, not just yet. I'm actually
on my way there right now.
Um...
What's going on?
This, uh,
isn't really
working really.
What isn't?
Richard, what isn't working?
Well, us.
Are you breaking up with me?
Between texts?
-No. -You're not breaking up with me?
No, I am. Just not between texts.
Sorry.
Just gimme a second. This is important.
Will you please shut that thing off?
Will you stop please? This isn't the place.
Well, I would've tried calling you.
I mean, I did actually, your landline,
but you weren't there, so.
It's not the place for
your loud texts, Richard.
This is a library.
It's not the place for a breakup either.
Will you please just leave?
Can you just gimme a second?
No, leave. Go away.
Ava, look, I'm just trying to explain.
Go away now.
I'm just trying to explain.
I don't care. I don't care
what you have to say.
I don't care.
You're an embarrassment.
You're obnoxious, you're obtuse,
you're ignorant of people's feelings
and pretty much everything around you.
And you're illiterate.
You're a bitch.
Are you serious?
Go away. Take that thing and get out.
I heard what you said.
You're breaking up with me.
It's not working out.
Yeah, that's quite obvious.
Thanks for stopping by. You can go now.
Where's my painting?
I dunno.
Well, where's your partner?
Not sure.
Well, what the hell does that mean?
It means he hasn't shown up.
He hasn't called. He hasn't messaged.
So I don't know where he is.
I don't know where the painting is either.
Alright, let's start with what you do know.
He went to the house. I went to the movies.
I bought two tickets for his alibi.
I got back after the movies
and there's been no sign of him since.
But you went to the house.
Yes.
And?
The window he was supposed
to use to break in,
it was still intact.
-Still intact? -Yeah.
You know, if you're trying
to double cross my father,
you're not gonna last long.
We're not double crossing anybody.
If we were, I wouldn't
even be standing here
telling you what happened.
You hired us to get the painting.
We are getting the painting.
But the agreement was for today.
The agreement is the least
of our problems right now.
Oh.
I beg to differ.
You see, I think the
agreement is everything.
In fact, I think it's the only thing.
Because we Bancroft men
are men of our word,
and we expect others to be the same.
The fact that you're standing
in front of me right now
without that painting, well,
well, that doesn't bode well for you.
Yeah, you kind of said that already.
Five o'clock, you be by the phone.
Mr. Whitlock?
Yes. Come in, please.
Oh my.
So this is the piece we spoke about.
-May I? -Please.
It is magnificent.
I've been calling all over the country
only to find one right in my very city.
It was a friend who gave me your number.
You mentioned that. Yes.
It was so strange.
I couldn't find you listed anywhere.
It is referral only.
Ah, well, then it must be fate.
Are you a believer in fate, Mr. Whitlock?
I would very much like not to be.
Hmm.
What is your preferred method of payment?
It is cash only, but we have
not yet discussed price.
Oh, my good man. Price is no object.
As I reach the end of my life,
it is only beautiful things I
wish to surround myself with.
Not money.
A thing of beauty is a joy forever.
Its loveliness increases.
It will never pass into nothingness.
Yes.
Unlike all of us.
Where's my painting?
Things didn't go according to plan.
Hey Ava, it's Richard.
I just wanted to talk to you-
Ava, it is your mother.
I appreciate the irony
of me asking you why you
don't have a cell phone yet,
but oh, it makes no sense to me.
Anyway, your father and I were wondering
if you were planning on coming
home to visit anytime soon.
Call me back.
Hello.
My father is gonna be
back in town in a week.
You deliver that painting or else.
Where do I go when I've got it?
Same place as before.
Give me my usual
What's going on?
Why do I have to come
all the way down here?
Want a drink?
Sure.
Can I get a double whiskey, neat, please?
Thanks.
Okay, so what's going on?
I've got a job for you.
Not the kind of job we can
talk about over the phone.
Go on.
There's a painting in an
old antique shop downtown.
We need to get in there and get it.
Well what kind of painting?
It's a portrait, an oval portrait.
I mean is it the kind of painting
that's worth a lot of money?
Dunno, actually.
All I know is it's important
to the guy who hired me to get it.
Well why doesn't the guy just buy it?
It's not for sale.
How much is he paying you?
That's between him and me.
Which means you're getting
a lot more than me.
Okay. What's the deal?
50 grand?
Are you insane, Julian?
I'm not killing anybody.
You don't need to kill anybody.
I'm not that kind of thief.
Yeah? Well neither am I.
Okay, cool.
Would you though?
Would I what?
Kill someone?
If you had to.
A self-defense kind of thing?
Yeah.
Well, I, yeah, I guess.
Okay.
Why?
Is the antique shop owner
an assassin or something?
No, but he's a bigger guy than me.
So when are we going in?
You are going in, not me.
What?
I'm not paying you 50,000 bucks
just to hold the door open for me.
I'm the guy with the connections.
You're the guy who goes
in and gets the thing.
What's the problem?
No problem.
Don't mess with me man.
I've known you a long time.
What is it you're not telling me?
I had a guy lined up for
this the other day.
And?
I don't know.
He was supposed to go in,
haven't seen him since.
So what are you saying,
he just snatched a painting and took off?
No, the painting's still in there.
Well, how do you know that?
Because the window
he was supposed to use to
break in wasn't broken.
He just vanished.
So what do you think?
50 grand or do I call someone else?
Mr. Whitlock?
Yes, please come in.
Is that it?
Oh. Yes it is.
It was my mother's. I'm told it's broken.
I don't play, so I don't know
what's wrong with it exactly.
Hopefully it's not beyond repair.
There are few things in life
that are beyond repair.
This is not one of them.
But you did not mention a
desire to have it repaired.
You spoke only of your desire to sell it.
Yes, I have to.
I'm just hoping it's worthy of sale.
I really need the money.
I'll give you $500 for it.
Really?
It's not worth like a
million dollars is it?
No.
It would barely fetch $300 on the market,
but I'm in need of a violin such as this.
And you said you require the money.
Yes, I do.
Very well. I shall return with it.
Ava? What's going on?
Did you forget something here?
I'm sorry?
Did you forget something here?
Did you leave something behind?
No, I'm just going in for my shift.
You didn't get the email we sent?
Oh no, I didn't go to the library today.
The library?
For my email. I don't have email at home.
Well, what about your phone?
I, I don't have a cell phone.
I do my emailing at the library
and even at university I
used the computers there.
S- so no cell phone, no computer at home?
I'm sorry, what was the email about?
We've had to terminate your employment.
Your last paycheck will have your two weeks
in lieu of notice.
D- did I do something wrong?
No, not at all.
We're cutting back on staff
and you're the lowest in seniority.
I'm third lowest in seniority.
We've let seven people go.
Look, you're a good worker
with lots of talent,
but people aren't interested
in art magazines like ours.
Not like they used to be.
I mean classical art.
Sorry.
I, I guess we should have called instead.
Ava, good luck.
Thanks.
Hi, this is Ava.
Leave a message at the beep.
Ava, it's your mother again.
You haven't called us back yet.
Getting a little worried.
Hopefully everything is okay.
If things aren't working
out out there in the city,
you can always come home, you know?
Anytime you need to.
Anyway, call us back.
Your father would like
to hear from you too.
Okay, love you. Bye.
The best way we could think to break in
is one of those basement windows.
It's hidden and it's big
enough to fit through.
So how am I getting out?
Can't fit the painting
through a basement window.
Just go through the front door.
It's not like we care if he
knows he got ripped off.
What about the cameras?
No cameras.
No cameras?
Not that I've seen.
The building's got nothing.
The windows don't even have alarms.
An antique shop with expensive
old junk and paintings
and there's no alarms or cameras?
Come on.
I'm telling you, I haven't seen anything.
Maybe the whole house is wired to blow up,
but I haven't seen anything.
And I know what to look for.
So the only way to know what I'm up against
is to go inside
where it's too late if
something goes wrong.
Yeah.
And you're sure he's in there?
I've never seen him come out.
Never seen a light on in there either.
You seen him at all?
Yeah. People come by during the day.
He lets them in. He lets them out.
So you've never been inside?
So how do you know the
painting's even in there?
The guy who hired me has been in there.
And he's not doing it, so
obviously it's dangerous.
He's a rich old man.
They don't do their own dirty work.
They get thugs and politicians
to do it for them.
- Good morning, Mr. Whitlock.
- Good morning, Jack.
Come in please.
Just on the table would be preferable.
Uh, price went up again. I'm sorry.
That's quite all right. What is it today?
$247.63.
Very well,
You know, Mr. Whitlock,
some of these items are
becoming hard to get,
especially the overseas stuff.
Just far better to take
things as they come along
with patience and equanimity.
Keep the change.
Oh, thank you very much, sir.
What's equanimity mean?
Calmness and composure
in difficult situations.
Hmm.
-See you next time, sir. -Until then.
Hello.
Hi, uh, is this Gora's?
Yes. How may I help you?
I'm wondering if you
happen to have any easels.
For painting or display?
For painting.
I have two.
They vary in size and weight.
Will you be working with
large canvases or small?
Um, medium, I guess.
Better go with the larger easel, then.
Probably.
I definitely need something old school.
They don't make them like they used to.
Nothing is made the way it used to be.
I understand that you're
appointment only, is that right?
That's right.
Okay. Do you have time later today?
I do.
Would three o'clock be an adequate hour?
Three o'clock would be great, yes.
Thank you.
Wonderful.
My name's Ava by the way.
Very good, Ava. We'll see you there.
Okay, bye.
Goodbye.
It's okay. It's cool.
You're gonna go and get that painting
and you're going to go get it yourself.
You're not gonna send somebody else.
It has to be you.
What are you talking about?
You know damn well what I'm talking about.
And if at the end of this week,
you fail to get that
painting from my father,
then you're gonna lose
more than just money.
You're gonna lose your life.
When you took this job on,
it was a one-way ticket.
There's no turning back.
Do you understand?
Do you understand!?
I think you better get him a drink.
He's gonna need it.
Hi, I'm Ava.
Come in. Please.
Ambrose Whitlock, how do you do?
Very well. Pleasure to
make your acquaintance
And yours.
It's, uh, just over here.
Wow, this is amazing.
Is the whole house full or is it just here?
Two more floors and the downstairs as well.
It's like going back in time.
The long-lost eras,
falling away as the cold,
dark winter of the future sets in.
Exactly.
So, uh, this the easel we spoke about.
Oh, this is perfect.
Oh, I didn't ask you how much it was.
-It's negotiable. -Okay. Good.
I just got fired, well, laid off.
They needed to cut back
on staff apparently.
I'm sorry, that's not really your issue.
Oh, that's, that's quite all right.
There's a lot of that going on out there.
It wasn't really my kind of work anyway.
And, uh, what is your profession of choice?
If I had my way, I'd be a painter.
Classic portraiture.
I mean, I'm no Rembrandt or Cassatt
or Waterhouse or Leyster
or anybody like that,
but that would be my choice.
I went to university for fine art.
Like anybody cares about that anymore.
Well, they like pictures
of themselves of course.
Except they're all just selfies now.
Or if it is a portrait,
they're just having AI do it for them
and saying, "Hey, look what I made."
I, I don't know why I
even bothered, really.
Well, um, how does $40 sound?
That sounds amazing. Are you sure?
Quite sure.
I'd be more than pleased
for it to find a good home
away from here and be put to proper use.
Thank you. Thank you very much Mr.
Whitlock.
Ambrose, please.
Ambrose.
Well, um, if I'm looking for
anything else you might have,
I'll be sure to call you first.
Anytime. Best of luck with it.
Thanks. Okay, bye.
Hello?
Hey, it's Julian.
What do you want?
You remember that conversation
we were having at the bar a few weeks back
and if I need anything to give you a call?
Yeah.
Alright. Well I'm calling.
Hi, Mom.
How did you know it was me?
You call me every Saturday
after your breakfast.
Is that a problem?
No.
If it was a problem, I wouldn't
have picked up the phone.
Well, you haven't called
us back in a long time.
We were checking the hospitals.
No you weren't.
I sure as hell did.
Your father didn't want me
to, but I did it anyway.
So what's going on over there?
How's the job?
Job's done.
I didn't know it was a contract.
It wasn't a contract, Mother.
They just let me go.
Well, did they pay you in lieu of notice?
Yes, Mother. They did.
Sonu, Ava lost her job.
Mother. Everything's fine.
Well, do you have another job?
Not yet. I haven't looked.
Ava, you're alone in the city.
You have no job.
Your apartment is ridiculously expensive.
I wouldn't say everything is fine.
I'll find a job. Okay?
When is this going to stop?
When is what going to stop?
This ridiculous idea of being
an artist in the city.
I get the romance of it, I do,
but it's a romantic idea because
it's not a realistic idea.
You've given me this speech before.
And it hasn't stopped
being true, now has it?
Come home.
You can save money much easier here.
And there are artists who live
in the country, you know?
In fact, I think that's where
most of them end up anyway.
I don't know what it is with you
and your obsession with city life.
You don't even like people.
I like people just fine.
It's society I don't like.
That makes no sense.
I'm not having this conversation
again, okay? I'm not.
I'm not leaving the city,
I'm not coming back home to live there,
and I'm not giving up on what I wanna do.
Okay? So stop it.
I'm going to be fine. Okay?
Just trust that you didn't raise an idiot.
I have to go.
Are you going to look for a job?
Sure. I'll call you again next week.
Say hi to dad for me.
Alright, well, we'll talk to you next week.
Great. Bye.
-Hey. -Hey.
It's clean?
You asked me for usable
merchandise on the phone.
You can use it. It works.
What difference does it make if it's clean?
If someone killed someone with this thing,
I don't wanna be walking around with it.
Guns don't kill people.
People kill people.
-Hi. -Good afternoon.
I would've called,
but I wanted to surprise
you in case you were home.
And if I were not?
I would've eventually just called
to make an appointment, I guess.
Well, this is indeed a pleasant surprise.
It's been quite some
time since I've had one.
A surprise?
No, a pleasant one.
Come in, please.
And what do we have here?
You're surprised.
I wanted to try out the easel, of course,
and I thought since you were so kind.
Magnificent.
And from the memory of a single encounter.
This is most impressive.
Quite touching.
I thank you.
You're most welcome.
It's hard to find a kindred
soul in the world now.
Indeed it is.
What was that?
I'm sure it's nothing to be afraid of.
Well, um, I'm glad you like it.
Yes, very much. Again, thank you.
If there's anything I may have here,
something of utility or decoration,
be sure to call me.
If I have it, it's yours.
Well, I will definitely
take you up on that.
-Have a wonderful day. -You too.
Bye.
Hello.
Good morning, Ambrose. This is Ava.
Ah, good morning, Ava.
What can I do for you?
You know the other easel
you mentioned having?
Yes. The one for displaying pictures.
Can that one be used for painting
like the one that I bought?
Well, it's not really for that per se,
but I suppose you could.
Did something happen to that one?
Y- yes, you could say that.
May I inquire as to the cause of this?
I don't know.
I was out yesterday, I
got home kind of late,
and I found it like this.
Like someone just came in,
destroyed it, and then left.
You do not live with anyone?
No. And no one broke in either.
Not that I could tell anyway.
And only did this.
Yeah. Well, basically.
All my painting supplies
were all over the place too.
But nothing else was touched?
No.
But that wasn't the craziest
thing that happened yesterday.
I don't know if those two girls
scared it away or something,
but it was gone.
When I got home,
that's when I found the
mess in my apartment.
Long white hair?
White everything.
Hair, face, dress, arms.
Except her eyes.
They were
dark.
That is quite a story.
Some might call it a bit of a mystery.
Well, I can certainly help with easel.
As for your mystery woman in the tunnel,
I'm afraid I can't offer much on that.
Wait, you can fix it?
I most certainly can.
I will call you soon as
the repair is completed.
Thanks.
I just want the painting.
No, you do not.
Yeah, I do. Where is it?
For your own God, I beseech
you, leave this place.
Go no further with this
desire and depart now.
I'm not leaving without it.
You won't be leaving with it.
I told you to leave.
And I shot you.
I shot myself once as well.
I believe it's fair to assume
you and the other two men
who came for the portrait
are working together.
Hmm.
Yeah.
What is the occasion of your interest?
W- we were hired to steal the painting.
And for whom have you taken on this task?
You mean who hired us?
That is precisely what I mean.
What difference does it make?
Your fate.
Even if I leave here,
if I don't have that picture,
I'm still a dead man.
Then you have no cause for secrecy.
The Bancrofts.
Bancroft?
Yeah.
Grayson and his father. Frederick, I think.
And what did this Grayson
tell you about the portrait?
Just that his father wants it, badly.
When were you hired?
A few weeks ago.
This Grayson, what does he look like?
My age about my height.
Stocky.
Brown hair, beard, an Englishman.
How do they know the portrait is here?
They don't exactly.
But Grayson said it's probably here.
After the other two guys didn't come out
it made a lot of sense.
Anyone who seeks to take the portrait dies.
If I don't take it, I'm dead.
So you say.
Yet you also say the Bancrofts
are ultimately uncertain
that the portrait is here.
You're going to tell them it is not here.
You're going to tell them you restrained me
and searched this entire
house but could not find it.
If they don't believe me, they'll kill me.
If the portrait were not here,
would your fate change?
I have no interest in your untimely demise,
but the portrait will
never leave this place.
Free yourself of this deathly predicament.
No one else should die for that painting.
There is a force at work
here beyond any reasoning.
Hello?
Hello?
I'm still in here.
Hello?
-Hello? -Hello. Ava?
Yes.
Good morning. It's Ambrose
Whitlock calling.
The repair has been completed.
Oh, um, right. Thank you.
I have something of a strange request.
Okay.
I brought everything.
Wonderful. Thank you.
May I ask what's going on?
You mentioned being pursued
by someone or something.
Uh, yes. Uh, She came
after me again yesterday
and I mean really came after me.
Right.
Is that, is that her?
Do you know about this?
Most of what I'm about to
tell you will seem senseless,
possibly even absurd-
How old are you?
What would inspire such a query?
I've, I've been researching
you and this place.
I was born January the
19th in the year 1809.
From this place,
there is no escape for me.
Okay, um.
Okay then why, why resurface in 1975?
Why not just stay hidden?
I thought it might be beneficial
to rejoin the land of the
living, at least in part.
10 years later,
I closed my doors to the public in general,
unless someone becomes suspicious.
Have you more queries?
Who is she?
Her name is Gora Bancroft.
And evil was the hour of our first meeting.
Aye.
Though I did not know it then.
It is only upon the clearest
of reflection that one is able
to gaze into the nature
of a thing and see it.
She saw and loved
and wedded
this artist.
I was intense,
studious, austere.
For these qualities, she loved me,
but in truth, I already
had a bride in my art.
I did love her greatly, though.
She was a maiden of the rarest beauty,
innocent, full of glee,
all light and smiles,
loving and cherishing all things,
hating only the art which was her rival,
dreading only the palette and brushes
and other untoward instruments
which deprived her of me.
It was such a terrible thing
for her to hear me speak of my desire
to portray her upon my canvas.
But she was humble and obedient
and sat meekly for many weeks
in the high, dark turret chamber
where light dripped upon the pale canvas.
I took glory in the work.
From hour to hour, day to day,
passionate, wild, moody.
I became lost in reveries.
So much so that I would
not see that the light,
which fell so ghastly in that lone turret,
withered her health and her spirits.
She pined visibly to all but me.
She remained uncomplainingly silent.
For she saw that I had taken a fervid
and burning pleasure in her portrait
and wrought, day and
night, to adamantly depict
the innocent creature who so loved me,
yet who grew daily more
dispirited and weak.
Some who beheld the portrait
spoke of its resemblance in low words
as of a mighty marvel,
and a proof a lot less of
the power of the painter
than of his deep love for her
whom he depicted so surpassingly well.
But at length,
as my labor drew nearer to its conclusion,
none were admitted into the turret.
For I had grown wild in
the ardor of my work,
barely turning my eyes from the portrait
even to regard the countenance of my wife,
I would not see that the tints
which I spread upon the canvas
were drawn directly from the cheeks
of her who sat across from me.
And when many weeks had passed, mm,
but little remained to do,
save one brush upon the mouth
and one tint upon the eye.
The spirit of my lady flickered up
as the flame within the socket of a lamp.
The brush was given,
the tint was placed,
and for one moment I stood in trance
before the work which I had wrought
and cried in the loudest of voices,
"This is indeed life itself."
Only then, at long last,
would I finally turn to regard my beloved.
She was dead.
Why am I really here?
To bring upon an end to this story.
I imagine these Bancroft men
have done similar research to yours.
Possibly even more.
Regardless of their motivation,
the portrait is too dangerous
for anyone to possess.
Why?
Gora will not allow for
it to be taken from here.
Though silent for some 200 years now,
I know she insists it stay with me.
All who have tried to
pilfer it are perished.
Nor can the portrait be destroyed.
I once doused it in petrol and flame,
but to no avail.
Upon realizing it was cursed
and there was no possible way
I could reverse what I had done,
I attempted suicide in a manner
that would destroy men far stronger than I.
It failed.
It was then that I came to
realize that I, too, am cursed.
Whatever manner of darkness visited upon us
has never eased, never left.
It seems misery is manifold.
As Gora is fated to haunt this place
bound here by both hatred and love,
I, too, am destined to remain
in this perpetual state
of guilt and desolation.
We are forever united in ardor
and eternally divided by wickedness,
the origin of which I know not.
The one thing, however,
that has never been attempted,
is to repeat the process.
You want me to paint you?
I want you to kill me.
It may not work, but in all this time,
no one has ever come through that door
with gifts such as yours.
Why is Gora trying to kill me?
I do not know precisely,
but I believe she feels threatened
by your beauty and talent.
She knows we have much in common.
What she does not know is
how much I love her still.
If it does work,
it would be the greatest act of kindness
one could ever bestow.
I beg you.
Please.
Here is a will, drafted and signed.
It leaves everything to you.
I don't understand.
This man left you his entire
fortune and his house?
Yes, Mother.
And why exactly would he do that?
Because I helped him and his wife.
How?
You wouldn't believe me if I told you.
I gotta go, Mom. Say hi to Dad for me.
Where is Whitlock?
Mr. Bancroft, I presume.
Who are you?
Doesn't matter who I am.
What matters is
Mr. Whitlock is no longer among us.
He's dead?
Yes.
And what of the portrait?
It's, um, it's been remade.
And Gora?
Released.
So the a story's true?
Ava.
Hey, what's going on?
Aren't you working today?
Uh, not just yet. I'm actually
on my way there right now.
Um...
What's going on?
This, uh,
isn't really
working really.
What isn't?
Richard, what isn't working?
Well, us.
Are you breaking up with me?
Between texts?
-No. -You're not breaking up with me?
No, I am. Just not between texts.
Sorry.
Just gimme a second. This is important.
Will you please shut that thing off?
Will you stop please? This isn't the place.
Well, I would've tried calling you.
I mean, I did actually, your landline,
but you weren't there, so.
It's not the place for
your loud texts, Richard.
This is a library.
It's not the place for a breakup either.
Will you please just leave?
Can you just gimme a second?
No, leave. Go away.
Ava, look, I'm just trying to explain.
Go away now.
I'm just trying to explain.
I don't care. I don't care
what you have to say.
I don't care.
You're an embarrassment.
You're obnoxious, you're obtuse,
you're ignorant of people's feelings
and pretty much everything around you.
And you're illiterate.
You're a bitch.
Are you serious?
Go away. Take that thing and get out.
I heard what you said.
You're breaking up with me.
It's not working out.
Yeah, that's quite obvious.
Thanks for stopping by. You can go now.
Where's my painting?
I dunno.
Well, where's your partner?
Not sure.
Well, what the hell does that mean?
It means he hasn't shown up.
He hasn't called. He hasn't messaged.
So I don't know where he is.
I don't know where the painting is either.
Alright, let's start with what you do know.
He went to the house. I went to the movies.
I bought two tickets for his alibi.
I got back after the movies
and there's been no sign of him since.
But you went to the house.
Yes.
And?
The window he was supposed
to use to break in,
it was still intact.
-Still intact? -Yeah.
You know, if you're trying
to double cross my father,
you're not gonna last long.
We're not double crossing anybody.
If we were, I wouldn't
even be standing here
telling you what happened.
You hired us to get the painting.
We are getting the painting.
But the agreement was for today.
The agreement is the least
of our problems right now.
Oh.
I beg to differ.
You see, I think the
agreement is everything.
In fact, I think it's the only thing.
Because we Bancroft men
are men of our word,
and we expect others to be the same.
The fact that you're standing
in front of me right now
without that painting, well,
well, that doesn't bode well for you.
Yeah, you kind of said that already.
Five o'clock, you be by the phone.
Mr. Whitlock?
Yes. Come in, please.
Oh my.
So this is the piece we spoke about.
-May I? -Please.
It is magnificent.
I've been calling all over the country
only to find one right in my very city.
It was a friend who gave me your number.
You mentioned that. Yes.
It was so strange.
I couldn't find you listed anywhere.
It is referral only.
Ah, well, then it must be fate.
Are you a believer in fate, Mr. Whitlock?
I would very much like not to be.
Hmm.
What is your preferred method of payment?
It is cash only, but we have
not yet discussed price.
Oh, my good man. Price is no object.
As I reach the end of my life,
it is only beautiful things I
wish to surround myself with.
Not money.
A thing of beauty is a joy forever.
Its loveliness increases.
It will never pass into nothingness.
Yes.
Unlike all of us.
Where's my painting?
Things didn't go according to plan.
Hey Ava, it's Richard.
I just wanted to talk to you-
Ava, it is your mother.
I appreciate the irony
of me asking you why you
don't have a cell phone yet,
but oh, it makes no sense to me.
Anyway, your father and I were wondering
if you were planning on coming
home to visit anytime soon.
Call me back.
Hello.
My father is gonna be
back in town in a week.
You deliver that painting or else.
Where do I go when I've got it?
Same place as before.
Give me my usual
What's going on?
Why do I have to come
all the way down here?
Want a drink?
Sure.
Can I get a double whiskey, neat, please?
Thanks.
Okay, so what's going on?
I've got a job for you.
Not the kind of job we can
talk about over the phone.
Go on.
There's a painting in an
old antique shop downtown.
We need to get in there and get it.
Well what kind of painting?
It's a portrait, an oval portrait.
I mean is it the kind of painting
that's worth a lot of money?
Dunno, actually.
All I know is it's important
to the guy who hired me to get it.
Well why doesn't the guy just buy it?
It's not for sale.
How much is he paying you?
That's between him and me.
Which means you're getting
a lot more than me.
Okay. What's the deal?
50 grand?
Are you insane, Julian?
I'm not killing anybody.
You don't need to kill anybody.
I'm not that kind of thief.
Yeah? Well neither am I.
Okay, cool.
Would you though?
Would I what?
Kill someone?
If you had to.
A self-defense kind of thing?
Yeah.
Well, I, yeah, I guess.
Okay.
Why?
Is the antique shop owner
an assassin or something?
No, but he's a bigger guy than me.
So when are we going in?
You are going in, not me.
What?
I'm not paying you 50,000 bucks
just to hold the door open for me.
I'm the guy with the connections.
You're the guy who goes
in and gets the thing.
What's the problem?
No problem.
Don't mess with me man.
I've known you a long time.
What is it you're not telling me?
I had a guy lined up for
this the other day.
And?
I don't know.
He was supposed to go in,
haven't seen him since.
So what are you saying,
he just snatched a painting and took off?
No, the painting's still in there.
Well, how do you know that?
Because the window
he was supposed to use to
break in wasn't broken.
He just vanished.
So what do you think?
50 grand or do I call someone else?
Mr. Whitlock?
Yes, please come in.
Is that it?
Oh. Yes it is.
It was my mother's. I'm told it's broken.
I don't play, so I don't know
what's wrong with it exactly.
Hopefully it's not beyond repair.
There are few things in life
that are beyond repair.
This is not one of them.
But you did not mention a
desire to have it repaired.
You spoke only of your desire to sell it.
Yes, I have to.
I'm just hoping it's worthy of sale.
I really need the money.
I'll give you $500 for it.
Really?
It's not worth like a
million dollars is it?
No.
It would barely fetch $300 on the market,
but I'm in need of a violin such as this.
And you said you require the money.
Yes, I do.
Very well. I shall return with it.
Ava? What's going on?
Did you forget something here?
I'm sorry?
Did you forget something here?
Did you leave something behind?
No, I'm just going in for my shift.
You didn't get the email we sent?
Oh no, I didn't go to the library today.
The library?
For my email. I don't have email at home.
Well, what about your phone?
I, I don't have a cell phone.
I do my emailing at the library
and even at university I
used the computers there.
S- so no cell phone, no computer at home?
I'm sorry, what was the email about?
We've had to terminate your employment.
Your last paycheck will have your two weeks
in lieu of notice.
D- did I do something wrong?
No, not at all.
We're cutting back on staff
and you're the lowest in seniority.
I'm third lowest in seniority.
We've let seven people go.
Look, you're a good worker
with lots of talent,
but people aren't interested
in art magazines like ours.
Not like they used to be.
I mean classical art.
Sorry.
I, I guess we should have called instead.
Ava, good luck.
Thanks.
Hi, this is Ava.
Leave a message at the beep.
Ava, it's your mother again.
You haven't called us back yet.
Getting a little worried.
Hopefully everything is okay.
If things aren't working
out out there in the city,
you can always come home, you know?
Anytime you need to.
Anyway, call us back.
Your father would like
to hear from you too.
Okay, love you. Bye.
The best way we could think to break in
is one of those basement windows.
It's hidden and it's big
enough to fit through.
So how am I getting out?
Can't fit the painting
through a basement window.
Just go through the front door.
It's not like we care if he
knows he got ripped off.
What about the cameras?
No cameras.
No cameras?
Not that I've seen.
The building's got nothing.
The windows don't even have alarms.
An antique shop with expensive
old junk and paintings
and there's no alarms or cameras?
Come on.
I'm telling you, I haven't seen anything.
Maybe the whole house is wired to blow up,
but I haven't seen anything.
And I know what to look for.
So the only way to know what I'm up against
is to go inside
where it's too late if
something goes wrong.
Yeah.
And you're sure he's in there?
I've never seen him come out.
Never seen a light on in there either.
You seen him at all?
Yeah. People come by during the day.
He lets them in. He lets them out.
So you've never been inside?
So how do you know the
painting's even in there?
The guy who hired me has been in there.
And he's not doing it, so
obviously it's dangerous.
He's a rich old man.
They don't do their own dirty work.
They get thugs and politicians
to do it for them.
- Good morning, Mr. Whitlock.
- Good morning, Jack.
Come in please.
Just on the table would be preferable.
Uh, price went up again. I'm sorry.
That's quite all right. What is it today?
$247.63.
Very well,
You know, Mr. Whitlock,
some of these items are
becoming hard to get,
especially the overseas stuff.
Just far better to take
things as they come along
with patience and equanimity.
Keep the change.
Oh, thank you very much, sir.
What's equanimity mean?
Calmness and composure
in difficult situations.
Hmm.
-See you next time, sir. -Until then.
Hello.
Hi, uh, is this Gora's?
Yes. How may I help you?
I'm wondering if you
happen to have any easels.
For painting or display?
For painting.
I have two.
They vary in size and weight.
Will you be working with
large canvases or small?
Um, medium, I guess.
Better go with the larger easel, then.
Probably.
I definitely need something old school.
They don't make them like they used to.
Nothing is made the way it used to be.
I understand that you're
appointment only, is that right?
That's right.
Okay. Do you have time later today?
I do.
Would three o'clock be an adequate hour?
Three o'clock would be great, yes.
Thank you.
Wonderful.
My name's Ava by the way.
Very good, Ava. We'll see you there.
Okay, bye.
Goodbye.
It's okay. It's cool.
You're gonna go and get that painting
and you're going to go get it yourself.
You're not gonna send somebody else.
It has to be you.
What are you talking about?
You know damn well what I'm talking about.
And if at the end of this week,
you fail to get that
painting from my father,
then you're gonna lose
more than just money.
You're gonna lose your life.
When you took this job on,
it was a one-way ticket.
There's no turning back.
Do you understand?
Do you understand!?
I think you better get him a drink.
He's gonna need it.
Hi, I'm Ava.
Come in. Please.
Ambrose Whitlock, how do you do?
Very well. Pleasure to
make your acquaintance
And yours.
It's, uh, just over here.
Wow, this is amazing.
Is the whole house full or is it just here?
Two more floors and the downstairs as well.
It's like going back in time.
The long-lost eras,
falling away as the cold,
dark winter of the future sets in.
Exactly.
So, uh, this the easel we spoke about.
Oh, this is perfect.
Oh, I didn't ask you how much it was.
-It's negotiable. -Okay. Good.
I just got fired, well, laid off.
They needed to cut back
on staff apparently.
I'm sorry, that's not really your issue.
Oh, that's, that's quite all right.
There's a lot of that going on out there.
It wasn't really my kind of work anyway.
And, uh, what is your profession of choice?
If I had my way, I'd be a painter.
Classic portraiture.
I mean, I'm no Rembrandt or Cassatt
or Waterhouse or Leyster
or anybody like that,
but that would be my choice.
I went to university for fine art.
Like anybody cares about that anymore.
Well, they like pictures
of themselves of course.
Except they're all just selfies now.
Or if it is a portrait,
they're just having AI do it for them
and saying, "Hey, look what I made."
I, I don't know why I
even bothered, really.
Well, um, how does $40 sound?
That sounds amazing. Are you sure?
Quite sure.
I'd be more than pleased
for it to find a good home
away from here and be put to proper use.
Thank you. Thank you very much Mr.
Whitlock.
Ambrose, please.
Ambrose.
Well, um, if I'm looking for
anything else you might have,
I'll be sure to call you first.
Anytime. Best of luck with it.
Thanks. Okay, bye.
Hello?
Hey, it's Julian.
What do you want?
You remember that conversation
we were having at the bar a few weeks back
and if I need anything to give you a call?
Yeah.
Alright. Well I'm calling.
Hi, Mom.
How did you know it was me?
You call me every Saturday
after your breakfast.
Is that a problem?
No.
If it was a problem, I wouldn't
have picked up the phone.
Well, you haven't called
us back in a long time.
We were checking the hospitals.
No you weren't.
I sure as hell did.
Your father didn't want me
to, but I did it anyway.
So what's going on over there?
How's the job?
Job's done.
I didn't know it was a contract.
It wasn't a contract, Mother.
They just let me go.
Well, did they pay you in lieu of notice?
Yes, Mother. They did.
Sonu, Ava lost her job.
Mother. Everything's fine.
Well, do you have another job?
Not yet. I haven't looked.
Ava, you're alone in the city.
You have no job.
Your apartment is ridiculously expensive.
I wouldn't say everything is fine.
I'll find a job. Okay?
When is this going to stop?
When is what going to stop?
This ridiculous idea of being
an artist in the city.
I get the romance of it, I do,
but it's a romantic idea because
it's not a realistic idea.
You've given me this speech before.
And it hasn't stopped
being true, now has it?
Come home.
You can save money much easier here.
And there are artists who live
in the country, you know?
In fact, I think that's where
most of them end up anyway.
I don't know what it is with you
and your obsession with city life.
You don't even like people.
I like people just fine.
It's society I don't like.
That makes no sense.
I'm not having this conversation
again, okay? I'm not.
I'm not leaving the city,
I'm not coming back home to live there,
and I'm not giving up on what I wanna do.
Okay? So stop it.
I'm going to be fine. Okay?
Just trust that you didn't raise an idiot.
I have to go.
Are you going to look for a job?
Sure. I'll call you again next week.
Say hi to dad for me.
Alright, well, we'll talk to you next week.
Great. Bye.
-Hey. -Hey.
It's clean?
You asked me for usable
merchandise on the phone.
You can use it. It works.
What difference does it make if it's clean?
If someone killed someone with this thing,
I don't wanna be walking around with it.
Guns don't kill people.
People kill people.
-Hi. -Good afternoon.
I would've called,
but I wanted to surprise
you in case you were home.
And if I were not?
I would've eventually just called
to make an appointment, I guess.
Well, this is indeed a pleasant surprise.
It's been quite some
time since I've had one.
A surprise?
No, a pleasant one.
Come in, please.
And what do we have here?
You're surprised.
I wanted to try out the easel, of course,
and I thought since you were so kind.
Magnificent.
And from the memory of a single encounter.
This is most impressive.
Quite touching.
I thank you.
You're most welcome.
It's hard to find a kindred
soul in the world now.
Indeed it is.
What was that?
I'm sure it's nothing to be afraid of.
Well, um, I'm glad you like it.
Yes, very much. Again, thank you.
If there's anything I may have here,
something of utility or decoration,
be sure to call me.
If I have it, it's yours.
Well, I will definitely
take you up on that.
-Have a wonderful day. -You too.
Bye.
Hello.
Good morning, Ambrose. This is Ava.
Ah, good morning, Ava.
What can I do for you?
You know the other easel
you mentioned having?
Yes. The one for displaying pictures.
Can that one be used for painting
like the one that I bought?
Well, it's not really for that per se,
but I suppose you could.
Did something happen to that one?
Y- yes, you could say that.
May I inquire as to the cause of this?
I don't know.
I was out yesterday, I
got home kind of late,
and I found it like this.
Like someone just came in,
destroyed it, and then left.
You do not live with anyone?
No. And no one broke in either.
Not that I could tell anyway.
And only did this.
Yeah. Well, basically.
All my painting supplies
were all over the place too.
But nothing else was touched?
No.
But that wasn't the craziest
thing that happened yesterday.
I don't know if those two girls
scared it away or something,
but it was gone.
When I got home,
that's when I found the
mess in my apartment.
Long white hair?
White everything.
Hair, face, dress, arms.
Except her eyes.
They were
dark.
That is quite a story.
Some might call it a bit of a mystery.
Well, I can certainly help with easel.
As for your mystery woman in the tunnel,
I'm afraid I can't offer much on that.
Wait, you can fix it?
I most certainly can.
I will call you soon as
the repair is completed.
Thanks.
I just want the painting.
No, you do not.
Yeah, I do. Where is it?
For your own God, I beseech
you, leave this place.
Go no further with this
desire and depart now.
I'm not leaving without it.
You won't be leaving with it.
I told you to leave.
And I shot you.
I shot myself once as well.
I believe it's fair to assume
you and the other two men
who came for the portrait
are working together.
Hmm.
Yeah.
What is the occasion of your interest?
W- we were hired to steal the painting.
And for whom have you taken on this task?
You mean who hired us?
That is precisely what I mean.
What difference does it make?
Your fate.
Even if I leave here,
if I don't have that picture,
I'm still a dead man.
Then you have no cause for secrecy.
The Bancrofts.
Bancroft?
Yeah.
Grayson and his father. Frederick, I think.
And what did this Grayson
tell you about the portrait?
Just that his father wants it, badly.
When were you hired?
A few weeks ago.
This Grayson, what does he look like?
My age about my height.
Stocky.
Brown hair, beard, an Englishman.
How do they know the portrait is here?
They don't exactly.
But Grayson said it's probably here.
After the other two guys didn't come out
it made a lot of sense.
Anyone who seeks to take the portrait dies.
If I don't take it, I'm dead.
So you say.
Yet you also say the Bancrofts
are ultimately uncertain
that the portrait is here.
You're going to tell them it is not here.
You're going to tell them you restrained me
and searched this entire
house but could not find it.
If they don't believe me, they'll kill me.
If the portrait were not here,
would your fate change?
I have no interest in your untimely demise,
but the portrait will
never leave this place.
Free yourself of this deathly predicament.
No one else should die for that painting.
There is a force at work
here beyond any reasoning.
Hello?
Hello?
I'm still in here.
Hello?
-Hello? -Hello. Ava?
Yes.
Good morning. It's Ambrose
Whitlock calling.
The repair has been completed.
Oh, um, right. Thank you.
I have something of a strange request.
Okay.
I brought everything.
Wonderful. Thank you.
May I ask what's going on?
You mentioned being pursued
by someone or something.
Uh, yes. Uh, She came
after me again yesterday
and I mean really came after me.
Right.
Is that, is that her?
Do you know about this?
Most of what I'm about to
tell you will seem senseless,
possibly even absurd-
How old are you?
What would inspire such a query?
I've, I've been researching
you and this place.
I was born January the
19th in the year 1809.
From this place,
there is no escape for me.
Okay, um.
Okay then why, why resurface in 1975?
Why not just stay hidden?
I thought it might be beneficial
to rejoin the land of the
living, at least in part.
10 years later,
I closed my doors to the public in general,
unless someone becomes suspicious.
Have you more queries?
Who is she?
Her name is Gora Bancroft.
And evil was the hour of our first meeting.
Aye.
Though I did not know it then.
It is only upon the clearest
of reflection that one is able
to gaze into the nature
of a thing and see it.
She saw and loved
and wedded
this artist.
I was intense,
studious, austere.
For these qualities, she loved me,
but in truth, I already
had a bride in my art.
I did love her greatly, though.
She was a maiden of the rarest beauty,
innocent, full of glee,
all light and smiles,
loving and cherishing all things,
hating only the art which was her rival,
dreading only the palette and brushes
and other untoward instruments
which deprived her of me.
It was such a terrible thing
for her to hear me speak of my desire
to portray her upon my canvas.
But she was humble and obedient
and sat meekly for many weeks
in the high, dark turret chamber
where light dripped upon the pale canvas.
I took glory in the work.
From hour to hour, day to day,
passionate, wild, moody.
I became lost in reveries.
So much so that I would
not see that the light,
which fell so ghastly in that lone turret,
withered her health and her spirits.
She pined visibly to all but me.
She remained uncomplainingly silent.
For she saw that I had taken a fervid
and burning pleasure in her portrait
and wrought, day and
night, to adamantly depict
the innocent creature who so loved me,
yet who grew daily more
dispirited and weak.
Some who beheld the portrait
spoke of its resemblance in low words
as of a mighty marvel,
and a proof a lot less of
the power of the painter
than of his deep love for her
whom he depicted so surpassingly well.
But at length,
as my labor drew nearer to its conclusion,
none were admitted into the turret.
For I had grown wild in
the ardor of my work,
barely turning my eyes from the portrait
even to regard the countenance of my wife,
I would not see that the tints
which I spread upon the canvas
were drawn directly from the cheeks
of her who sat across from me.
And when many weeks had passed, mm,
but little remained to do,
save one brush upon the mouth
and one tint upon the eye.
The spirit of my lady flickered up
as the flame within the socket of a lamp.
The brush was given,
the tint was placed,
and for one moment I stood in trance
before the work which I had wrought
and cried in the loudest of voices,
"This is indeed life itself."
Only then, at long last,
would I finally turn to regard my beloved.
She was dead.
Why am I really here?
To bring upon an end to this story.
I imagine these Bancroft men
have done similar research to yours.
Possibly even more.
Regardless of their motivation,
the portrait is too dangerous
for anyone to possess.
Why?
Gora will not allow for
it to be taken from here.
Though silent for some 200 years now,
I know she insists it stay with me.
All who have tried to
pilfer it are perished.
Nor can the portrait be destroyed.
I once doused it in petrol and flame,
but to no avail.
Upon realizing it was cursed
and there was no possible way
I could reverse what I had done,
I attempted suicide in a manner
that would destroy men far stronger than I.
It failed.
It was then that I came to
realize that I, too, am cursed.
Whatever manner of darkness visited upon us
has never eased, never left.
It seems misery is manifold.
As Gora is fated to haunt this place
bound here by both hatred and love,
I, too, am destined to remain
in this perpetual state
of guilt and desolation.
We are forever united in ardor
and eternally divided by wickedness,
the origin of which I know not.
The one thing, however,
that has never been attempted,
is to repeat the process.
You want me to paint you?
I want you to kill me.
It may not work, but in all this time,
no one has ever come through that door
with gifts such as yours.
Why is Gora trying to kill me?
I do not know precisely,
but I believe she feels threatened
by your beauty and talent.
She knows we have much in common.
What she does not know is
how much I love her still.
If it does work,
it would be the greatest act of kindness
one could ever bestow.
I beg you.
Please.
Here is a will, drafted and signed.
It leaves everything to you.
I don't understand.
This man left you his entire
fortune and his house?
Yes, Mother.
And why exactly would he do that?
Because I helped him and his wife.
How?
You wouldn't believe me if I told you.
I gotta go, Mom. Say hi to Dad for me.
Where is Whitlock?
Mr. Bancroft, I presume.
Who are you?
Doesn't matter who I am.
What matters is
Mr. Whitlock is no longer among us.
He's dead?
Yes.
And what of the portrait?
It's, um, it's been remade.
And Gora?
Released.
So the a story's true?