The Party (2017) Movie Script
1
Now when I was a little boy
At the age of five
I had somethin' in my pocket
Keep a lot of folks alive
Now I'm a man
Made twenty-one
You know baby
We can have a lot of fun
I'm a man
I spell m
a
n
Man
Oh
Hello?
We did it.
Oh
Well, it wasn't such a surprise.
Oh, I know,
I hope I can live up to it.
Yeah, such a responsibility.
Huge, actually.
Huge.
Spell m
a
n
Man
Hello?
Well, thank you.
Thank you for calling.
No, not at all, it's fine.
You're at the top of my list...marvellous.
Marvellous.
Oh
But don't worry,
I won't forget you.
Man
I spell m
a
Bill.
Bill!
Man
Oh
April.
Janet.
- Congratulations.
- Thank you.
You did it.
My condolences, Janet.
Because once you've reached
the top of the mountain...
Shut up, Gottfried.
Spare us the aphorisms.
You're a star, Janet.
I'm proud of you.
Even though I think
democracy is finished.
Oh, thank you, April.
At least, you're consistent.
Actually, I'm not drinking
alcohol at the moment.
- Do you feel different yet?
- Not really.
You do look slightly
ministerial in that pinny.
In a 21st century, post-modern,
post-post-feminist sort of way.
Well, it hasn't really sunk in,
you know. I've been so busy.
Hi, Mum.
You did, yes,
you always did.
Yes, he's very proud.
He has.
H-He's been really supportive.
Well, I'm lucky.
Listen, Mum...
Um, I've got guests over, can I,
can I call you a bit later?
Are you sure you don't want to?
- You are um...?
- Gottfried.
Yes. Yeah.
I'm Bill.
I think.
Well, I used to be.
That's very... very funny.
It wasn't a joke.
Uh-huh.
Okay.
I hear you.
Please tell me you're not
meditating, Gottfried.
Pull yourself together.
April, can you?
She's so beautiful.
Who?
April.
Martha.
Oh.
I'm a very lucky man.
- Where's Janet?
- Doing a Thatcher.
Proving she can still
rustle up a canap
in the kitchen when necessary
despite her political prowess.
Oh, Janet, it is wonderful
and marvellous.
I-It's a triumph for womankind.
Well, for any kind, for that matter.
At last, your ailing party
has a person at the helm of Health
with principles, as well as ambition.
Well, thank you, Martha,
you look as if you really mean that.
Well, of course I do, you fool.
I am very proud of you.
As I know Bill is.
Letting Janet do the catering, are you?
That's good of you.
I suppose you're exhausted
from all these years
of being so perfect.
Arguable.
Well, it was worth it,
you brilliant bastard.
She's made it to the top.
Congratulations, you old failure, you.
Behind every successful woman,
there is...
Shut up, Gottfried.
Your clichs are unbearable.
Just a few close friends,
which you are, absolutely too.
Well, how about tomorrow?
Everyone's gonna
want a piece of Jan now.
They're gonna eat her alive.
Oh, don't worry about her.
Looks like a girl,
thinks like a man.
Androgynous soul,
always had true grit.
Sounds like me, actually.
But the difference is,
Janet actually believes
change is achievable
through parliamentary politics.
You're rather quiet this evening, Bill.
Will you please stop calling?
Stop it.
It's impossible to talk,
people keep coming in and out.
Terrific!
Well, um, I'll see you
tomorrow morning, then.
Looking forward to it.
Buh-bye.
Mm. My job. I am the gatekeeper
by order of the Minister.
- Jinny.
- Oh, April, hi.
You still look pretty slim.
Has Martha arrived yet?
She's in there
thumping your old pal.
Janet's in the kitchen,
if you wanna...
No, thanks.
I really need to see Martha now.
You're missing her
that much?
Marriage really is an
insufferably smug institution.
I like it.
Well, Gottfried and I are separating.
This is our last supper.
- Hey.
- What's up?
- Excuse me?
- Three, Martha.
- Three.
- Excuse us.
So, who else is coming?
Just Tom and Marianne.
Hmm, the beautiful Marianne,
the queen of spin.
And that ridiculously handsome
husband of hers.
Too bad he's a wanker banker
with a mysterious ability
to make millions out of
others' misfortunes.
Why on earth
have you invited them?
She and I will be
working together from now on.
You mean, you'll be her boss?
Well, I don't actually use that word,
but yes, I suppose so.
So, she will be your underling,
taking copious notes
while plotting how to
take your place one day.
She and I are on
very good terms, actually.
We'll be sharing an office now.
She's on my team.
Lucky you.
Gazing on all that
genetic good fortune.
April.
Do you think Bill's all right?
I mean, this is what
we have always wanted.
And he's always encouraged me,
but now he just seems...
- Drunk.
- Depressed.
Look...
If Denis Thatcher and Prince Philip
could trail behind their
female leaders without complaint,
then so can Bill.
Hello?
Well, thank you.
Thank you so much for calling.
Oh, April, uh, lovely to see you.
Um, it's been,
it's been too long.
Impossibly. Are you alone?
Where's Marianne?
Ah, Marianne's been delayed
unfortunately.
She says... sends her apologies.
She's gonna try and get here for...
uh, dessert.
Oh.
Marvellous.
- Or-or-or cheese.
- Terrific.
- Uh, coffee perhaps.
- Smashing.
Um, April, where's
the bathroom, please?
Lavatory.
Kitchen. Hostess.
Host.
That was Tom.
He's in the lavatory.
Wearing an extremely
expensive suit.
No Marianne?
Later. Pity.
Meanwhile, Bill seems to be
running some sort of disco.
Oh, I hope Gottfried isn't dancing.
I better check.
Fuck.
Please. Stop. No more.
Me too, me too.
You're gonna fucking
lose her, Tom.
You're gonna fucking
lose her, Tom.
Ah, fucking...
Cheap.
Janet, wonderful.
Wonderful, wonderful news.
I'm not a bit surprised.
Really? Well, I am.
Aw, surely not.
Eh, let's see what I can achieve
once I get going.
Um, oh, yes, Marianne, uh,
Marianne will be delayed just a...
Oh, she worked so hard.
- She'll try and get her later.
- Oh, that's nice.
Um, a drink! A drink, Tom.
No, no, no, you're busy.
Stay where you are. No, um...
- Can I help?
- Ooh, no, no, no, no.
Okay.
Where's that marvellous
husband of yours, Janet?
Well, I...
There? All right. Got it.
Congratulations again, Janet.
Martha.
Look at me.
It's wonderful, isn't it?
Jinny.
I guess... I guess we're
about to become a collective.
Just when I got used
to the idea of us being a couple.
Martha.
We're going to be a family.
Will you tell them please?
Will you tell them
how happy we are?
Ay candela
Candela
Candela me quemo a
Would you come and help me
just a minute, darling?
You all right?
Para una gran diversin
De timbalero un ratn
We have an announcement.
Bill, I know you adore that thing,
but could you...
So, everybody.
It seems that we are expecting
not one,
not two, but three babies.
Wow.
People. Small people.
Congratulations, wow!
Oh, wow!
- Thank you.
- Wow.
Was that a... boast
or a cry for help, Martha?
I couldn't quite tell
from your tone of voice.
The miracle of conception.
Shut up, Gottfried.
Listen.
I'm going to propose a toast
to my oldest, dearest, and
most loyal friend
who has achieved a rare thing
which is why
we're all here this evening.
in case anyone forgot.
Babies, excuse me,
Jinny, Martha,
but babies get born every day
in extremely large numbers
to the point of endangering
the planet and all our futures.
It's not every day, however,
that one of us becomes a Minister
In your entirely rotten
and useless Opposition party.
Fuck you, April.
Though, of course, you're right.
What? Martha!
Oh!
I have never
seen that happen before.
No, neither have I.
God, I hope it's not an omen.
It's just a broken
window in a door,
and not a window
into anyone's soul.
Hmm.
Thank you.
Here, take mine.
I'm not really drinking
in this state as you see.
Oh, perhaps just a symbolic sip.
What do you think, Martha?
You're a free woman.
Am I?
To Janet.
I may not believe in
parliamentary politics,
but I absolutely
do believe in you.
Thank you.
Bill, come on, chum.
What is it, darling?
I-I have an announcement.
Oh.
Another announcement.
Good god.
Uh, it turns out
I'm not well.
Bill.
What do you mean?
What's the matter?
I've had a diagnosis. Um...
It's not too good, actually.
What kind of diagnosis?
Terminal.
Bastard.
Uh, poor-poor bastard.
- Yeah, I know.
- Poor bastard.
Terminal?
Did you say terminal, Bill?
Yeah, uh...
It looks like I'm done for.
Med-medically speaking.
Why didn't you tell me?
Oh, God.
How long have you known?
Hmm?
What is it, exactly? What's-
what's wrong with you?
Lung, liver, leg...
Take your pick.
So, how long have you got?
Uh, no time.
No time at all.
No one knows
how long they live, Bill.
And uh, western doctors
know nothing at all.
Fuck.
Fuck!
Fuck.
I'm gonna resign.
Immediately. Now.
Well, tomorrow morning
as soon as they can find
someone to replace me.
I-I'm gonna look after you.
- No, no, it's...
- Yes, Bill.
Yes, Bill, of course I will.
You've supported me
every step of the way.
You gave up everything.
And now, I'll do the same for you.
More. I'll do more.
Ah.
Oh, Janet. Fuck.
You don't really wanna resign.
After all these years
of tedious effort,
to get to the so-called top.
Fuck.
I needed some air.
Yeah.
Yeah, me too.
What is it you do again, Tom?
Uh, I work in finance.
Oh, yeah.
You feeling okay?
Yeah, grand. Good. Good.
- You?
- Sick.
Actually...
Is this true, really?
Bill?
I'm so sorry.
- Oh God.
- Janet, look, slow down.
Slow down.
Let's get practical.
- Bill...
- Yeah?
Who have you seen?
A Harley Street specialist.
Hang on, hang on.
You went private?
- You saw a private doctor?
- I did, yeah.
Because our GP couldn't see me
for two bloody weeks.
Oh, Christ.
What did you expect, Bill?
Special treatment?
Queue jumping?
This is England.
You can't make an exception
for the husband of the Minister.
Especially, not the husband
of the Minister of Health.
Shadow Minister,
but anyway, who cares?
- You do.
- No.
No, April.
This is Bill. We must do
anything we have to, anything.
It doesn't matter.
It's only your principles.
Well, the specialist
saw me straight away.
All the tests... done.
And he's sure?
He's definite?
Definite.
He said I'm...
definitely done for.
Western medicine is voodoo, Bill.
Voodoo?
Voodoo.
Hey, I am with child.
Children, plural. Wasn't it?
Yes, children. Thanks
entirely to western medicine.
Extremely western,
extremely private,
and extremely expensive.
Yeah, and worth it.
Worth every penny.
It's not all bad, Gottfried.
IVF is basically a miracle.
And I thought it was a
procedure involving a Petri dish.
Well, they give you
a load of hormones,
which is not much fun, actually.
And the whole thing
can be very painful, but
it's amazing how
this "procedure",
as you put it, April
can result in new life.
Don't you think?
Please stop it.
Bill says he's dying.
Not yet.
Soon.
Listen, Bill.
Doctors are not prophets.
They're cursing you with their
so-called science,
their so-called statistics.
Can they protect death? No.
What do they really
understand about illness?
Nothing.
Oh, come on, Gottfried,
you've gone too far.
This is the land that invented
the National Health Service.
Free medical care for everyone.
It's changed the lives
of millions for the better.
And we are in the presence
of one of its most
passionate guardians.
What-what exactly is she guarding?
Those so-called
doctors do not look
at the whole man
and his suffering.
They just try to eliminate
the symptoms of "disease"
with poisonous chemicals sold
by pharmaceutical companies
who want to make money.
- Only money.
- Yes, yes, and why not?
Why not?
The western medical establishment
is ignorant and corrupt.
They're killing people
with their so-called cures.
Janet, I apologize for my
so-called boyfriend.
I cannot tolerate dogma.
Even when it's partially true.
But it's totally true.
You can see why I'm
separating definitively
from this... German.
Now, now what does his
nationality have to do with it?
Everything.
When you know what the
Nazis did with medical ethics.
I am not a Nazi.
You're very attached to dogma.
I'm working on my attachments.
Work?
You call that work?
Oh, ah, see?
Tickle an aromatherapist,
and you find a fascist.
I'm not an aromatherapist.
I'm a life coach and a healer.
Oh, look, let's face it,
when you're in a car crash,
you don't want a life coach,
you want an ambulance.
But even so, April,
I really think you shouldn't
use a word like "Nazi"
as a form of abuse
on the second generation.
We are not responsible
for the sins of our parents!
Sin? You actually
believe in sin, Martha?
How very Christian of you.
I mistakenly thought
you were one of those atheists,
always arguing with
a god you don't believe in.
Just in case he's listening.
She does argue a lot, actually,
mostly with me though.
Please, stop it,
all of you.
This is about Bill.
The man who stood by me
through everything.
Who gave up
a professorship at Harvard.
Yale.
Yale, yes, of course.
In order to support me,
so that I could
fulfill my purpose, and...
Oh, Bill.
I'm-I'm so sorry.
Why didn't I notice?
Why didn't I see
that you were ill?
Please, Bill.
Look at me.
Say something.
Don't you think we should
leave them alone for a minute?
What for?
Personal space.
Right now, they need us.
They need our attention.
What they need is our friendship
and some clear thinking.
Burning. I-I smell burning.
Oh, it's the vol-au-vents.
I'll deal with it.
Isn't Jinny the chef?
A very good one, actually.
Runner-up on Master Chef
last year. D'you watch it?
Two smears of parsnip
and a grape coulis
How could I forget?
So, Jinny, could you?
Ten pounds.
You've gained at least
ten pounds, Martha
since the extremely
touching ceremony. Oh...
and the matching hats.
Hey, you.
Don't just sit there.
- What can I do?
- Help me.
I can't help anyone.
I can't even help myself.
I am burning.
It's the pastry cases
that are burning.
Tom, can you
turn the light on, please?
Do you think...
Yes, my friend?
Do you really think that
a terminal prognosis
is a form of curse?
Yes, I do.
You see, I-I'm a materialist.
And an atheist.
My world view
has been formed on reason,
and observation, cause
and effect, logic and deduction.
I've always been a rationalist,
haven't I?
You have, Bill.
And from a statistical
point of view, as
Janet so often reminded me,
it is your class background
and economic status
that will determine
your general health and
expected lifespan.
Well, infinitely more than
diet or exercise.
That's why health
is a political issue.
We've always agreed about that,
haven't we, Bill?
So words like
"curse" and "voodoo"
are never really
featured in my vocabulary.
But now...
everything looks different.
Perhaps, everything
is different.
Maybe it is.
But the worst of it
is this...
I'm asking myself an
unanswerable question.
Even a metaphysical question.
And what question is that,
my friend?
Why me?
When a person becomes sick,
there is always a reason.
If not in this life,
then in a past life.
Oh, Gottfried.
You're an embarrassment.
Possibly.
But at least, he's trying to help.
Oh, you're defending
Gottfried now?
April, I too am frequently
described by
internet trolls
as an embarrassment, or worse.
Much worse, actually.
Is it a crime
to be an embarrassment?
Martha, you're a first-class lesbian,
and a second-rate thinker.
Must be all those Women's Studies.
April, really.
I am a professor.
Specializing in domestic labor
gender differentiation
in American utopianism.
My point exactly.
Oh, shit.
What do I do?
I dunno, just turn it off,
or pull it off or something.
Ah, fuck!
You're really sweaty.
Are you ill, too?
I told you, I'm burning.
I have to protect my babies.
Yes, you do have
to protect your babies.
Like I have
to protect my marriage.
Yeah.
- Do you understand?
- Yeah.
You are very fortunate, Jinny.
Myself and Marianne,
we have not had any babies.
Neither has anyone at this party,
as far as I know, but...
So, you're definitely not ill then?
Tell me who is sick.
Who is sick?
Then why aren't you
turning that thing off?
Jinny, are you doing
all right in there?
Yeah, I'm fine.
Tom's helping me, thank you.
Can I ask you...
Did I see you out there,
were you...
Were you getting
something out of the...
Right, let's get to the point.
Listen, Bill.
Have they suggested
chopping a few bits out?
Or off?
Because if they have, I think
you should seriously consider it.
What do you say, Gottfried?
Surgery a good choice for Bill?
Yes or no from a
life coach standpoint?
Despite my criticism
of most modern medicine,
I believe surgery
can sometimes be
healing.
April, as you know,
karmically cleansing.
Okay. Won't argue because
Janet doesn't want me to.
But you're full of shit
about karma.
Martha, I need to talk to you
about something and I'm
starting to feel real queasy again.
Oh, it's probably because
she's pregnant.
Genius.
Jinny?
Where's Martha?
Uh, she's in there-
she's in there with him.
Well, could you tell her
to come here?
I wanna say something to her.
Wait.
Jinny, no, you need to tell me
what it is that you want
to say to-to Martha, okay?
I need to know what it is.
Do you think... is there something
you have to say about me?
Is this, wait, is this something
that you think you saw?
Maybe.
What do you think
I wanna say to her... about you?
What do you think I saw?
- Knowledge, Gottfried,
- Yes?
is mutable.
And culturally specific.
That's true, but...
where's this line of thought
heading, chum?
Well, maybe Gottfried has a point.
What once seemed like
medical science
now looks like superstition.
Does it not, Martha?
And then, there's the mystery
of the uh, placebo effect.
Oh, the so-called
mystery of the placebo effect
is in fact proof
of the innate ability
of the body to heal itself.
I wish I didn't agree
with your analysis.
But you do, my darling.
So, what have you found,
uh, Gottfried
with your um...
"healing" thing? Uh...
Can um...
Can f-faith do it?
Faith? You?
Why not?
Bill is growing extraordinarily fast
from a spiritual point of view.
Concerning spirituality,
Bill has debated
with leading rabbis,
bishops, and imams.
And he's won.
He's even written
a book about it:
"Reason, Roads and Religion".
Oh, i-is there a connection, Martha,
between uh, roads and religion?
Oh, well, Bill specialized in
Roman history, as I think you know.
Didn't-didn't he
supervise Marianne's PhD?
Yes, he did-
he did supervise her PhD.
Yes, her fucking PhD.
And roads link more than cities.
They also link ideas.
Well, thank you, Martha.
Thank you for illuminating
me on the question of roads!
Please!
The only road that matters now
is the road to Bill's recovery.
Do you believe
in recovery, Gottfried?
I do.
- Even in a case like mine?
- I do.
So, you think I have a future?
As surely as you have a past.
Isn't this going too far?
Gottfried may have his good points,
but is not, repeat, not a guru.
Jin?
- Are you all right?
- No, I'm absolutely not.
Apart from this vomiting,
which is vile,
my least favorite thing
and if it continues like this,
my pregnancy will be a nightmare.
I'm a little bit
concerned about Tom.
Listen, my friend.
The truth is very simple.
You just have to listen
to your voice within.
If you seek,
you will find.
Jesus.
All right.
Since we're
talking about truth,
Um, Bill, do you think there's
something you might want to add?
I think you know
what I'm talking about, Bill.
You know, truth?
Truth.
Is that a concept that
any of you have heard of?
- Tom.
- Huh? No, Martha, look, please.
- Yes, I do have something to add.
- Yes.
Tom.
What is it, darling?
I'm sorry, Janet.
This is it.
- I'm leaving you.
- No.
We'll beat this together.
I'll be by your side.
Uh, no, no, Janet, um...
I think he means he's
leaving you in a different sense.
Tom! come on, let's
just go out for a moment.
- Come on.
- Martha.
What's going on?
Come on, Bill.
Just, Bill, just tell her.
What have you got to lose, huh?
Whatever time I have left, Janet...
Which is uh, debatable,
depending on your point of view.
I intend to spend...
Together, we'll be together.
in the company of...
another woman.
What on earth
are you talking about?
Another woman.
What other woman?
What are you saying
exactly, Bill?
What other woman?
Who?
Who?!
Marianne.
Marianne?
The lovely Marianne.
With you, Bill?
Yes.
Oh, what am I doing?
I don't do this!
You just did.
No, no, no, this isn't me.
I shouldn't have hit you.
Um, I shouldn't have hurt you.
I shouldn't have hit you.
I-I'm sorry.
But I could kill you!
Why? Just tell me why. Hmm?
Why now of all days?
And why h-her?
Hmm?
Stop me, April, stop me
from hurting Bill.
- What for?
- Because he's sick. He's dying.
Why don't you tell Janet...
how long you've been
sleeping with my wife, Bill?
Or perhaps Martha.
Perhaps you would like
to inform Janet.
As I believe you have
on occasion
lent your uh, your attractive
shabby-chic fem-nest apartment
for your-to your good ol' pal, Bill.
Martha, you knew?
It sounds like she was
an accomplice in this heinous crime.
What a surprise, Professor.
Marianne and Bill
in your flat, Martha?
Yes.
For how long?
A year.
A year?
What, a fucking year?
Well, two.
- Or so.
- What?
The whole time?
During the campaign,
while I was on the road
when we spoke
every night on the phone
and you kept telling me
I could do it?
You did do it.
And you were doing it.
With Marianne.
In Martha's flat.
While I did it.
Oh.
I thought you were a friend.
I thought you were a sister.
Oh, that dates you, Janet.
Sisterhood is a very
aging concept, sweetheart.
I do consider myself your friend.
And I-I really thought about
saying something, but...
But what?
You were...
you were so busy.
Yes, I was busy, incredibly busy.
I was working day and night
for the Party.
For our Party.
Yes, Martha,
I was working for all of us.
Why didn't you just tell me?
Well, y-you didn't seem
to want to know.
About anything except politics.
And because I was so dedicated
to saving our country from
profiteering butchery,
you decided to let them
do it in your flat?
Well, I-I thought better than
in your house.
From-from your point of view.
Yeah, that's some
kind of friendship.
She's my friend first.
We shared a house
at university together.
In fact, we shared everything.
"Everything"?
Everything?
Oh, Jinny.
Did you know too?
Only a little bit.
What, like being
a little bit pregnant?
Martha, don't you think
we should be going?
This is all getting very physical.
What exactly did you
"share" with Bill at university?
The house, digs, it's just...
Don't start!
Look, don't talk to me like that.
I am a woman with child.
And I am...
Children. Three.
- Yes, three. Triplets. One, two, three.
- I... I can count!
And by the way, you could've waited
until we got home before you took it.
You could've come to the scan.
You should've come to the scan.
You're so unsupportive, Martha.
That is not true, I have been
to nearly every support group.
One. And there have been three,
which makes two...
- that you just totally failed to go to.
- I can count, as I just mentioned.
Don't patronise me. And you still
haven't answered my question.
And you still haven't
answered my question.
What else did you
share with Bill?
Stop this.
So, you both knew. Right.
Who else knew?
April, did you know as well?
No, I did not.
Although, I expect the worst of
everyone in the name of realism.
I was too preoccupied with
Gottfried's screamingly obvious faults
to notice this unfolding drama.
Why should you have noticed?
Janet didn't.
In fact, she hasn't noticed
anything about me for years.
How can you say that?
Because now I know
what it feels like
when somebody does notice it.
And likes what they see.
A lot.
Come on, do it,
do it, do it.
Come on, do it.
Go ahead, do it!
At least it shows you're
capable of some passion.
What's happening?
- Revenge.
- No, no, no.
No, I don't believe in revenge,
I never have. No.
To given speeches
about it all over the world.
Truth and reconciliation.
I believe i-in truth
and reconciliation.
I believe it's better to hit
a cushion than to eat yourself.
Cushion? She wants
to smash his face in.
Not ruin her soft furnishings.
You need to let
the anger out, Janet.
It's only natural.
Yes, that's how I feel.
I'd like to let some
anger out, too.
What else did you share
with Bill, exactly?
- I already told you.
- No, you, no.
- You never told me about Bill.
- He was my best friend
- at university. You know that.
- What kind of best friend?
Did you sleep together?
Once.
Or twice.
Uh, it was a mistake.
I think we agreed though
at the time. Didn't we, Martha?
- It was fun though.
- No.
Oh, so you have had
a man inside you after all.
And it was fun.
That is so disgusting.
I'm disgusted.
Oh, it sounds like you might
have three little men inside you.
It's good.
It's good that
this is all coming out.
Very good.
But now I think...
you need to protect yourself
from so much negative
female energy.
Gottfried,
you are surpassing yourself.
How?
How do I do that?
I'll help you.
I seem to remember, Bill,
that you called yourself
a feminist in the old days.
Everything's changed.
Change is good.
Why is change good?
Tom.
Come sit.
Try to relax a little.
Yes, oh, it's very
kind of you to call.
Yes, just a little celebration.
Well, yes...
it has been quite a journey.
Mm, well, yes, looking forward
to it. I'll see you tomorrow.
Janet.
It's me, come on. Let me in.
Darling.
Listen to me.
One of the reasons
I have never believed in
parliamentary politics
is that the procedures are
so slow, so bureaucratic.
You can't always vote
your way out of conflict.
Direct action.
Swift, decisive moves,
that's what get things done.
Remember when I used to be
an idealist like you?
All those marches
we went on together
thinking someone
in power would listen.
Well, now I'm a realist.
And I do believe,
under the circumstances,
that although it might have
a deleterious effect
on your career strategy,
you could consider murder.
I just can't believe
you slept with that
hairy, old man. That...
disgusting, randy, old rapist.
It was over 30 years ago.
It was-it was
nearly 40 years ago.
And you were still in kindergarten.
And you know what, he is not
particularly hairy, as a matter of fact.
And furthermore,
not all men are rapists.
I really think we have moved
beyond that position.
What position? What
you talking about, Martha?
Men-men are not the enemy.
That debate is over.
It is finished.
Tom, my friend.
Tom.
Now that you have
expressed your feelings,
let's put a stop
to all this violence.
And talk together as men.
Huh? The three of us.
This is a crisis that can
become a moment of
deep, personal transformation.
But I don't want to transform.
I just want my wife back.
I just want...
Gottfried, I just want things to be
the way they were before.
Why do you people always
want everything to change?
Everything is changing
whether you want it or not.
We cannot fight impermanence.
I'm not fighting fucking
impermanence.
I'm fighting for the
love of my life.
For life.
So am I.
Life. Life.
This is good.
You share an impulse.
No, I don't, I do not share anything
with him, especially not...
Tom, I think someone
in your profession
is perhaps not
familiar with losing.
I never lose, Gottfried.
I do not lose.
I-I-I am a winner.
Do you understand that?
I am a-I'm a winner.
And I also think you're in shock.
Yes.
- Yes.
- Tom.
When exactly did you discover?
Today.
I found out today.
She told you at last.
Oh, Marianne, I knew you would.
She did not tell me.
I read your-
I read your texts.
And I read your-
your fucking emails.
Look at this, wait.
"Let us live
and let us love."
Catullus.
"Let-let us too give un-
give in to love."
Virgil.
"You who seek an end to love-
love...
You who seek an end to love,
love will yield to business.
What the fuck is that?
She wants love and ideas.
You see, Tom?
Not money or business.
Such-such an intelligent,
such a sensitive woman.
Such a passionate woman.
Brothers, you have something
beautiful in common.
We have nothing in common.
Yah, you-you do.
You both love Marianne.
And love is a
very powerful force.
Gottfried, you do realise
that Tom is one
of those amoral money men
strutting about
in his city suit?
Here we go.
Oh, you fucking
English intellectuals
you think you're so superior, huh?
Even you need money, Bill!
Money bought this house,
not fucking ideas!
Not with your dirty money.
No money is clean, Bill.
It all comes through the system
and into your pocket.
Into your grubby little pocket.
It's real money. Cash, Tom.
You trade in fictional profits
stolen from workers'
hard-earned pension funds.
Stolen?
From the mouth of the man
that stole my wife!
You stole my wife!
She chose me.
She did not choose you.
She did not choose you.
- Not you.
- She did.
She chose me.
We're in love.
I'm finished, April.
Nonsense. Listen.
I realize I was sounding
uncannily like Gottfried.
But I believe what you are
experiencing is a feeling.
It's a horrible feeling.
I can see it's unpleasant.
But like all feelings,
it will surely pass.
And then what?
Oh, fuck.
Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.
Is he alive?
Gottfried, is he alive?
Shit!
I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry.
Gottfried, what do I do?
What do I do?
- Just wait and see.
- Okay.
Gottfried! Did I kill him?
He is alive.
I'll put on some music.
He likes music,
I'll put on some music.
I adore you, Janet.
But if you really
want to run this country,
and we both know that you do,
actually, you must
for all our sakes,
you will have to do
something about your hair.
Did they tell you
that they were boys?
No, we agreed.
We agreed not to know.
I know, but...
but did you,
did you see on the screen
their little legs and
toes and things?
No, I didn't want to look,
and I felt sick.
But three boys.
Almost a-a football team.
Don't you want them?
Have you changed your mind?
Bill!
Tom, this might be
the wrong piece of music.
Okay.
Oh, fuck.
Oh, God.
I'm so sorry.
It's gonna be okay.
Come on, Bill.
I'm sorry, Bill.
He's gonna be okay, yeah?
Gottfried?
- April.
- Janet.
We've known each other a long time.
I want you to be truthful with me.
Have I ever been anything else?
Well, you disguise
yourself as a cynic, so.
Everyone's in disguise,
including you
with all that
fake political certainty.
It's not fake.
Sometimes you have to pretend
in order to-to win.
Well, it hasn't worked
for your party for a while.
And it won't work for you.
You're lost, aren't you, Janet?
Incredibly competent,
but lost.
I have to think.
Don't think, it might
ruin everything.
It usually does.
Well, someone has to do
the thinking.
Especially now that you're
you're taking care of the
animal side of things.
Animal?
Is that what you think
I've become?
A few more hormones
flowing round my body
to support new life
and suddenly I'm an animal?
This? Gottfried?
Martha, after this evening,
I never want to see you again.
I'm going to do this
on my own.
Don't be ridiculous.
I-I would rather give birth
alone than with you.
If this is what you really
think of me, I...
After... after everything
you said...
Have you forgotten our
beautiful vows, Martha?
It's over, isn't it?
We're through.
I'm just afraid, Jinny.
That's all. I'm just-
I'm just afraid.
I'm afraid of losing
everything that we had.
And I'm-I'm afraid of
losing each other.
And um, I'm afraid of...
of losing you to our sons.
Come on, come on, Bill.
Come on, come on, Bill.
Oh, this is not
a very good situation.
Please don't leave me.
I love you more than life itself.
Martha, could you come here
for a moment?
I think possibly
there's a problem.
Bill.
Bill.
Tell me, April...
Truthfully.
Anything.
Have I wasted my life
on a mirage?
No.
You're the only one of us
who's tried to do something
really big.
Hmm.
But in the process,
is it possible that I may have...
contributed in some way to
Bill getting sick? I mean...
Have I been emotionally neglectful?
That's not a productive
line of thought.
Because...
well, April, I do have
something to tell you.
I was wondering about that.
- Oh.
- Oh.
Oh, dear.
April, could you come out here
for a moment?
Perhaps without Janet.
Bill, Bill, Bill.
Janet.
How has it come to this?
You know, Gottfried,
our relationship is starting
to look remarkably healthy.
Marianne.
No, Janet, please don't,
please don't kill me!
I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. Please
don't kill me, please don't kill me.
I'm a good person,
I'm a good person.
You told me you loved me.
Me.
Traitor.
Now when I was a little boy
At the age of five
I had somethin' in my pocket
Keep a lot of folks alive
Now I'm a man
Made twenty-one
You know baby
We can have a lot of fun
I'm a man
I spell m
a
n
Man
Oh
Hello?
We did it.
Oh
Well, it wasn't such a surprise.
Oh, I know,
I hope I can live up to it.
Yeah, such a responsibility.
Huge, actually.
Huge.
Spell m
a
n
Man
Hello?
Well, thank you.
Thank you for calling.
No, not at all, it's fine.
You're at the top of my list...marvellous.
Marvellous.
Oh
But don't worry,
I won't forget you.
Man
I spell m
a
Bill.
Bill!
Man
Oh
April.
Janet.
- Congratulations.
- Thank you.
You did it.
My condolences, Janet.
Because once you've reached
the top of the mountain...
Shut up, Gottfried.
Spare us the aphorisms.
You're a star, Janet.
I'm proud of you.
Even though I think
democracy is finished.
Oh, thank you, April.
At least, you're consistent.
Actually, I'm not drinking
alcohol at the moment.
- Do you feel different yet?
- Not really.
You do look slightly
ministerial in that pinny.
In a 21st century, post-modern,
post-post-feminist sort of way.
Well, it hasn't really sunk in,
you know. I've been so busy.
Hi, Mum.
You did, yes,
you always did.
Yes, he's very proud.
He has.
H-He's been really supportive.
Well, I'm lucky.
Listen, Mum...
Um, I've got guests over, can I,
can I call you a bit later?
Are you sure you don't want to?
- You are um...?
- Gottfried.
Yes. Yeah.
I'm Bill.
I think.
Well, I used to be.
That's very... very funny.
It wasn't a joke.
Uh-huh.
Okay.
I hear you.
Please tell me you're not
meditating, Gottfried.
Pull yourself together.
April, can you?
She's so beautiful.
Who?
April.
Martha.
Oh.
I'm a very lucky man.
- Where's Janet?
- Doing a Thatcher.
Proving she can still
rustle up a canap
in the kitchen when necessary
despite her political prowess.
Oh, Janet, it is wonderful
and marvellous.
I-It's a triumph for womankind.
Well, for any kind, for that matter.
At last, your ailing party
has a person at the helm of Health
with principles, as well as ambition.
Well, thank you, Martha,
you look as if you really mean that.
Well, of course I do, you fool.
I am very proud of you.
As I know Bill is.
Letting Janet do the catering, are you?
That's good of you.
I suppose you're exhausted
from all these years
of being so perfect.
Arguable.
Well, it was worth it,
you brilliant bastard.
She's made it to the top.
Congratulations, you old failure, you.
Behind every successful woman,
there is...
Shut up, Gottfried.
Your clichs are unbearable.
Just a few close friends,
which you are, absolutely too.
Well, how about tomorrow?
Everyone's gonna
want a piece of Jan now.
They're gonna eat her alive.
Oh, don't worry about her.
Looks like a girl,
thinks like a man.
Androgynous soul,
always had true grit.
Sounds like me, actually.
But the difference is,
Janet actually believes
change is achievable
through parliamentary politics.
You're rather quiet this evening, Bill.
Will you please stop calling?
Stop it.
It's impossible to talk,
people keep coming in and out.
Terrific!
Well, um, I'll see you
tomorrow morning, then.
Looking forward to it.
Buh-bye.
Mm. My job. I am the gatekeeper
by order of the Minister.
- Jinny.
- Oh, April, hi.
You still look pretty slim.
Has Martha arrived yet?
She's in there
thumping your old pal.
Janet's in the kitchen,
if you wanna...
No, thanks.
I really need to see Martha now.
You're missing her
that much?
Marriage really is an
insufferably smug institution.
I like it.
Well, Gottfried and I are separating.
This is our last supper.
- Hey.
- What's up?
- Excuse me?
- Three, Martha.
- Three.
- Excuse us.
So, who else is coming?
Just Tom and Marianne.
Hmm, the beautiful Marianne,
the queen of spin.
And that ridiculously handsome
husband of hers.
Too bad he's a wanker banker
with a mysterious ability
to make millions out of
others' misfortunes.
Why on earth
have you invited them?
She and I will be
working together from now on.
You mean, you'll be her boss?
Well, I don't actually use that word,
but yes, I suppose so.
So, she will be your underling,
taking copious notes
while plotting how to
take your place one day.
She and I are on
very good terms, actually.
We'll be sharing an office now.
She's on my team.
Lucky you.
Gazing on all that
genetic good fortune.
April.
Do you think Bill's all right?
I mean, this is what
we have always wanted.
And he's always encouraged me,
but now he just seems...
- Drunk.
- Depressed.
Look...
If Denis Thatcher and Prince Philip
could trail behind their
female leaders without complaint,
then so can Bill.
Hello?
Well, thank you.
Thank you so much for calling.
Oh, April, uh, lovely to see you.
Um, it's been,
it's been too long.
Impossibly. Are you alone?
Where's Marianne?
Ah, Marianne's been delayed
unfortunately.
She says... sends her apologies.
She's gonna try and get here for...
uh, dessert.
Oh.
Marvellous.
- Or-or-or cheese.
- Terrific.
- Uh, coffee perhaps.
- Smashing.
Um, April, where's
the bathroom, please?
Lavatory.
Kitchen. Hostess.
Host.
That was Tom.
He's in the lavatory.
Wearing an extremely
expensive suit.
No Marianne?
Later. Pity.
Meanwhile, Bill seems to be
running some sort of disco.
Oh, I hope Gottfried isn't dancing.
I better check.
Fuck.
Please. Stop. No more.
Me too, me too.
You're gonna fucking
lose her, Tom.
You're gonna fucking
lose her, Tom.
Ah, fucking...
Cheap.
Janet, wonderful.
Wonderful, wonderful news.
I'm not a bit surprised.
Really? Well, I am.
Aw, surely not.
Eh, let's see what I can achieve
once I get going.
Um, oh, yes, Marianne, uh,
Marianne will be delayed just a...
Oh, she worked so hard.
- She'll try and get her later.
- Oh, that's nice.
Um, a drink! A drink, Tom.
No, no, no, you're busy.
Stay where you are. No, um...
- Can I help?
- Ooh, no, no, no, no.
Okay.
Where's that marvellous
husband of yours, Janet?
Well, I...
There? All right. Got it.
Congratulations again, Janet.
Martha.
Look at me.
It's wonderful, isn't it?
Jinny.
I guess... I guess we're
about to become a collective.
Just when I got used
to the idea of us being a couple.
Martha.
We're going to be a family.
Will you tell them please?
Will you tell them
how happy we are?
Ay candela
Candela
Candela me quemo a
Would you come and help me
just a minute, darling?
You all right?
Para una gran diversin
De timbalero un ratn
We have an announcement.
Bill, I know you adore that thing,
but could you...
So, everybody.
It seems that we are expecting
not one,
not two, but three babies.
Wow.
People. Small people.
Congratulations, wow!
Oh, wow!
- Thank you.
- Wow.
Was that a... boast
or a cry for help, Martha?
I couldn't quite tell
from your tone of voice.
The miracle of conception.
Shut up, Gottfried.
Listen.
I'm going to propose a toast
to my oldest, dearest, and
most loyal friend
who has achieved a rare thing
which is why
we're all here this evening.
in case anyone forgot.
Babies, excuse me,
Jinny, Martha,
but babies get born every day
in extremely large numbers
to the point of endangering
the planet and all our futures.
It's not every day, however,
that one of us becomes a Minister
In your entirely rotten
and useless Opposition party.
Fuck you, April.
Though, of course, you're right.
What? Martha!
Oh!
I have never
seen that happen before.
No, neither have I.
God, I hope it's not an omen.
It's just a broken
window in a door,
and not a window
into anyone's soul.
Hmm.
Thank you.
Here, take mine.
I'm not really drinking
in this state as you see.
Oh, perhaps just a symbolic sip.
What do you think, Martha?
You're a free woman.
Am I?
To Janet.
I may not believe in
parliamentary politics,
but I absolutely
do believe in you.
Thank you.
Bill, come on, chum.
What is it, darling?
I-I have an announcement.
Oh.
Another announcement.
Good god.
Uh, it turns out
I'm not well.
Bill.
What do you mean?
What's the matter?
I've had a diagnosis. Um...
It's not too good, actually.
What kind of diagnosis?
Terminal.
Bastard.
Uh, poor-poor bastard.
- Yeah, I know.
- Poor bastard.
Terminal?
Did you say terminal, Bill?
Yeah, uh...
It looks like I'm done for.
Med-medically speaking.
Why didn't you tell me?
Oh, God.
How long have you known?
Hmm?
What is it, exactly? What's-
what's wrong with you?
Lung, liver, leg...
Take your pick.
So, how long have you got?
Uh, no time.
No time at all.
No one knows
how long they live, Bill.
And uh, western doctors
know nothing at all.
Fuck.
Fuck!
Fuck.
I'm gonna resign.
Immediately. Now.
Well, tomorrow morning
as soon as they can find
someone to replace me.
I-I'm gonna look after you.
- No, no, it's...
- Yes, Bill.
Yes, Bill, of course I will.
You've supported me
every step of the way.
You gave up everything.
And now, I'll do the same for you.
More. I'll do more.
Ah.
Oh, Janet. Fuck.
You don't really wanna resign.
After all these years
of tedious effort,
to get to the so-called top.
Fuck.
I needed some air.
Yeah.
Yeah, me too.
What is it you do again, Tom?
Uh, I work in finance.
Oh, yeah.
You feeling okay?
Yeah, grand. Good. Good.
- You?
- Sick.
Actually...
Is this true, really?
Bill?
I'm so sorry.
- Oh God.
- Janet, look, slow down.
Slow down.
Let's get practical.
- Bill...
- Yeah?
Who have you seen?
A Harley Street specialist.
Hang on, hang on.
You went private?
- You saw a private doctor?
- I did, yeah.
Because our GP couldn't see me
for two bloody weeks.
Oh, Christ.
What did you expect, Bill?
Special treatment?
Queue jumping?
This is England.
You can't make an exception
for the husband of the Minister.
Especially, not the husband
of the Minister of Health.
Shadow Minister,
but anyway, who cares?
- You do.
- No.
No, April.
This is Bill. We must do
anything we have to, anything.
It doesn't matter.
It's only your principles.
Well, the specialist
saw me straight away.
All the tests... done.
And he's sure?
He's definite?
Definite.
He said I'm...
definitely done for.
Western medicine is voodoo, Bill.
Voodoo?
Voodoo.
Hey, I am with child.
Children, plural. Wasn't it?
Yes, children. Thanks
entirely to western medicine.
Extremely western,
extremely private,
and extremely expensive.
Yeah, and worth it.
Worth every penny.
It's not all bad, Gottfried.
IVF is basically a miracle.
And I thought it was a
procedure involving a Petri dish.
Well, they give you
a load of hormones,
which is not much fun, actually.
And the whole thing
can be very painful, but
it's amazing how
this "procedure",
as you put it, April
can result in new life.
Don't you think?
Please stop it.
Bill says he's dying.
Not yet.
Soon.
Listen, Bill.
Doctors are not prophets.
They're cursing you with their
so-called science,
their so-called statistics.
Can they protect death? No.
What do they really
understand about illness?
Nothing.
Oh, come on, Gottfried,
you've gone too far.
This is the land that invented
the National Health Service.
Free medical care for everyone.
It's changed the lives
of millions for the better.
And we are in the presence
of one of its most
passionate guardians.
What-what exactly is she guarding?
Those so-called
doctors do not look
at the whole man
and his suffering.
They just try to eliminate
the symptoms of "disease"
with poisonous chemicals sold
by pharmaceutical companies
who want to make money.
- Only money.
- Yes, yes, and why not?
Why not?
The western medical establishment
is ignorant and corrupt.
They're killing people
with their so-called cures.
Janet, I apologize for my
so-called boyfriend.
I cannot tolerate dogma.
Even when it's partially true.
But it's totally true.
You can see why I'm
separating definitively
from this... German.
Now, now what does his
nationality have to do with it?
Everything.
When you know what the
Nazis did with medical ethics.
I am not a Nazi.
You're very attached to dogma.
I'm working on my attachments.
Work?
You call that work?
Oh, ah, see?
Tickle an aromatherapist,
and you find a fascist.
I'm not an aromatherapist.
I'm a life coach and a healer.
Oh, look, let's face it,
when you're in a car crash,
you don't want a life coach,
you want an ambulance.
But even so, April,
I really think you shouldn't
use a word like "Nazi"
as a form of abuse
on the second generation.
We are not responsible
for the sins of our parents!
Sin? You actually
believe in sin, Martha?
How very Christian of you.
I mistakenly thought
you were one of those atheists,
always arguing with
a god you don't believe in.
Just in case he's listening.
She does argue a lot, actually,
mostly with me though.
Please, stop it,
all of you.
This is about Bill.
The man who stood by me
through everything.
Who gave up
a professorship at Harvard.
Yale.
Yale, yes, of course.
In order to support me,
so that I could
fulfill my purpose, and...
Oh, Bill.
I'm-I'm so sorry.
Why didn't I notice?
Why didn't I see
that you were ill?
Please, Bill.
Look at me.
Say something.
Don't you think we should
leave them alone for a minute?
What for?
Personal space.
Right now, they need us.
They need our attention.
What they need is our friendship
and some clear thinking.
Burning. I-I smell burning.
Oh, it's the vol-au-vents.
I'll deal with it.
Isn't Jinny the chef?
A very good one, actually.
Runner-up on Master Chef
last year. D'you watch it?
Two smears of parsnip
and a grape coulis
How could I forget?
So, Jinny, could you?
Ten pounds.
You've gained at least
ten pounds, Martha
since the extremely
touching ceremony. Oh...
and the matching hats.
Hey, you.
Don't just sit there.
- What can I do?
- Help me.
I can't help anyone.
I can't even help myself.
I am burning.
It's the pastry cases
that are burning.
Tom, can you
turn the light on, please?
Do you think...
Yes, my friend?
Do you really think that
a terminal prognosis
is a form of curse?
Yes, I do.
You see, I-I'm a materialist.
And an atheist.
My world view
has been formed on reason,
and observation, cause
and effect, logic and deduction.
I've always been a rationalist,
haven't I?
You have, Bill.
And from a statistical
point of view, as
Janet so often reminded me,
it is your class background
and economic status
that will determine
your general health and
expected lifespan.
Well, infinitely more than
diet or exercise.
That's why health
is a political issue.
We've always agreed about that,
haven't we, Bill?
So words like
"curse" and "voodoo"
are never really
featured in my vocabulary.
But now...
everything looks different.
Perhaps, everything
is different.
Maybe it is.
But the worst of it
is this...
I'm asking myself an
unanswerable question.
Even a metaphysical question.
And what question is that,
my friend?
Why me?
When a person becomes sick,
there is always a reason.
If not in this life,
then in a past life.
Oh, Gottfried.
You're an embarrassment.
Possibly.
But at least, he's trying to help.
Oh, you're defending
Gottfried now?
April, I too am frequently
described by
internet trolls
as an embarrassment, or worse.
Much worse, actually.
Is it a crime
to be an embarrassment?
Martha, you're a first-class lesbian,
and a second-rate thinker.
Must be all those Women's Studies.
April, really.
I am a professor.
Specializing in domestic labor
gender differentiation
in American utopianism.
My point exactly.
Oh, shit.
What do I do?
I dunno, just turn it off,
or pull it off or something.
Ah, fuck!
You're really sweaty.
Are you ill, too?
I told you, I'm burning.
I have to protect my babies.
Yes, you do have
to protect your babies.
Like I have
to protect my marriage.
Yeah.
- Do you understand?
- Yeah.
You are very fortunate, Jinny.
Myself and Marianne,
we have not had any babies.
Neither has anyone at this party,
as far as I know, but...
So, you're definitely not ill then?
Tell me who is sick.
Who is sick?
Then why aren't you
turning that thing off?
Jinny, are you doing
all right in there?
Yeah, I'm fine.
Tom's helping me, thank you.
Can I ask you...
Did I see you out there,
were you...
Were you getting
something out of the...
Right, let's get to the point.
Listen, Bill.
Have they suggested
chopping a few bits out?
Or off?
Because if they have, I think
you should seriously consider it.
What do you say, Gottfried?
Surgery a good choice for Bill?
Yes or no from a
life coach standpoint?
Despite my criticism
of most modern medicine,
I believe surgery
can sometimes be
healing.
April, as you know,
karmically cleansing.
Okay. Won't argue because
Janet doesn't want me to.
But you're full of shit
about karma.
Martha, I need to talk to you
about something and I'm
starting to feel real queasy again.
Oh, it's probably because
she's pregnant.
Genius.
Jinny?
Where's Martha?
Uh, she's in there-
she's in there with him.
Well, could you tell her
to come here?
I wanna say something to her.
Wait.
Jinny, no, you need to tell me
what it is that you want
to say to-to Martha, okay?
I need to know what it is.
Do you think... is there something
you have to say about me?
Is this, wait, is this something
that you think you saw?
Maybe.
What do you think
I wanna say to her... about you?
What do you think I saw?
- Knowledge, Gottfried,
- Yes?
is mutable.
And culturally specific.
That's true, but...
where's this line of thought
heading, chum?
Well, maybe Gottfried has a point.
What once seemed like
medical science
now looks like superstition.
Does it not, Martha?
And then, there's the mystery
of the uh, placebo effect.
Oh, the so-called
mystery of the placebo effect
is in fact proof
of the innate ability
of the body to heal itself.
I wish I didn't agree
with your analysis.
But you do, my darling.
So, what have you found,
uh, Gottfried
with your um...
"healing" thing? Uh...
Can um...
Can f-faith do it?
Faith? You?
Why not?
Bill is growing extraordinarily fast
from a spiritual point of view.
Concerning spirituality,
Bill has debated
with leading rabbis,
bishops, and imams.
And he's won.
He's even written
a book about it:
"Reason, Roads and Religion".
Oh, i-is there a connection, Martha,
between uh, roads and religion?
Oh, well, Bill specialized in
Roman history, as I think you know.
Didn't-didn't he
supervise Marianne's PhD?
Yes, he did-
he did supervise her PhD.
Yes, her fucking PhD.
And roads link more than cities.
They also link ideas.
Well, thank you, Martha.
Thank you for illuminating
me on the question of roads!
Please!
The only road that matters now
is the road to Bill's recovery.
Do you believe
in recovery, Gottfried?
I do.
- Even in a case like mine?
- I do.
So, you think I have a future?
As surely as you have a past.
Isn't this going too far?
Gottfried may have his good points,
but is not, repeat, not a guru.
Jin?
- Are you all right?
- No, I'm absolutely not.
Apart from this vomiting,
which is vile,
my least favorite thing
and if it continues like this,
my pregnancy will be a nightmare.
I'm a little bit
concerned about Tom.
Listen, my friend.
The truth is very simple.
You just have to listen
to your voice within.
If you seek,
you will find.
Jesus.
All right.
Since we're
talking about truth,
Um, Bill, do you think there's
something you might want to add?
I think you know
what I'm talking about, Bill.
You know, truth?
Truth.
Is that a concept that
any of you have heard of?
- Tom.
- Huh? No, Martha, look, please.
- Yes, I do have something to add.
- Yes.
Tom.
What is it, darling?
I'm sorry, Janet.
This is it.
- I'm leaving you.
- No.
We'll beat this together.
I'll be by your side.
Uh, no, no, Janet, um...
I think he means he's
leaving you in a different sense.
Tom! come on, let's
just go out for a moment.
- Come on.
- Martha.
What's going on?
Come on, Bill.
Just, Bill, just tell her.
What have you got to lose, huh?
Whatever time I have left, Janet...
Which is uh, debatable,
depending on your point of view.
I intend to spend...
Together, we'll be together.
in the company of...
another woman.
What on earth
are you talking about?
Another woman.
What other woman?
What are you saying
exactly, Bill?
What other woman?
Who?
Who?!
Marianne.
Marianne?
The lovely Marianne.
With you, Bill?
Yes.
Oh, what am I doing?
I don't do this!
You just did.
No, no, no, this isn't me.
I shouldn't have hit you.
Um, I shouldn't have hurt you.
I shouldn't have hit you.
I-I'm sorry.
But I could kill you!
Why? Just tell me why. Hmm?
Why now of all days?
And why h-her?
Hmm?
Stop me, April, stop me
from hurting Bill.
- What for?
- Because he's sick. He's dying.
Why don't you tell Janet...
how long you've been
sleeping with my wife, Bill?
Or perhaps Martha.
Perhaps you would like
to inform Janet.
As I believe you have
on occasion
lent your uh, your attractive
shabby-chic fem-nest apartment
for your-to your good ol' pal, Bill.
Martha, you knew?
It sounds like she was
an accomplice in this heinous crime.
What a surprise, Professor.
Marianne and Bill
in your flat, Martha?
Yes.
For how long?
A year.
A year?
What, a fucking year?
Well, two.
- Or so.
- What?
The whole time?
During the campaign,
while I was on the road
when we spoke
every night on the phone
and you kept telling me
I could do it?
You did do it.
And you were doing it.
With Marianne.
In Martha's flat.
While I did it.
Oh.
I thought you were a friend.
I thought you were a sister.
Oh, that dates you, Janet.
Sisterhood is a very
aging concept, sweetheart.
I do consider myself your friend.
And I-I really thought about
saying something, but...
But what?
You were...
you were so busy.
Yes, I was busy, incredibly busy.
I was working day and night
for the Party.
For our Party.
Yes, Martha,
I was working for all of us.
Why didn't you just tell me?
Well, y-you didn't seem
to want to know.
About anything except politics.
And because I was so dedicated
to saving our country from
profiteering butchery,
you decided to let them
do it in your flat?
Well, I-I thought better than
in your house.
From-from your point of view.
Yeah, that's some
kind of friendship.
She's my friend first.
We shared a house
at university together.
In fact, we shared everything.
"Everything"?
Everything?
Oh, Jinny.
Did you know too?
Only a little bit.
What, like being
a little bit pregnant?
Martha, don't you think
we should be going?
This is all getting very physical.
What exactly did you
"share" with Bill at university?
The house, digs, it's just...
Don't start!
Look, don't talk to me like that.
I am a woman with child.
And I am...
Children. Three.
- Yes, three. Triplets. One, two, three.
- I... I can count!
And by the way, you could've waited
until we got home before you took it.
You could've come to the scan.
You should've come to the scan.
You're so unsupportive, Martha.
That is not true, I have been
to nearly every support group.
One. And there have been three,
which makes two...
- that you just totally failed to go to.
- I can count, as I just mentioned.
Don't patronise me. And you still
haven't answered my question.
And you still haven't
answered my question.
What else did you
share with Bill?
Stop this.
So, you both knew. Right.
Who else knew?
April, did you know as well?
No, I did not.
Although, I expect the worst of
everyone in the name of realism.
I was too preoccupied with
Gottfried's screamingly obvious faults
to notice this unfolding drama.
Why should you have noticed?
Janet didn't.
In fact, she hasn't noticed
anything about me for years.
How can you say that?
Because now I know
what it feels like
when somebody does notice it.
And likes what they see.
A lot.
Come on, do it,
do it, do it.
Come on, do it.
Go ahead, do it!
At least it shows you're
capable of some passion.
What's happening?
- Revenge.
- No, no, no.
No, I don't believe in revenge,
I never have. No.
To given speeches
about it all over the world.
Truth and reconciliation.
I believe i-in truth
and reconciliation.
I believe it's better to hit
a cushion than to eat yourself.
Cushion? She wants
to smash his face in.
Not ruin her soft furnishings.
You need to let
the anger out, Janet.
It's only natural.
Yes, that's how I feel.
I'd like to let some
anger out, too.
What else did you share
with Bill, exactly?
- I already told you.
- No, you, no.
- You never told me about Bill.
- He was my best friend
- at university. You know that.
- What kind of best friend?
Did you sleep together?
Once.
Or twice.
Uh, it was a mistake.
I think we agreed though
at the time. Didn't we, Martha?
- It was fun though.
- No.
Oh, so you have had
a man inside you after all.
And it was fun.
That is so disgusting.
I'm disgusted.
Oh, it sounds like you might
have three little men inside you.
It's good.
It's good that
this is all coming out.
Very good.
But now I think...
you need to protect yourself
from so much negative
female energy.
Gottfried,
you are surpassing yourself.
How?
How do I do that?
I'll help you.
I seem to remember, Bill,
that you called yourself
a feminist in the old days.
Everything's changed.
Change is good.
Why is change good?
Tom.
Come sit.
Try to relax a little.
Yes, oh, it's very
kind of you to call.
Yes, just a little celebration.
Well, yes...
it has been quite a journey.
Mm, well, yes, looking forward
to it. I'll see you tomorrow.
Janet.
It's me, come on. Let me in.
Darling.
Listen to me.
One of the reasons
I have never believed in
parliamentary politics
is that the procedures are
so slow, so bureaucratic.
You can't always vote
your way out of conflict.
Direct action.
Swift, decisive moves,
that's what get things done.
Remember when I used to be
an idealist like you?
All those marches
we went on together
thinking someone
in power would listen.
Well, now I'm a realist.
And I do believe,
under the circumstances,
that although it might have
a deleterious effect
on your career strategy,
you could consider murder.
I just can't believe
you slept with that
hairy, old man. That...
disgusting, randy, old rapist.
It was over 30 years ago.
It was-it was
nearly 40 years ago.
And you were still in kindergarten.
And you know what, he is not
particularly hairy, as a matter of fact.
And furthermore,
not all men are rapists.
I really think we have moved
beyond that position.
What position? What
you talking about, Martha?
Men-men are not the enemy.
That debate is over.
It is finished.
Tom, my friend.
Tom.
Now that you have
expressed your feelings,
let's put a stop
to all this violence.
And talk together as men.
Huh? The three of us.
This is a crisis that can
become a moment of
deep, personal transformation.
But I don't want to transform.
I just want my wife back.
I just want...
Gottfried, I just want things to be
the way they were before.
Why do you people always
want everything to change?
Everything is changing
whether you want it or not.
We cannot fight impermanence.
I'm not fighting fucking
impermanence.
I'm fighting for the
love of my life.
For life.
So am I.
Life. Life.
This is good.
You share an impulse.
No, I don't, I do not share anything
with him, especially not...
Tom, I think someone
in your profession
is perhaps not
familiar with losing.
I never lose, Gottfried.
I do not lose.
I-I-I am a winner.
Do you understand that?
I am a-I'm a winner.
And I also think you're in shock.
Yes.
- Yes.
- Tom.
When exactly did you discover?
Today.
I found out today.
She told you at last.
Oh, Marianne, I knew you would.
She did not tell me.
I read your-
I read your texts.
And I read your-
your fucking emails.
Look at this, wait.
"Let us live
and let us love."
Catullus.
"Let-let us too give un-
give in to love."
Virgil.
"You who seek an end to love-
love...
You who seek an end to love,
love will yield to business.
What the fuck is that?
She wants love and ideas.
You see, Tom?
Not money or business.
Such-such an intelligent,
such a sensitive woman.
Such a passionate woman.
Brothers, you have something
beautiful in common.
We have nothing in common.
Yah, you-you do.
You both love Marianne.
And love is a
very powerful force.
Gottfried, you do realise
that Tom is one
of those amoral money men
strutting about
in his city suit?
Here we go.
Oh, you fucking
English intellectuals
you think you're so superior, huh?
Even you need money, Bill!
Money bought this house,
not fucking ideas!
Not with your dirty money.
No money is clean, Bill.
It all comes through the system
and into your pocket.
Into your grubby little pocket.
It's real money. Cash, Tom.
You trade in fictional profits
stolen from workers'
hard-earned pension funds.
Stolen?
From the mouth of the man
that stole my wife!
You stole my wife!
She chose me.
She did not choose you.
She did not choose you.
- Not you.
- She did.
She chose me.
We're in love.
I'm finished, April.
Nonsense. Listen.
I realize I was sounding
uncannily like Gottfried.
But I believe what you are
experiencing is a feeling.
It's a horrible feeling.
I can see it's unpleasant.
But like all feelings,
it will surely pass.
And then what?
Oh, fuck.
Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.
Is he alive?
Gottfried, is he alive?
Shit!
I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry.
Gottfried, what do I do?
What do I do?
- Just wait and see.
- Okay.
Gottfried! Did I kill him?
He is alive.
I'll put on some music.
He likes music,
I'll put on some music.
I adore you, Janet.
But if you really
want to run this country,
and we both know that you do,
actually, you must
for all our sakes,
you will have to do
something about your hair.
Did they tell you
that they were boys?
No, we agreed.
We agreed not to know.
I know, but...
but did you,
did you see on the screen
their little legs and
toes and things?
No, I didn't want to look,
and I felt sick.
But three boys.
Almost a-a football team.
Don't you want them?
Have you changed your mind?
Bill!
Tom, this might be
the wrong piece of music.
Okay.
Oh, fuck.
Oh, God.
I'm so sorry.
It's gonna be okay.
Come on, Bill.
I'm sorry, Bill.
He's gonna be okay, yeah?
Gottfried?
- April.
- Janet.
We've known each other a long time.
I want you to be truthful with me.
Have I ever been anything else?
Well, you disguise
yourself as a cynic, so.
Everyone's in disguise,
including you
with all that
fake political certainty.
It's not fake.
Sometimes you have to pretend
in order to-to win.
Well, it hasn't worked
for your party for a while.
And it won't work for you.
You're lost, aren't you, Janet?
Incredibly competent,
but lost.
I have to think.
Don't think, it might
ruin everything.
It usually does.
Well, someone has to do
the thinking.
Especially now that you're
you're taking care of the
animal side of things.
Animal?
Is that what you think
I've become?
A few more hormones
flowing round my body
to support new life
and suddenly I'm an animal?
This? Gottfried?
Martha, after this evening,
I never want to see you again.
I'm going to do this
on my own.
Don't be ridiculous.
I-I would rather give birth
alone than with you.
If this is what you really
think of me, I...
After... after everything
you said...
Have you forgotten our
beautiful vows, Martha?
It's over, isn't it?
We're through.
I'm just afraid, Jinny.
That's all. I'm just-
I'm just afraid.
I'm afraid of losing
everything that we had.
And I'm-I'm afraid of
losing each other.
And um, I'm afraid of...
of losing you to our sons.
Come on, come on, Bill.
Come on, come on, Bill.
Oh, this is not
a very good situation.
Please don't leave me.
I love you more than life itself.
Martha, could you come here
for a moment?
I think possibly
there's a problem.
Bill.
Bill.
Tell me, April...
Truthfully.
Anything.
Have I wasted my life
on a mirage?
No.
You're the only one of us
who's tried to do something
really big.
Hmm.
But in the process,
is it possible that I may have...
contributed in some way to
Bill getting sick? I mean...
Have I been emotionally neglectful?
That's not a productive
line of thought.
Because...
well, April, I do have
something to tell you.
I was wondering about that.
- Oh.
- Oh.
Oh, dear.
April, could you come out here
for a moment?
Perhaps without Janet.
Bill, Bill, Bill.
Janet.
How has it come to this?
You know, Gottfried,
our relationship is starting
to look remarkably healthy.
Marianne.
No, Janet, please don't,
please don't kill me!
I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. Please
don't kill me, please don't kill me.
I'm a good person,
I'm a good person.
You told me you loved me.
Me.
Traitor.