There either is or is not a way things are.
The color of the day. How it felt to be a child.
The feeling of saltwater on your sunburned legs.
Sometimes the water is yellow. Sometimes it's red.
The color in memory depends on the day.
I won't tell the story the way it happened.
I'll tell it the way I remember it.
Help! Help!
What's your name?
- Whisper. What's your name? Whisper! - Finn.
- What's your last name? - Bell.
- Where do you live? - By the pier.
Do you have tools?
Do you know what bolt cutters are? Do you or don't you?
I can find you and gut you like a fish.
I'll pull out your insides and make you eat them, hear me?
Be here tomorrow at dawn with bolt cutters and food, or I'll kill you.
I'll kill you if you tell.
- Anyone! Your folks... - They're dead.
If you tell anyone, the last sound you hear will be your own scream. Go!
Finn!
- Oh, it's you, Joe. - Did I scare you?
- So you went out today? - Yeah! I got a nice tan.
No fish. Setting traps, like everybody.
- Where's the fire? - Nowhere. Just got homework.
Maggie's on a kind of rant today, so you be careful, okay?
- Are you coming home soon? - In an hour.
If you finish your work, we'll go to Carvel's.
You rest up. We've got a gardening job tomorrow.
- Joe? - Yeah?
Nothing.
Hey, Finn! How do you smoke a swordfish?
Put the bill in your mouth and light the tail.
I'll see you later.
I was raised with some freedom from my sister, Maggie.
Joe was her man.
They banned big fishing rigs that year, and we were poor.
We got by on what Joe earned on charters and lawn work.
Hey.
Come on, come here. Come on!
Are you alone?
- You deaf? Are you alone? - No.
You're not alone or you're not deaf?
Here, I brought you something to drink.
Attaboy!
Here, I took this for you.
What's this? Birth control pills?
Here, this too.
Percodan. Attaboy, now you're talking.
What else? Come on, come on, come on!
Do you bite your nails?
That's a bad habit.
People say the eyes are the windows to the soul. Bullshit.
Hands. That's the sign of a gentleman.
Come on, let's go. Come on.
- What? - Come on.
- In the boat. - If I don't get home...
Fuck your uncle, get in the boat. Pick up the anchor. Let's go.
Shut up and get in the boat.
- Where are we going? - Mexico.
- What? - Police boat.
Stop!
Ahoy there! Son, are you all right?
- Where are you headed? - Nowhere.
Some lady thought she saw a raft here yesterday.
A man on it wearing a prison suit. Did you see anything like that?
- No. - Tie up a line. We'll tow you in.
That was the end of it.
Perhaps you had an experience like that as a child and told no one.
Perhaps you had a brush with a world so large you seldom...
... or never saw it again.
Jesus! It's the land time forgot. Nora Driggers Dinsmoor.
Wait here. I'll find out what they want us to do.
- Is it all right if I look around? - No! You stay put till I come back.
God knows what's in these weeds.
Nora Driggers Dinsmoor, richest lady in the gulf.
She lost her mind 30 years ago when her fianc� left her...
... at the altar.
What's your name?
Finn.
Hey, Finn!
We're out of here. She slipped me $500 under the door.
Gas money, she called it. Weirdest thing.
- What? - Nothing. Can I ride with you?
You smell like fertilizer.
Really? I do?
Mag!
- You've got the wrong number. - You won't believe...
Yes, well, he just... Did he do something bad?
I'll be glad to. That sounds really...
You got it. Okay.
Three on Saturday. This Saturday? And thank you so much, ma'am.
You won't believe where we were today.
That was Nora Driggers Dinsmoor.
It was too good to be true. She wants her money back?
She wants him. Finn!
The richest lady in the state calls me...
...and wants my little brother to play with her niece.
"Why"? The old bat liked you. He's a likable kid, he's adorable.
Who cares? Joe, this is a really good thing.
How'd she even know...? Dinsmoor never met Finn.
She slipped this under the door.
What is it, Joe? God!
Do you like living with all the dead people down here?
What's wrong with people here? I'm tired of working so much.
They took away the nets.
Convict Arthur Lustig was recaptured this evening.
This concludes a four-day manhunt for Lustig...
... the convicted murderer of Gene Valiente.
Valiente, reputed mob boss of the Catalano family...
... was gunned down in his home last Christmas.
Lustig will be returned to death row...
... and is scheduled to die by lethal injection March 16th.
Holy shit!
Hey, you look sharp.
- How do I smell? - You smell clean. Tea time.
- Be polite. "Yes, ma'am", "No, ma'am". - I will.
- Are you okay with this? - He's great. Go ahead.
Say, "May I", "Please", all that stuff.
Oh, the gardener.
The design of this floor is from the Alhambra in Spain.
The ceiling's gold leaf, real gold.
It's just like the Thousand Wing ceiling at Venice's Accademia.
Old Ms. Dinsmoor hadn't been seen in years.
I'd heard she was crazy.
Go ahead.
Aren't you coming?
But nobody knew how crazy.
Her room smelled of dead flowers and cat piss.
Boom boom.
Chicka-boom!
Besame, besame mucho
Each time I cling to your kiss I hear music divine
Hold me my darling and say that you'll always be mine
This joy's something new, my arms they're holding you
I never knew this thrill before
Whoever thought I'd be holding you close, whispering...
- Who are you? - Finn, ma'am.
- What are you doing in my bedroom? - I don't know.
Give me your hand.
- What is this? - Your... Your boob.
My heart. It's my heart. It's broken.
- Can you tell? - I'm sorry.
"Sorry." Come.
Shoo, shoo. Tabby, scram.
Wow! That's the biggest cat I've ever seen.
- What do you feed it? - Other cats.
Well, go ahead. You can proceed.
- Dance. - Huh?
I'd like you to dance. That's why you're here. To entertain me.
Pony, foxtrot, frug, Philly Dog, fandango. Anything.
I can't. I'm sorry, ma'am.
You "can't"? "I'm sorry, ma'am."
Or you won't? You dance. Dance, dance, dance!
- Get out of here. - Wait!
I can draw.
You can use my lipstick and eyebrow pencil on the dressing table.
Estella!
Estella?
- Is tea ready? - I'd like you to sit for a portrait.
- A portrait? By whom? - That boy.
The gardener? I'll be in my room.
Come back and sit.
Please.
And you. Come sit by me.
She's beautiful, isn't she?
What do you think of her? Come on, whisper in my ear.
Come on.
I think she's a snob.
Anything else?
I think she's real pretty.
Anything else?
I think she doesn't like me.
But you love her. She'll break your heart, it's a fact.
It's tragic, you're already in love. And though I guarantee you...
...that the girl will hurt you terribly, you'll still pursue her.
Ain't love grand?
- I'd like to go now. - Have you finished?
Before I'm a teenager, please.
Can I go now?
Would you like to come again? Would you like to see Estella again?
Yes.
Poor boy, poor boy, poor boy. This is yours, dear.
The ways of the rich and all my longing, which began that day.
To paint for the rich, to have their freedom, to love Estella.
The things we cannot have.
Give this to your guardian.
Would you see Finn out, please?
Chicka-boom!
Want some?
It's not poisoned.
You remember it. You remember how it felt.
And then I went home to draw it.
I'm going to work. What are you going to do before bed?
Brush my teeth.
That's really beautiful, Finn.
Keep it up, okay?
Maggie left that night. She never came back.
I'll see you when you wake up.
Joe raised me. We never said a word.
I visited Paradiso Perduto Saturdays.
Feel it, feel it, feel it, feel it.
The money Dinsmoor paid kept me in paints and brushes.
And there was Estella.
Smile. Smile.
Smi... All right, don't smile.
Yes, feel it!
Wonderful, wonderful! Feel it in your bones.
- Where are you going? - Cocktails at Rewald's.
Lane? Another cocktail, and we'll be able to eat him.
Carl Rewald. Lane is his father. Carl doesn't drink.
Cue balls. The whole family's pickled. Who's your escort?
- Please, this is the '80s... - I'll bring you.
Finn will make a fine date.
Oh, God!
Then it's done.
Fine, but you meet me there. 1115 North Ocean. Wear your dinner jacket.
- How much time have you got? - None, I'm late! I'm dead. Wow!
That'll pass as a dinner jacket.
- This is a girl's. - Keep it buttoned, no one will notice.
- Where did you get this? - It's Maggie's.
- It's one of the only things she left. - What a bitch!
What?
- "What?" Come here. - Jesus!
- Are you all right for money? - Yeah, I'm good.
- A little nervous? - Yeah, a little.
There you go.
You just be yourself, huh?
Come on, have fun.
- You're not on the list. - Check the name Dinsmoor?
I did, sir. You're not on this list. Please leave now.
Hi, Mrs. Lee! Use your usual spot.
Hi.
- Do you want to get me out of here? - Yes.
Come on in.
- Where do you want to go? - Your house?
All right. Let's go.
The moths are from the Thousand Wing ceiling.
Joe's not here. He's... He's playing dominoes.
- Is that your room? - Yeah.
I wasn't really expecting company...
...you know.
- You still draw. - Yeah.
They're hanging a couple at Washington Federal.
The bank?
- Go to New York. - New York?
Center of the art world.
Here, you'll end up painting coconuts for tourists.
- When did you do this? - A while ago.
I don't wear my hair like that anymore.
But you should.
- I mean... - Do you like it that way?
What else do you like?
How come we see each other every week, but we never did anything?
- "Did anything"? - Saw a movie, whatever.
You never asked.
And if I had?
I'm here, aren't I?
- Are you with anyone? - Right this second?
- No, I mean like... - Like a steady boyfriend?
No.
- You could have anyone. - No, I...
What about you?
- Why not? - 'Cause I...
I just...
I know.
- What's wrong? - Nothing.
- It's late. What time is it? - It's 10:30. Where are you going?
I've got to get home. I have a million things to do tonight.
Stay!
Don't speak French.
Estella?
Excuse me. Have you seen Estella?
Dinsmoor was weirder than usual, but I had to see Estella.
I never come here. Never.
Do you know why? Twenty-six years ago, I trusted.
I saved myself. I was a virgin. It's funny, huh?
Those were the times, that's how I was raised.
What kind of creature takes such a thing, such a gift, a trust?
Who does this? Takes advantage of a 42-year-old woman?
What kind of creature leaves this woman waiting like a fool?
A man does this, so men must pay. Am I right?
- Estella will make men weep. - Do you know where she is?
She'll break them. I taught her well.
When she returns, she'll cut through them like a hot knife through butter.
- Returns? - Oh, my dear boy!
Didn't you know?
She's left for school. Switzerland for two years, then Paris.
Didn't she say goodbye? I'm sure she meant to.
See you next week, dear.
Seven years passed.
I stopped going to Paradiso Perduto.
I stopped painting.
I put aside fantasy and the wealthy...
... and the heavenly girl who did not want me.
None of it would happen to me again. I'd seen through it.
I elected to grow up.
Finn! This is Jerry Ragno.
Jerry, Mr. Ragno is a lawyer in Miami.
And New York. We have offices in Manhattan. So, Finn...
...I'm empowered by my client to make your dreams come true.
Really? Any particular dream or just all of them?
Have you ever shown your work? No.
They had Finn's painting at Washington Federal Bank.
Eight years ago. I gave all that up. I don't understand what this is about.
How would you like a one-man show at the Thrall Gallery?
My client, Erica Thrall, wants you in New York for a one-man show.
Have you ever sent slides to the Thrall Gallery?
I sent slides everywhere in high school.
They made an impression. A ticket to New York...
...plus $1000 for incidentals.
Sorry, they're all in hundreds.
The hundreds aren't the problem. I just... I don't paint anymore.
Whose business was it what I did with my life?
Who'd gotten my life in order? Me. I was in control.
And everything I wanted, I had.
Ms. Dinsmoor? Are cocktails ready, Thomas?
No, it's me. It's Finn.
- I came... Looking for Estella.
- That hook is in deep, isn't it, dear? - I came to ask you a question.
After nearly 10 years without a word, without a visit...
...you've come to interrogate me. How interesting.
- I'm sorry. Things happened. - The love of your life left you.
It hurts, doesn't it? Come closer.
I've gone red.
- I noticed. It's nice. - And look at you.
All grown up. A man.
Ms. Dinsmoor, a lawyer named Ragno came to see me.
- The spider. - Do you know him?
"Ragno" means "spider" in Italian. You must learn other languages.
He represents an art gallery owner in New York who wants to show my work.
You can draw. Can't dance worth a shit, but you can draw.
Did you know anything about this?
- Estella is in New York. - I doubt our paths will cross.
- So you're going? - Should I?
I remember watching you from that very window.
Scared little mouse scurrying across my garden and through my front door.
Now another door opens. What will our mouse do?
- I expect an invitation. - I'm sorry?
To your opening, your show.
- What equipment are you flying? - What?
Is it a wide body or a 767?
I've no idea, I just hope it stays up there.
- You'd better get on. - Yeah.
What happens if I get up there and I can't deliver?
Finn. There's nothing harder than being given your chance.
- At least that's what I hear. - Yeah?
Taxi!
- Have you got change for a dollar? - What?
Fuck you! Fuck you! Fuck you, man! Fuck you!
Well, then, there I was.
Ms. Dinsmoor, as my secret benefactor, sent me to New York to draw.
To have the girl, to have it all.
And I looked out on the great city, as so many before, which held it all.
And it was that close, and it was mine.
"Liebchen, guten Morgen." Are you still holding the red and green Picasso?
I think I have somebody interested. No, I can't say right now.
Just the Picasso. Fabelhaft. Danke.
Here's where you show me your work, darling.
- I told you, I don't have any. - Then you'd better get busy.
Why am I here? You saw some slides?
I gave Keith Haring a show after he drew a sketch in my hand.
But which paintings did you like?
I saw the beginning of something, and here you are.
Annette, Sotheby's.
What you do is up to you. Stay and paint or enjoy the sights and go home.
Either way, I always enjoy meeting a young painter.
Look, I mean, I'll do it.
I said that I'll do the paintings.
Wonderful. Call Marcy when you have something for us.
And I could still draw.
Nothing had lessened it as much as I had abused it, abandoned it.
It was a gift, and it was still mine.
And everything else was less real.
What can it mean? That picture of the world.
But when it's true, we recognize it in ourselves, in others.
We recognize it, like love, completely undeserved.
You're drooling.
So, Finn Bell. In New York.
That's right.
I thought I saw you last Christmas. I was driving down 5th.
I just got here.
Actually, now that I see you, this guy was bigger.
- He's bigger. - Fatter.
- He had long hair. - You thought it was me?
- I hadn't seen you in years. - It has been a while.
And here we are.
- I have to run. - Wait, maybe we could...
Tomorrow at the Borough Club around 6. I'm meeting some friends.
If you're free, that is.
I'm free.
I'm glad you're here.
A long time ago there lived two brilliant artists. True geniuses.
One day one of them was painting out in the forest...
... and he came upon this dog who was crying, obviously lost.
A puppy. Yes, sure. A puppy, fine.
He couldn't concentrate anyway, so he scooped the puppy up...
... and took him into town to find its owner...
... who turned out to be the prince of the kingdom...
... who was eternally grateful and very wealthy.
That artist's name was Michelangelo. True story.
The other artist's name was... Nobody knows, he was never heard from again.
Right, that's so true, Walter.
Can I smoke?
- It's your last one. - That's all right.
So you... Cigarette, please. You're from Florida too?
- Yes. - Everybody is from Florida.
I'm not, I hate Florida. Too much sun.
Really?
Actually, Finn was my childhood...
What were you exactly?
He was my first love.
If that's what you say.
He painted a beautiful portrait of me when I was 10.
I sat for a portrait once. Electric.
You sucked off de Kooning!
- I'd like to paint you again. - Would you?
I want to paint your portrait.
- What do you think, sweetheart? Me?
Well, gee.
Do you charge by the inch or by the hour?
- What? - How do you price your art?
By its size, square footage, or the time it takes to make...
...the art?
I've actually never sold a painting.
Excuse me, sir! Please, sir. Excuse me, sir.
That's a club jacket you have on, this is your jacket.
Let me help you.
Thank you.