CLOSER [2004]

If You Believe In Love At First Sight, 

You Never Stop Looking

 Dan: You've never left somebody you still love?

Alice: No.

Anna: Is your heroine based on someone you know?

Dan: Yes, she's someone called Alice.

Anna: How does she feel about you stealing her life?

Dan: Borrowing her life.

I'm dedicating the book to her. She's pleased.

 Dan: She's too young.

She works in a cafe near here. She's coming to meet me.

Anna: Why are you wasting her time?

Dan: You're judgmental.

Anna: You're devious.

Dan: I'm not wasting her time.

She's completely lovable, and completely unleavable.

Anna: And you don't want someone else getting their dirty hands on her.

Men are crap.

Dan: But all the same...

Anna: ... they're still crap.

Larry: But why would he pretend to be you?

Anna: I think he likes me.

Larry: Funny way of showing it.

Can't he send you flowers?

Alice: I'm waiting for you.

Dan: To do what?

Alice: Leave me.

Dan: I'm not gonna leave you. I totally love you.

Why won't you let me love you?

~Alice

 It's a lie.

It's a bunch of sad strangers photographed beautifully, 

and all the glittering assholes who appreciate art say it's beautiful

because that's what they want to see.

But the people in the photos are sad and alone.

But the pictures make the world seem beautiful

so the exhibition's reassuring, which makes it a lie.

And everyone loves a big, fat lie.

~Alice

Dan: Look at me. Tell me you're not in love with me.

Anna: I'm not in love with you.

Larry: I had a chat with young Alice.

Anna: Fancy her?

Larry: Of course, not as much as you.

Anna: Why not?
Larry: You're a woman, she's a girl.

She has the moronic beauty of youth, but she's sly.

Anna: She seems open to me.

Larry: Yeah, that's how she wants to seem.

You forget you're dealing with a clinical observer of the human carnival.

Anna: Am I, now?

Larry: Oh, yeah.

Anna: You seem more like the cat that got the cream. Stop licking yourself.

Larry: That's the nastiest thing you've ever said to me.

Dan: I'm sorry.

Alice: Irrelevant. What are you sorry for?

Dan: Everything.

Alice: Why didn't you tell me before?

Dan: Cowardice.

Alice: Is it because she's successful?

Dan: No. It's because she doesn't need me.

Alice: Did you bring her here?

Dan: Yes.

Alice: Didn't she get married?

Dan: She stopped seeing me.

Alice: Is that when we went to the country? To celebrate our 3rd anniversary?

[Dan nod]

Did you phone her? Beg her to come back?

When you went for your long, lonely walks?

Dan: Yes.

Alice: You're a piece of shit!

Dan: Deception is brutal.

I'm not pretending otherwise.

Alice: How? How does it work? How do you do this to someone?

[Dan shrug]

Not good enough!

Dan: I fell in love with her, Alice.

Alice: Oh, as if you had no choice?

There's a moment. There's always a moment.

"I can do this, I can give in to this, or I can resist it."

And I don't know when your moment was, but I bet you there was one.

I'm going.

Dan, holds the door: It's not safe out there.

Alice: Oh, and it's safe in here?

Dan: What about your things?

Alice: I don't need things.

Dan: Where will you go?

Alice: Disappear.

Alice: Dan, can I still see you?

Dan: I can't see you. If I see you, I'll never leave you.

Alice: What will you do if I find someone else?

Dan: Be jealous.

Alice: You still fancy me.

Dan: Of course.

Alice: You're lying. I've been you.

[start sobbing] Will you hold me?

[Dan hugs her] I amuse you, but I bore you.

Dan: No, no...

Alice: You did love me?

Dan: I'll always love you. I hate hurting you.

Alice: Then why are you?

Dan: Cause I'm selfish.

And I think I'll be happier with her.

Alice: You won't. You'll miss me.

No one will ever love you as much as I do.

Why isn't love enough?

I'm the one who leaves. I'm supposed to leave you. I'm the one who leaves.

Larry: Are you leaving me, because of this?

Anna: Dan.

Larry: Cupid? He's our joke.

Anna: I love him.

Larry: You're seeing him now?

Since when?

Anna: Since my opening last year.

I'm disgusting.

Larry: You're phenomenal. You're so clever.

Why did you marry me?

Anna: I stopped seeing him. I wanted us to work.

Larry: Why did you tell me you wanted children?

Anna: Because I did.

Larry: And now you want children with him?

Anna: Yes. I don't know.

Larry: But, we're happy... aren't we?

You're gonna go and live with him?

Anna: You stay here if you want.

Larry: Oh, look, I don't give a fuck about the spoils.

You did this to me the day that we met.

You let me hang myself for your amusement.

Why didn't you just tell me the second I walked through the door?

Anna: I was scared.

Larry: You're coward, you spoilt bitch.

Are you dressed cause you thought I might hit you?

What do you think I am?

Anna: I've been hit before.

Larry: Not by me.

Is he a good fuck?

Anna: Don't do this.

Larry: Just answer the question. Is he good?

Anna: Yes.

Larry: Better than me?

Anna: Different.

Larry: Better?

Anna: Gentler.

Larry: What does that mean?

Anna: You know what it means.

Larry: Tell me. I treat you like a whore?

Anna: Sometimes.

Larry: Why would that be?

Anna: I'm sorry, you're...

Larry: Don't say it!

Don't you fucking say, "You're too good for me."

I am, but don't say it.

You're making the mistake of your life.

You're leaving me because you believe that you don't deserve happiness, but you do, Anna.

Larry: Come home with me. It's safe. Let me look after you.

Alice: I don't need looking after.

Larry: Everyone needs looking after.

Alice: I'm not your revenge fuck.

Larry: I'll pay you.

Alice: I don't need your money.

Larry: Alice, tell me something true.

Alice: Lying is the most fun a girl can have without taking her clothes off, 

but it's better if you do.

Larry: You're cold. You're all cold at heart.

I'll sign on one condition.

We skip this.

We go to my sleek new surgery and we christen the patients' bed with our final fuck.

I know you don't want to, and I know you think I'm sick for asking, but that's what I'm asking.

For old times' sake.

Because I'm obsessed with you.

Because I can't get over you unless...

Because I think, on some small level, you owe me something for deceiving me so exquisitely.

For all these reasons, I am begging you to give me your body.

You'd be my whore.

And in return, I will pay you with your liberty.

You do this, I swear I will not contact you again.

~Larry

Dan: What do you expect me to do?

Anna: Understand.

Dan: Why didn't you lie to me?

Anna: Because we said we'd always tell each other the truth.

Dan: What's so great about the truth?

Try lying for a change. It's the currency of the world.

Dan: I want Anna back.

Larry: She's made her choice.

Dan: I owe you an apology. I fell in love with her.

My intention was not to make you suffer.

Larry: So where's the apology, you cunt?

Dan: I apologize.

If you love her, you'll let her go so she can be happy.

Larry: She doesn't want to be happy.

Dan: Everybody wants to be happy.

Larry: Depressives don't.

They want to be unhappy to confirm they're depressed.

If they were happy, they couldn't be depressed any more.

They'd have to go out into the world and live, which can be depressing.

Dan: Anna's not a depressive.

Larry: Isn't she?

Dan: I love her.

Larry: Boo-hoo, so do I.

Dan: She's gone back to you because she can't bear your suffering.

You don't know who she is.

You love her like a dog loves its owner.

Larry: And the owner loves the dog for so doing.

Dan: You'll hurt her. You'll never forgive her.

Larry: Of course I forgive her. I have forgiven her.

Without forgiveness we're savages.

You're drowning.

Dan: You only met her because of me.

Larry: Yeah, thanks.

Dan: It's a joke. Your marriage is a joke.

Larry: Here's a good one.

She never sent the divorce papers to her lawyer.

Now, to a towering romantic hero like you, I don't doubt I am somewhat common.

But I am, nevertheless, what she has chosen, and we must respect what the woman wants.

If you go near her again, I swear I will kill you.

I didn't do it to give her a nice time.

I fucked her to fuck you up.

A good fight is never clean.

She enjoyed it.

As you know, she loves a guilty fuck.

~Larry

Alice: This is the moment of your life.

Dan: You were perfect.

Alice: I still am.

I would have loved you forever.

~Alice

Dan: I love you.

Alice: Where?

Dan: What?

Alice: Show me. Where is this love?

I can't see it. I can't touch it. I can't feel it.

I can hear it. I can hear some words, but I can't do anything with your easy words.

Whatever you say, it's too late.

*****