They Wait (2007)

[bunniefuu]

- Oh I'm sorry, did I scare you?

- No.

- I think lights out technically means

the lights have to be out.

And you, under the covers.

Sweet dreams.

- Don't.

- Sammy it's late.

What's wrong?

- Do you believe in ghosts?

- Um, I like ghost stories.

- It's ghost month now.

- Ghost what?

- Ghost month, actually
in Mandarin it's called

Hungry Ghost Month.

It's a time of the year
when the dead can eat you.

- You know that you're too
young for those comics.

- It's not the comics,
Susie Chang told me.

- Well ghosts don't eat you.

- They do, Susie Chang
says if you don't give them

sacrifices they'll eat you.

- Susie Chang likes to scare you.

- Susie's grandma didn't
give them sacrifices,

and they found her with
half her face missing.

They say a demon bit it right off.

- Okay that's too much,
I'm calling Mrs Chang.

- No!

- That girl has got you
scared half to death.

- I'll be fine, please don't call.

- You want Reggie, he'll protect you.

- I'm not scared.

- Okay big guy.

Lights please.

- Way, yes.

What?

When?

Of course I'm coming, tell
aunt Mei that I'm coming, yes.

- What is it?

- Uncle Raymond died.

- Oh no.

- Yeah I need too... I need to go home.

But I've got meetings all week.

- Jason.

That man raised you, you have to go.

- Yeah I know.

I'm sorry babe, I just...

- We'll go with you.

- No, no, no, no.

- You're not gonna handle this alone.

- We'll help you daddy.

- Come here.

Thanks buddy.

- Dad, are those
sacrifices for the dead.

- Yeah, how'd you know?

- Kids at school told me.

- What's she doing?

- It's what the call hell
money for the spirits.

It's supposed to be ghost month.

It's an old superstition.

- What if it's real?

Should we burn money for Uncle Raymond?

- No honey, I don't think
that that's necessary.

- You know bud Uncle
Raymond loved money so much,

I don't think he'd like to see it burned.

- Are all these
people here for Uncle Raymond?

- Yeah he did a lot for everyone.

You know from the beginning he made jobs,

formed the benevolent society,

helped anyone who needed it.

He always gave back that's
why they're still stuck

living down here after all these years.

- I had no idea.

- You grew up in here?

- I sure did.

You should have seen it when
the factory was still open.

Busiest place in China Town,
my friends were all jealous.

- Why?

- You could play hide and seek all day

and never be found.

Let's go check it out, come on.

- This is no place for children.

- Sammy, there you are.

- Oh so, this is Sam, you must be Sarah.

How nice to finally meet you.

- Hi, I'm sorry, I don't...

- Sheng Wu, Raymond's partner in crime.

- Oh yes.

- You are even lovelier
then your wedding pictures.

- Thank you.

Sammy, this is daddy's uncle Sheng

who worked with Uncle Raymond.

- You're such a big boy.

I think I scared him.

- Uncle Xiang.
- Hey Jason.

- Hi, good to see you.

- You have a lovely family.

- Thank you.

- So the bone collector is
dead, the end of an era.

- Yeah, Uncle Raymond was a great man.

- Jason, I'm gonna take him for a walk

he's getting kinda squirly.

- Okay.
- Okay.

- See you in a bit.

- You wanna go explore hun?

- Yeah.
- Yeah.

It was nice to meet you.

- Bye-bye.
- Take care.

You okay.

Excuse me.

- I'm sorry.

It's the lady from Shanghai.

- The man with the golden lens.

- Oh you look great.
- Thanks.

- This must be the heir to the throne.

- This is Blake, mommy's friend.

We used to work together at the newspaper.

- Hello.
- Hi.

- Nice to meet you young man.

- Thanks.

- Are you back?

- We're here for Jason's uncles funeral.

What are you sh**ting?

- Spook month or whatever they call it.

Touring for a day and a half,
and as usual I got nadda.

- Can we go?
- Sure.

He's right, we should probably go.

My head is splitting.

Do you know of a drug store around here?

- Yeah, right around the corner.

It's good to see you.
- It's good to see you too.

Take care huh.
- Yeah, you too.

- Okay bye.
- Bye.

Let's go.

- Hello.

- Do you have any ibuprofen?

- Yes, right back that way in the corner.

- I'll be right back, okay.

- Okay.

- Hi.
- Hi.

- You like ghosts?

- Yeah.

- You know what season this is?

- Hungry ghost month.

- That's right.

You even know the proper name for it.

Do you wanna hear a secret?

- Sure.

- All those offerings,
the fruit, the cakes,

burning money, you know
about that stuff right?

- Yeah.

- Doesn't count for much,
you wanna know what ghosts

really like to eat?

- What?

- Children.

- Don't worry, it's gone.

- Was that a ghost?

- A yuragi, a demon.

Angry ghosts can become demons,

that's why we try to
make peace with the dead.

This time of year when the dead
walk the world of the living

those who can see them,
they must be most careful.

- Why can't everyone see ghosts?

- Most people just feel the fear,

but to see it takes a special kind,

a very sensitive soul.

- Hi, do you have
something for a headache,

your associate said it was back here

but I couldn't find anything.

- Oh I see, the gift was
passed from mother to son.

- What gift?

- For your headache make tea from this,

boiled with fish head.

- Um, thanks,

I'm not really a tea person.

Do you have anything like
Advil or Tylenol or something?

- Taking pills for what
ails you this time of year

is like using straw to build a skyscraper.

- Okay.

We've gotta go, thank you for your help.

- Wait.

You are here for the bone collector?

- For Raymond Xi's funeral.

How did you know?

- If it gets too much come see me,

my door is always open.

- Thanks.

- You want this?

- Thank you auntie.

- Tomorrow I'm going to market,

I can get whatever you like.

You must be use to Chinese food,

or you are really sick of it.

- Oh no, no, no, this is great.

- We're fine, don't worry about us.

- Of course I worry, with your uncle,

if I didn't worry we'd
be living in the street.

Don't you like it, you
want something else?

- Please try it Sammy, you know the rule,

you have to at least try it once.

- She wants to know if you like duck?

- He loves duck.

- You don't speak Chinese?

- He speaks a few words.

- All this time in Shanghai,
he doesn't speak Chinese.

- He goes to the International Academy.

It's an excellent school,
and we wanted him to have

good language skills for
when we move back home.

- I see.

- This is delicious.

- The spice is delicious.

- Sarah.
- Are you all right?

- I'm, I'm fine, my
head, I'll be right back.

- Are you all right mommy?

- I'm fine honey, you just eat.

- What's wrong with her?

- Sometimes she gets migraines,
let me go check on her.

Mommy's fine buddy, eat your food.

- You want to know a secret?

There's ice cream for dessert.

- God damn it I can't
get a signal in here.

- It was bizarre, I
didn't just feel nauseous,

it was like the food moved.

- Let's just get some sleep.

- This whole place feels weird.

It's creepy.

Can you feel it?

- What's weird is being in
my old room, with a girl

in my bed.

- Your Aunt Mei still hasn't changed.

She still can't stand me.

- That's not true.

- Oh please, you heard that.

All these years in Shanghai,

and he still doesn't speak Chinese?

- Well she's kinda got a point.

- You said that we would
be in China for a year,

two at the most, we agreed
that an English school

made sense, you didn't want him come back

with lousy language skills remember?

- Sarah.

- But what's the God damn point?

You don't even care if we ever come back.

- Hey, easy, baby, I'm sorry.

Look I know it's been tough on you.

The Shanghai office is almost ready,

and we'll come home soon I promise.

Do you trust me?

- Why do they call Uncle
Raymond the bone collector?

- Back in the day he used
to take immigrants bones

back to China for reburial.

- Why?

- Another old superstition.

They believe that unless
your bones are buried

near your ancestors
your spirit can't rest.

- Just the bones?

- Yeah.

After seven years he'd dig them up,

clean them off, do this whole
ceremony, him and uncle Xiang.

I think it was the most important thing

the benevolent society did when they first

started up here.

- Why didn't you ever tell me any of this?

- Happened way before I was born.

They never really talked about it much.

- Some family history.

- We all have our skeletons.

- Yeah, yours were just real.

Good one.

Good night.

Hello.

Reggie?

- Sam!

Sam!

Sam!

Sam!

It's okay, it's okay honey.

It's okay baby, I got you.

- What's happening mommy?

- I think you're just sleep
walking sweetie, it's okay.

Come on, up to bed, up to bed come on.

Come on.

- I can't go mommy.

- Why not sweetie?

- I have to work, lots of work to do.

- I think you're still
sleeping sweetheart.

Just close your eyes.

- I can't, lots of work to do or else.

- How's Sam?

- Sleeping.

Poor thing.

I can't believe neither of you woke up,

he was screaming his lungs out.

- I'm sorry, I took my sleeping pills.

- I don't care what the contract says,

we're on the hook for the whole amount.

I know it's easier in
person, I'm at a funeral

for Christ sakes.

Yeah I'll call you back.

- They can't manage
for a week without you?

- Apparently not.

- You can go, I'm okay.

- No auntie, it's too soon,
we're not going anywhere.

- Business comes first,
Raymond always say that.

We need some juice.

- I'll go.

- No, no, I need to see the
sun, I'll be right back.

- I'm screwed, the
timing couldn't be worse.

- Just go, we'll stay
and I'll help her out.

- I can't leave you alone
with Sam while he's sick.

- He's not sick, he
was just sleep walking.

- Well he's never sleep walked before.

- Well he's never had jet lag
before, or seen a dead person.

He's got a lot on his mind.

- You sure?

- We'll be fine.

- You're the best, I'm gonna go pack okay.

- Yeah.

- Oh God.

I'm sorry, I didn't see you there.

- Still sleeping?

- I think that he's running a fever.

Is there a trick to opening
the window in there,

it's stuck and it's gotten kinda stuffy?

- I will do it.

- Oh no that's all right.

- Sarah, why don't you go lie down,

you were up all night.

I'll watch over him.

- Maybe I'll go take a shower, thank you.

Get away from me witch.

- You do speak Chinese, you lied to me.

- I'm not the liar, you are.

- What kind of boy fools an old lady?

- What kind of old lady fools herself?

- Mommy, I don't feel so good.

- Oh my God.

Oh my God, what happened to your arms.

Mei, Mei, Mei, call 911.

And his arms, I don't know
he was down in the basement.

There used to be a factory there,

he might have gotten into something.

But he was fine, he
was just sleep walking.

- Okay man, can
I get some space please.

- How is he?

- He's still not responding.

- Why, he was perfectly healthy child?

- It's really too early to tell ma'am.

We're running a series of tests.

- What about his arms, his arms?

- You said he was playing
at an industrial site,

could there have been any inks or dyes?

- He was in my basement,
there hasn't been dye

in that place for over 40 years.

- When's he gonna wake up?

- In cases like these it's
really impossible to predict.

We'll have some preliminary
results tomorrow.

- Can I see him?

- A nurse will come get
you in a little while.

We're going to get you
and your son through this.

- Thank you.

- Come on Sarah, let's go.

- Jason, Jason hold on.

Jason, my God, you've gotta come back.

Something terrible...

Jason, hello.

Hello.

Damn it.

Help, help!

- What's the problem?

- Problem?

I'm not making this up.

- Mrs Xi, you might wanna get some rest.

You can't stay here every night.

- Something is wrong,

something very wrong is happening here.

- Of course there's something wrong,

your little boy is sick.

- I know that he is sick.

Why can't you people tell
me what's wrong with him?

What is happening to my son?

- We're doing everything
that we can, we really are.

- I'm sorry, I just...

- It's okay,
you've gotta let it out.

Sometimes it just gets to be too much.

- I'm gonna go for a walk.

Any change.

Any change you call me, please.

- Of course.
- Of course.

- I love you.

You said,

you said if it got to be
too much I could come here.

- Where did you get this?

- I found it in front of my son.

He was sleep walking.

- This is a grave box.

- A what?

- The bones of the deceased
were shipped back to China

in these.

One person to a box.

- Is this made of lead?

Or something toxic?

- There, her name was Shen
Liu from Quang Dong province,

she was 17 when she died.

- The girl.

- You have seen her?

- I keep having these em,

waking nightmares.

- Those of us who see, when
we dream we are more awake

then ever, let me show you something.

I record my dreams, trying
to learn what the world

beyond this world has to tell me.

Here, when I first saw
your boy I recognized him.

I had that dream one year ago.

- What have you done with my son?

- I'm not your enemy.

- What have you done to him?

- From what you described
I fear the spirit have him.

His linghun, his soul.

- I'm sorry.

I can't believe I did that.

- You are confused, frightened.

A mother desperate for her child.

This is natural.

- Even if I were to believe any of this,

what am I supposed to do?

- Find out what the spirits want from you.

This girl Shen Liu, if
this is her grave box

then where are her bones?

It is said that if ones
bones are not buried

near ones ancestors
the spirit cannot rest.

- So I have to find her bones?

- Perhaps, ask Raymond Xi's wife.

In the old days many
young girls came to work

at their factory.

- Okay.

- You should hurry, a
childs soul is very fragile.

- Thank you.

- Hey Sarah hello.

- Hello.

- I'm so sorry about your boy.

- Thank you.

- This is Ben Lee, an old associate.

- Hi.
- Hello.

- Sit down, please.

- What's that?

- This may sound strange
but was there a girl

who worked at the factory in the old days

by the name of Shen, Shen Liu.

- I can't remember, we have
many girls working for us.

It was 40, 50 years ago.

- Were he bones left behind?

- Her what?

- Uncle Raymond, the benevolent society,

you shipped the bones back to China,

were any bones left behind?

- Sarah, the Chinese
benevolent society stopped

the shipping of bones many years ago.

The communists came to power
and closed the borders,

even to the deceased.

Many peoples bones were left behind.

- What happened to them?

- They stayed buried, we
stopped exhuming the bodies.

- Thank you.

- What do the doctors say about Sam?

- Still no change.

Were there any files kept
on the workers, any records?

I remember seeing some
filing cabinets downstairs.

- We threw all them out years ago.

- Do you mind if I go and poke around.

- No!
- No!

- Why is there a new
lock on the factory door?

- Because of what happened to Sam.

I worry there are dangerous
chemicals still down there.

- Then what is the truck doing outside,

if you don't want anyone down there,

what are they letting in?

- They work for me, Mrs Xi is allowing me

to store some supplies in the warehouse.

I'm sorry ladies, we must be off.

Sarah.

- What are you hiding from me?

- Sarah!

- I understand that the
stress you must be under,

for your sons sake you
should get some rest.

- Why are you insulting our guests?

What's wrong with you?

- Can I please go down
and check the records?

- There are no records, who
keeps records for 50 years?

- I got your message, a coma.

I should never have left, I love you.

Hang in there okay, I'm
getting on a plane now

and I'll see you soon.

- Hey.

- Hey, let me guess you changed you mind,

you wanna come back to work?

I could use a stringer.

- I need your help.

- I'm your man.

- Do you know where I can get the records

of immigrants who used
to work at a factory

back in the 40s?

- Are you working on a story?

- I just need the info, please.

- Okay, I'll give it a try.

What's the name of the company?

- Jason's uncle used to
own a garment factory

in Chinatown, Xi Fabrics or something.

- A garment factory in...

I don't think they kept records like that.

- What do you mean, there
had to be payroll records,

immigration papers, something.

- Think about it Sarah,
a Chinese garment factory

in the 40s, 50s.

That's girls off the longboat from China,

there's definitely not
gonna be any records.

- You mean a sweat shop?

- I don't wanna malign
your relatives but...

Hold on, hold on they had
a shipping company too.

Xi Imports right.

- Yeah.

- I swear to God I'm going blind.

Here we go, complaints to the labor board.

But the workers wouldn't testify,

that was in 1949.

There was another
investigation done in the 70s,

allegations of smuggling.

Insufficient evidence,
all charges were dropped.

- Was it drugs?

- Animal parts.

- Animal parts?

- Yeah around here it
would be bears mostly.

I did a piece on it a few years ago.

Bear paws are huge delicacies in China,

they make them into soup.

- That's disgusting.

- Yeah well it gets worse.

They use bear bile in their
traditional medicines.

They stick a catheter into
the bears gall bladder,

and siphon out all the bile, nasty stuff.

Hell on the bear.

- That's awful, why would
Jason's uncle be involved

in anything like that?

- It's ill*gal, it's worth a fortune,

if you can get it back to China.

- Jason?

Yes this is Sam's mother.

Oh my God, I'll be right there.

What happened?

- We had to get him into
surgery, his heart is failing.

- What?

- Dr. Kent is with him,
we'll get him through this.

Let me get you some water.

- Sam!

- Mrs Xi.

Are you okay?

You really should sit down.

You need to take care of yourself.

- I'm fine, I'm fine.

- I'll go check on his progress.

- This is not real, this is a nightmare.

This is not real.

- Your boy is getting worse yes.

It makes sense, ghost month
ends tomorrow at dawn.

- Enough.

- Once the sun rises the
tie between our world

and theirs will be broken
and your son will be lost.

- Stop it.

- I cannot let a child perish.

- Then do something.

- There is something you can
try, but it's very dangerous.

- What?

- Come with me.

Standing here, waiting,
does it help your boy?

The sacrifices we make on the
street are mere decoration.

They allow the living
the illusion of safety.

When we want something from the spirits

we must sacrifice something precious.

This time of year the realms
of the living and the dead

intersect and the world
is thrown into madness.

Angry spirits driven by vengeance

are at the height of their power.

But you have no choice, if
you want to save your son

you must face them now.

This will protect you, as will these.

- What's what?

- You'll take it with you.

- Where am I going?

- Unhappy spirits are trapped
where they suffered most.

Hurry, you only have until sunrise.

You will see with the eyes of the dead

but don't let them touch you.

They cannot touch you unless you allow it.

Don't allow it, or they
will trap you in their world

like they did your son.

The angriest spirits become
demons, they are devious

and come in all forms.

The orange is for the guardian demon

to buy yourself entrance.

The drum will call the dead.

Tap it only once.

And the final step, the
needle holds a poison

that will bring you to the brink of death

to see as the dead do, you must join them.

- I can't do it.

- Sarah!

- Jason, thank God you're here.

- What are you doing?

- Trying to save Sammy.

- Is Sam here?
- No.

- Come on, I'll help you.

Let's go, we've gotta get to the hospital.

You're pretty smart for a woman.

- Shen?

Hey!

I come to you tonight.

- Uncle Raymond.

- And
now live from the studio

the hit you've been waiting for.

- Raymond, I
think this one is done.

- Good they're
expecting the shipment tomorrow.

- Are you spying on us?

- You never sent the bones.

You smuggled the bear parts instead.

- I knew this one would be trouble.

- How can you do this,
the bones must go home.

- Let's send your bones home.

- No, please I won't tell.

- Raymond, do we trust her?

- Raymond please.

- Shut up, I'm Mr. Xi to you.

She won't talk, look at her.

- You say one word, I
will cut your tongue out

and make you eat it, understand?

Get back to work.

- We can't trust her,
she would have talked.

- We have to move her.

- We can't move her now,
wait till it gets dark.

- She can help, she made the mess.

She can clean it up.

- Mommy?

- Come here, let's go.

- Sarah, relax.

Sarah, relax, relax.

- Get them off me.
- Sarah you're okay.

- Get them off.

Listen the doctors want to make sure

you don't try and hurt
yourself again okay.

- You don't understand,
we have to save Sam.

- Sweetheart, the doctors are
doing everything they can,

okay.

- What time is it?

- It's like 3:30 in the
morning, you need to rest.

- We still have time, we still have time.

He said until sunrise.

- Who said that?

- Shall we call the doctor?

- Ask her.

Ask her about the bones.

- What bones?

- What did you do with the bones Mei.

You didn't send any of
them back to China did you.

- I'm upsetting her.

- Sarah.

- It wasn't enough that
you worked them to death,

you didn't have the decency
to lay them to rest.

- I'll go check on Sam.

- Stay away.

Don't let her near him.

Listen to me, listen to me.

Your aunt and your uncle,
they ran a sweatshop

and they k*lled a girl.

- What are you talking about?

- Shen Liu, her name was Shen Liu.

She saw what they did and they k*lled her.

- Sarah listen to yourself.

- The girls spirit has Sam.

We have until sunrise to bind her bones

or we'll never get our boy back.

- Sarah.

I love you.

I'm gonna go check on Sam,
I'm gonna go check on him

myself okay, I'll be right back.

- Don't leave me.

Don't.

Take me with you.

- It may be a matter
of hours, I'm very sorry.

- Who is Shen Liu?

- What did you say?

- Shen Liu, did she work for you?

- A lot of people worked for us.

- Okay, okay aunt Mei well then

what did we pay the
people who worked for us?

- Why would you ask such a thing?

- Because I wanna know.

I wanna know if any of them moved on,

went to school, started
their own businesses.

- Enough, those people worshiped us.

They did what they were told,
and they were grateful for it.

- Really.

So you did run a sweatshop.

And what about Sarah, my wife?

What else did she say that was true?

I don't know what to do.

- I need you to trust me.

Please?

They're still doing it.

- Shouldn't you be at the hospital?

- What the hell's going on here?

- Don't be an idiot, it's just a business.

- Yeah but that's my company.

You've been using me.

- They walled it up.

There was a room back there
where they dumped the bones.

- Your woman is crazy.

- Easy.

- Hey what are you doing.

- Tell me how we get in there.

- There is nothing to see.

- What have you done?

- Sarah move.

- You have your bones,
will this save your son?

- Sam?

Well send you home.

Please, can we have our son back?

Let's go.

- I don't know what to
say, it's a miracle.

- Can we go home now?