[atmospheric music plays]
[Ethan] That moment in 1969
still haunts me.
Apollo 11 astronauts
Armstrong and Aldrin
had strapped
into the lunar module Eagle
to begin their final descent.
At the Sea of Tranquility,
Armstrong improvised,
manually piloting the ship
past several boulders
and avoiding certain tragedy.
During the final seconds,
the Eagle's computer
blared alarms.
Aldrin ignored them.
[astronauts talking
indistinctly on radio]
At 4:17 p.m. EDT,
with 30 seconds of fuel
remaining,
Armstrong brought her home
and said,
"Houston, Tranquility Base
here.
The Eagle has landed."
[Ethan] During the first
COVID spring,
without even realizing it,
I was counting down myself.
Waiting for
the last-second heroic call
that would sh**t me
back to sanity.
[suspenseful music playing]
[music crescendos]
-[music stops]
-[indistinct conversations]
-[girl 1 laughs]
-[girl 2] Shh, shh, shh.
[students laugh]
No PowerPoint?
Figured I'd use my finger.
[chuckles]
Like-- like this,
and this, and that, and...
-[students laughing]
-Yeah, sorry.
Sorry.
[Antonio] Yeah, um,
our report is about
the bussing crisis
in the old days
of s-- segregation.
And hey, you know,
I actually own a bus.
[scoffs] It's what you call it,
a perfect fit.
[students laughing]
We named it
the Magic Bus...
because...
-magic things can happen...
-[students snickering]
in, um, a...
-Antonio?
-Yeah.
I never-- never--
never mind, um...
What were we?
-[Antonio] sh*t, uh...
-Name of the article?
It Was Never About Bussing.
We'll need your handout.
-Uh, yeah.
-[papers rustling]
Wait.
Lita, did I give it to you?
-I think I gave it to you.
-Shut up, I gave it to you.
-No, I can't do it.
-You've seen it all the time.
[Antonio laughs]
Uh, one sec.
I think we might have,
uh, misplaced it,
or something, like...
-[Antonio] sh*t.
-[students snickering]
[Ethan] Well...
[students laughing]
It's funny.
-This is funny.
-[Antonio] Uh, uno momento.
I said that it was funny,
not that you could have
more time.
-[students] Ooh.
-[boy] Wow.
No, I'm-- look, um, okay.
Let's just-- let's start over.
Let's start over.
[chuckles] Never happened.
Um, the name
of the story...
is...
-Goddammit, I just would--
-Yeah. We read the chapter.
I know it doesn't look like it,
but we did.
Um, hold-- hold, please.
Maybe by some miracle,
he did give it to me--
-Oh, my God, I got it.
-Oh.
-[Lita] Lo siento, we're ready.
-Good.
Unfortunately, we're not.
No, but-- but--
but-- we-- we read the--
we read the-- the story.
Which, in educated circles,
is called an article.
It's nice of you.
But the assignment was
to present it.
And without a PowerPoint
or a handout,
how are you going to do that?
-[both] We have the handout.
-Hmm.
That does indicate
a level of commitment.
Just not the right level.
[student laughing]
-sh*t.
-sh*t.
Was that "sh*t," as in,
"What an embarrassment,
sh*t."
Or I was thinking it was,
"sh*t, these guys
are trying to undermine
my whole class" sh*t.
Or, "I gotta stop them before
my entire class loses its sh*t."
No, we're not doing--
no, Mr.--
Sit back down.
-[students gasping]
-Both of you.
Mr. Cole, you can't, um...
stop us from giving our report.
Sure I can.
I'm the professor.
At my office,
after class, both of you.
Next.
[students talking indistinctly]
-[Ethan] Next.
-[book thuds on table]
[student] We're all f*cked.
[bell ringing]
[students talking]
[whispering] We're fine.
I can't get in trouble. Okay?
I'll take Lita first.
Whoa, whoa.
We're not going in together?
In an interrogation,
you keep people separate,
so that their stories
don't match.
Right?
He's kidding.
I think.
On second thought...
I'll take
your boyfriend first.
-What the--
-It's fine, it's fine.
-[Antonio sighs deeply]
-Stay calm.
Okay? Okay?
[tense music plays]
Oh, sh*t.
[sighs]
[Lita's breathing quivers]
[loud thudding]
[Antonio and Ethan
struggling, grunting]
sh*t, sh*t.
-[both panting]
-Oh, my-- you f*cking--
What are you doing?
[music intensifies]
Oy, Antonio.
[music fades]
You people had me
chomping pencil lead again.
I've been there.
It's a tough habit to break.
I'm sorry.
This is serious.
Do you want to explain to me,
Antonio,
why you att*cked Mr. Cole?
First...
I shouldn't have.
There's no excuse.
But...
he...
I-- I-- I--
I just messed up bad.
Ethan.
We can still call
campus police.
It's your move.
It's been embarrassing enough.
Do you feel safe,
letting him back
in your classroom?
After about
a few weeks' break, of course.
What about me?
What about you, what?
What about me?
My-- my-- my safety?
[Tamara]
You're kidding, right?
No, I'm sorry,
I'm just--
I guess
I'm just being stupid today.
Anyway,
I'm not coming back.
-To class, I mean.
-[Ethan] That's not an answer.
Yeah, well...
I take another quiz,
I'm just gonna fail.
[Tamara] He will be disciplined,
Ethan, but, um,
maybe it's best
for everyone
if we don't involve
the police.
Let's just say bygones?
[Tamara] That's a professor
doing you a solid there,
Antonio.
Be back here at 8 a.m. tomorrow
for a wrap-up, please.
Thank you.
I can't wait.
We know what you mean.
-[door clicks shut]
-You in a hurry?
-I have another class.
-At 12:30.
[sighs] Tamara.
When are you going to stop
catching me at everything?
When you stop looking so guilty
and start lightening up.
But seriously,
how you doing?
Bruises, no cuts.
I can see that,
but what about
what I can't see?
Hey, what you can't see
can't hurt you.
Oh, come on.
Nobody believes that.
Yeah. True.
He says "In the age
of coronavirus..."
[scoffs] I just got out
of a two-hour meeting
on all things coronavirus.
-It was not fun.
-[Ethan groans]
But first things first.
How are you?
I never see you these days.
Oh, well, just getting jumped
by the occasional student.
-[Tamara scoffs]
-What is the corona update?
Keeping the doors open
for now,
we'll see
how things progress...
Oh, did you hear about
the two full-time positions?
I've heard rumblings.
Just like you to figure out
the strangest way
to show off
for the hiring committee.
-Unless I'm not applying.
-What? Wow!
For the fifth straight year?
Beginning to think
you don't like us.
It has nothing to do
with you guys.
That's what I'm afraid of.
[tense music plays]
Ethan...
ever since Marie,
you have been a little...
I mean...
maybe a little lost?
-Is there anything that--
-Yep.
Lesson plans await.
And I have to Google search
student uprisings
and the professors
that caused them.
Oh, well, I wouldn't want to
get in the way
of another
good Google search.
Tamara, I, um...
I appreciate your understanding
in this matter.
Ethan.
We have your back.
I just wish
I could convince you of that.
[door clicks shut]
[lock rattling]
[Ethan sighing]
"Appreciate your understanding
on this matter."
Jesus.
I call it a matter.
[somber music plays]
[Ethan]
Got your plowman,
your fisherman,
your shepherd.
And your soggy prince,
Icarus.
They're off
in the painting's right corner.
His thrashing legs, anyway.
Maybe I'm Icarus,
the self-centered god,
who flies
too close to the sun,
and drowns while the plowman,
the fisherman,
and the ship's sailors
go about their business.
[phone ringing]
Oh, uh-- [sniffles]
Hi, Tamara. Um...
[Tamara] Ethan?
Do you have a minute?
Yeah, um, look,
-I'm sorry about the--
-[Tamara] No.
-I'm not calling about that.
-Mmm. Okay.
[Tamara] So then,
there's a campus shutdown
-as of 6 p.m. Tonight.
-No...
[Tamara] Remote instruction,
until we hear otherwise.
Well, a remote instruction
sounds kind of like
an oxymoron, doesn't it?
-[Tamara] Yeah.
-Oh. Mm-hmm.
[Tamara] It's about the only
choice we have, you know?
[stammers]
Only way to land the plane.
-I understand.
-[Tamara] Sorry.
This is really going to
alter your syllabus.
[sighs] Yeah.
Curriculum changes ahead.
[Tamara] We're finishing up
some best practices.
-I was just thinking--
-Yeah, I'll check my email.
-[Tamara] Yeah, please.
-Mm-hmm.
[Tamara] Ethan, let us know
if there's anything else
we can do for you.
[sighs] Same to you, um...
[Tamara] Well.
I think that's about it.
-Yeah.
-[Tamara] Stay safe, my friend.
Yeah, take care.
[tense music plays]
f*ck.
-[machines beeping]
-[people talking indistinctly]
[newscaster 1] Coronavirus
is overwhelming every hospital.
[newscaster 2] Another
46 people have d*ed from it.
[newscaster 3] This is a serious
health situation in China.
[newscaster 4]
As the wave of sickness
appears to be following
the grim predictions.
[Ethan] The pandemic...
was the strangest
Mad Hatter ride.
Maybe the apt metaphor
is water-based.
Teachers were lost
on rapids of online education,
drowning in computer graphics,
rethinking...
everything.
Wait.
Houston,
an idea finally landed.
[calling tone ringing]
[Tamara] Mr. Cole!
What's up?
Okay, so, Apollo.
What was it about?
I feel like
this is a trick question,
but, uh, I'll play.
Landing on the Moon
for 500, Alex.
-Um, Ethan.
-Yes. No, no.
I-- I mean
more than that.
I mean, obviously,
the program's legacy
-is all tied up in--
-[Tamara] Careful.
I feel my feet
leaving the floorboards.
[chuckles] It's tied up
in our legacy
of can-do spirit.
We set out to achieve
an outlandish goal,
and we achieved it.
And that's what
we're about to do.
Achieve a national goal,
or land on the Moon?
Achieve a goal
with the pandemic.
Got it.
No, I completely lost it.
I'm like, Kanye West
levels of confused here.
[laughs] All right.
When America is faced
with a challenge,
-what do we do?
-[Tamara chuckles] Ethan.
Can I get the Concise Epiphany
for Dummies version of this?
I'm busy.
Uh, rewriting
my entire semester's syllabus,
just like everybody else.
What is the real history
of this country?
Oh, do you mean the one
with the friendly
Native Americans who've got
the colorful headdresses
and they helped serve
the Thanksgiving stuffing
piping hot?
-Or the one that--
-No, we show up.
When we are faced
with a challenge,
we solve it.
I mean, we've covering
the late 20th century
history anyway.
So, why not focus
on the Apollo program?
That's what I'm gonna do for
the remainder of the semester.
While still covering
the essential elements
of late
20th century history?
[groans]
With my eyes closed.
Now-- now, I mean, you know--
'Kay. Eyes closed.
Open, wide shut. Whatever.
I have faith in you, E-man.
Go to town. Bye.
[sighs]
Thank you, bye.
[phone beeps]
[heroic music plays]
[keyboard clacking]
[Ethan] In 500 years,
the 20th century
will be remembered
for space exploration.
Basically, the Apollo 11
Moon landing has no peers.
It was and is astonishing,
that we have forgotten
what a wild roll
of the dice it was.
We didn't have the equipment,
the technology, or the men.
We were unprepared
on almost every level
when the mission called,
asking everything
and offering not one single
guarantee of success.
Regardless, we dug down deep,
ignored every fear,
and sh*t past every failure
into orbit.
This is our track record.
We win
when the chips are down.
And this semester
will remind us
that big challenges
are second nature to Americans.
Students,
lofty aspirations
are what we do,
even when the goal lies
across time and space itself.
All right, that's it.
That's a start.
[newscaster] For the first
time,
three Americans rode
the Saturn 5 Moon rocket.
[suspenseful music plays]
[Ethan panting]
-Whoa.
-Hey. Hey, Mr. Cole.
What in the wild
flying f*ck of a world
are you doing here?
I see you still got
your way with words, Mister.
-Look, I just came here to talk.
-You don't have a mask.
-All right?
-Okay. Okay, one sec. One--
Jesus.
You shouldn't be here!
Look, I know this isn't cool.
[Ethan laughs] That doesn't even
begin to start.
Leave now
and we won't have to--
Look, I get it,
I get it, okay?
You-- it's, like,
the second time you've decided
whether or not you want to
call the cops on me?
Yeah, and that's two times
way too many.
M-- Mr. Cole.
I'm not here
to do anything bad.
Okay?
I'm not that kind of guy.
And I think you know that.
I know that you jumped me.
[scoffs] That's right.
But it ain't that simple,
is it?
How did you find out
where I live?
Well, in the days
of Google Maps search,
ain't that hard.
[scoffs] All right, this time,
I am calling the cops,
-All right?
-Whoa, whoa, whoa, hey.
Okay. I get it.
If that's what
you want to do...
you'll do it.
Quit saying that.
-Saying what?
-"I get it."
You don't get it, okay?
What?
-[Antonio] What?
-What do you want?
Mr. Cole, I want to know
if I should drop the class.
[Ethan laughing]
That's what emails are for.
-I guess that's true.
-That is true.
But what about
the other thing?
The presentation malpractice?
No.
In the office.
Between me and you.
What happened
and what was said?
You want to start
makin' sense at any time,
you go right ahead.
[scoffs]
Oh, but no big deal, I'm just--
hangin' out here with the guy
who slammed me into the ground.
No big.
But, you know,
I've got a class to teach, so...
So...
I should probably
just drop, then?
Listen, I'm just
surprised that you--
-I'm surprised.
-Yeah. I-- I-- I get it.
Sorry, I said it again.
I'm sorry
that I'm surprising you.
Is this really
all you're here for,
to decide
if you should drop?
Is that a difficult question?
That's why I'm here.
[Ethan sighs]
Good.
[Ethan sighs]
[Ethan scoffs]
Look, you gotta understand.
As a teacher,
I want what's best for you.
Okay?
[sighs] So, this...
this is a matter I'm gonna
leave to your better judgment.
I'm gonna drop.
I'm sorry to hear that.
Yeah, I bet you are.
What's that?
-You don't--
-You know, Mr. Cole...
I'm sorry I came here.
You're more than six feet,
it's fine.
-But don't--
-[Antonio] I know.
Don't come back.
[Ethan sighs]
f*ck.
[Ethan sighing]
[peaceful music playing]
[motorcycles rumbling]
[Lita] A waxing crescent,
little less than half.
25% illumination.
Mysterious one tonight.
I should tell him.
When he wakes up.
Probably won't, though.
[Lita sighs]
[keyboard clacking]
[Antonio grunts]
[Antonio sighs]
Uh, chica?
-[Antonio speaking Spanish]
-Sorry, just doing homework.
[Antonio] No.
-No?
-Mm-mmm. [chuckles]
Babe, you're jackhammering
my skull.
[Lita laughs]
Oh, Antonio, you sweet boy.
Where is the big
jackhammer hitting?
Well, for starters...
right here.
-Over here?
-[Antonio laughs]
Actually, right here.
Oh, right here?
-Yes. [chuckles]
-[chuckles] Quit, quit.
[Lita] Are you cured,
or should I call the hospital?
[Antonio] Babe, papers on
the first day of Spring Break?
What's the first rule?
Uh, first rule
of Spring Break...
-no typing?
-Mm-mmm.
No...
-jackhammering?
-Mmm, no.
No homework.
I know, I know.
Just a conclusion
to go with this history paper.
And then after that,
we can do whatever you want.
No, no, no,
no, no, no, no.
-What--
-What?
Please tell me you're not
writing for that stupido.
Forget it, I was just
k*lling time until you got up.
Okay? Are you up?
Well, don't play
that sh*t with me, babe.
-Who's playing?
-You-- Cole's class.
I thought
you were gonna drop.
One of us
has to stay in school.
You're gonna let
that big white dickhead,
who made me tackle him,
teach you.
Remind me again
how he made you tackle him?
[Antonio scoffs]
You know what,
never mind.
Antonio. It's remote.
I don't even
have to see him.
And what is he teaching now?
Huh?
Let me guess, what is he doing,
what's the word?
How to be,
what, come on.
That one single word?
That one
out of a million others?
So, fill in the blank,
you're the smart one.
He's teaching privilege.
White privilege.
Right, just like
all the other white teachers.
Drop his class!
Final!
Antonio. That's not fair.
Don't ask me to.
[Antonio sighs]
Wow. Okay.
All right, you know what?
I'm out of here, then.
Forget it.
-Are you serious?
-Yeah, I'm leavin'.
You're acting like a child.
-[Antonio] Yeah, bitch.
-Whatever, leave then.
Well, I'm going.
[Antonio breathing heavily]
[Antonio sighs]
You know what,
on second thought...
I'm gonna let you
make it up to me.
Oh, really?
Yeah.
It is Spring Break, and...
[scoffs] ...you're gonna
need these clothes.
-[Lita chuckles] Hey.
-That clothes, that one...
-And yeah-- that one.
-[Lita] Wait.
You better be nice to me,
or I'm not gonna take you.
Shut up, it's coronavirus.
We can't go anywhere.
And these are your clothes,
not mine!
You wear my clothes
all the time, chica.
-Stop it!
-What are you talkin' about?
-We're goin' to San Diego.
-No, Antonio.
Nobody's lis--
hear me out, please.
You haven't met
my homies there yet.
Oh, my God, if they're anything
like your friends here...
What? What?
You know,
is it even safe to go out?
You think I would take you
somewhere that's not safe?
Hmm?
My best friend, D'Andre...
he's got this garage
we can stay at.
He's got a great crash pad
by the beach.
It's beautiful.
We can jump in the water,
we can surf,
just you and me.
And just get out of here,
you know,
just forget
all this bullshit for a while.
I think
it'd be good for us.
And I want you
to meet my friends.
They're like my family.
For real.
Okay. Then I want to.
You better.
And you'll quit bugging me
about taking this class?
It's really not that bad,
he's focusing on
the Apollo Moon landing a lot.
That's what
my research paper's on.
No wonder that's
your favorite subject, huh?
Moonface.
All right,
go get dressed.
[lips smack]
[Lita sighs]
[car engine whooshing]
[Antonio]
This girl, she reminds me...
slow down.
But I only know fast.
She's trying to teach me
her different way.
I think...
I love her.
That...
worth a try.
["One I Need"
by Songs To Your Eyes playing]
[announcer] Our channel
breaks the news here.
You can feel that somethin's
not right, yeah, yeah
Come on in the car,
we'll treat you right, oh yeah
Pretty thing caught my eye
So I strolled by
in the flyest ride
Asking,
is she there to slide?
Is it but, oh yeah, five
[Antonio]
Hey, all right, everybody.
[Antonio whooping]
Bro, let's go.
Yo, it's a party,
you'll let me get my thing on.
-Cheers.
-Cheers.
Cheers.
[Lita]
Ah, thank you. [chuckles]
[Jamal] Yeah.
No more for him, he's cut off!
No, no, no, but seriously.
Nah, we were cool.
This guy was stressin'
on D'Andre.
Again.
They always are, man.
Yeah, no, tell the story.
What happened?
I got nothin' but love.
[Jamal] Oh, my God. Love?
I keep tellin' him,
that ain't this year's plan.
It just ain't.
Do you know why?
'Cause this man right here,
he's from another country.
Aye, man.
Not a country.
Oh, my God.
You hear this? People sh*t on
fool, he just smiles.
What is that?
It's like your mama
took care of him, some sh*t.
-[Jamal laughs]
-Hey, hey.
She did.
[all laugh]
-[Antonio imitating whipping]
-[Lita] Wait, wait.
And that's, like,
a bad thing?
Uh, look, it-- it's cool,
it's cool, it's cool.
You know,
except for when they...
-when they try to...
-Oh, hell no.
Oh, look, it's on,
do it, De, come on.
Come on, man,
not this sh*t again.
[plastic cup clangs]
-I'mma f*ck you up.
-[Jamal laughs]
f*ck this up, it's up.
When-- when-- when they try
to take my rabbits.
[all exclaiming]
[Troy] Oh, no, the deep--
-[Antonio] No, don't do it.
-Wait, what is it, what is it?
Don't ask, baby, please.
-No, come on, just...
-[D'Andre] Shut up, eh?
We're gonna...
we're gonna get a little place,
and we're gonna--
we're gonna get a little place,
a-- and we're gonna--
-[Jamal] He's so stupid.
-[all exclaiming]
[Troy] Is he stupid?
[Jamal] Little bit,
it's a little bit.
[D'Andre exclaims]
We're goin' to get
a little place,
a-- and Jamal says
we're gonna have pigs
and-- and chickens,
and you better not forget about
the alfalfa for my rabbits.
-No, no, no.
-Oh, I can--
I can see it now.
I can see it
right across the river.
-Ah!
-[man whooping]
Jamal says
everybody's gonna be nice to me.
There ain't gonna be
no more trouble.
Oh, Jamal, can we go now?
I don't want no more trouble.
No.
[D'Andre]
So, what is the question again?
"To be or not to be."
-[Jamal] Dun, dun, dun.
-[D'Andre] That is the question.
[grunts] "Whether 'tis nobler
in the mind of [indistinct]
to suffer the slings
and arrow of rage's fortune,
or to take his rabbits
to a sea of alfalfa,
and plow a pasture
against everybody
ain't gonna be nice to him.
If to die,
to sleep no more...
and by sleeping say...
There ain't gonna be
no more trouble."
No, sir.
"And therefore
end the heartache,
and a thousand natural shocks
that flesh is heir to."
[Jamal laughs]
"In other words, should I,
the first Black
Lenny Hamlet,
take them rabbits
and go across the river,
and just wait here and get sh*t
in the back of your head?"
-[Jamal imitating g*nsh*t]
-[Troy] Oh!
"To be, or not to be,
a rabbit on Earth?
That is the question."
-[plastic cups rattling]
-[all cheering]
I don't get
why it's so damn funny.
It's funny,
because my man here is funny.
'Cause he blended it together
from a book and a play.
You know, Of Mice and Men
with a little Hamlet mixer.
-[D'Andre chuckles]
-Okay.
[Lita]
Steinbeck and Shakespeare...
That's wild.
Lookit, my girlfriend's smart.
Stage calls you, my bro.
No, but seriously...
[Antonio] I don't know, though,
out in the real world,
-it might not fly.
-Ah.
f*ck carrying a g*n,
now it's love and acting?
That sh*t'd get you stone cold
stomped out around here.
[all laugh]
That's why I hang out
with you dopes.
Hey, I'm going to get
cold ones.
-Call it.
-[Troy] Yup. Yup.
-[Jamal] Hey. Let's go.
-[Antonio] sh*ts, sh*ts.
[overlapping conversation]
[Jamal] Man, De can only do
some sh*t like that, huh?
["It Ain't Me"
by Eddie Navarro playing]
[D'Andre exhaling]
-[door shutting close]
-[high heels clicking]
My mom never
let me smoke inside.
[Lita chuckles]
Boys were,
uh, playing poker.
I hate cards.
So, uh...
you get hassled a lot?
I don't see how anyone
would have a problem with you.
[D'Andre scoffs]
They all want me.
And by that, I mean
that they all wanna k*ll me.
-[Lita chuckles]
-You know,
these guys were hardasses
until I made 'em laugh.
Use your humor
to relax people.
People have these stories
built up in their heads.
It's the most
dangerous thing in the world.
[Lita] What is?
A bad story.
They see a Black guy...
they-- they got stories.
Most are bullshit.
But you show 'em different.
Oh, I don't know about that.
When I perform, it--
it's like I'm trying to find
the place
where people are...
better.
And if they let me,
I work from there.
I'm searching
for that spot, too.
I, um-- do this thing,
when people get wound too tight,
in Monterey Park.
-I love it.
-[Lita chuckles]
It just, you know,
reminds people--
We're all
in the same city.
-In the same country.
-In the same world.
Exactly.
Look, maybe you'll catch this.
Saw this movie the other day
called Matewan,
about this town in
the Appalachians in the 1920s.
It's this, uh,
coal strike goes down.
This grinch-ass coal company
puts the, uh,
whites, Italians and Blacks
against each other.
Uh, the plan is to get 'em
to hate each other
to grow business.
Towards the end,
they-- they get smart.
They realize
that they share the fight.
I think that's the message
that needs to get sent.
We're all living
in the same city...
under the same sky, but...
most of the time,
you wouldn't even know it.
They don't want us to.
My plan...
to get people
to see that...
it's all one thing.
Living.
It sounds so...
Sounds good.
Like your house.
[scoffs] It's a thrasher.
But to me, it's a mansion.
My pops left it to me
when he d*ed.
My mom and dad d*ed,
and these guys
became my second family.
This is our home.
What about you?
Me?
I'm-- I'm good.
[D'Andre] Nah.
Somethin' else.
The way you catch
all my crap
means somethin' pulled you
out of orbit, too.
I mean--
you mean what, family?
Sure. What happened?
I, uh...
just...
[sighs] it's hard to...
You don't talk about it.
Not really, no.
Well, if my fight
is your fight,
then maybe you should.
Okay, um...
okay. [inhales deeply]
Uh, it was years ago.
We, uh...
my brother, my dad and I...
we were crossing...
and it, uh...
didn't go right.
[D'Andre]
Crossed the border?
Yeah. In the big river.
[D'Andre]
The Rio Grande.
That's the one.
Lost them?
[Lita breathing shakily]
Yeah.
Follow its current.
Grows cold,
sometimes, like...
pandemic cold.
You've got
Antonio now, a-- and...
...us.
New phase, new days.
I'm sorry about your parents.
[D'Andre]
Everyone's battling.
[others talking, laughing]
[Troy beatboxing]
Babe.
Are you ready
to Road Warrior?
[Lita] What?
Our boy Luke has a bar
that still pours.
I mean,
they'd probably serve us, but...
[laughs]
Party time, D'Andre, baby!
Yo, yo, yo,
yo, yo, yo, yo, yo.
What-- what place
is this, y'all?
Y'all didn't tell me
about any places.
The Ale--
The Ale's on K Street.
-K Street.
-[D'Andre] Ah, that place
is where you go
if you tryin' to solo.
That place
is filled with fools.
-[Jamal] What?
-[Antonio] Exactly.
Then we'll fit right in.
Wait.
They're open during a pandemic?
A lot of places are.
[D'Andre]
A lot of stupid places.
-Who you callin' stupid?
-Huh?
[Antonio] Whoa!
[suspenseful music playing]
[car engine whooshing]
[Troy]
Kay, we'll get started...
Don't get it,
I don't care...
I got a picture of it, sure.
[indistinct talking]
-[Jamal] Damn, well, you get it.
-[Troy] I still get you, though.
I step from
out of this, period.
[indistinct chatter]
[Lita] Half moon.
50% illumination.
Middle ground.
Where you get tired
of doing the smart thing.
[Kn*fe scraping]
[music intensifying]
[mumbling]
[phone ringing]
[Ethan] Goddammit! I--
[Tamara]
And hello to you, too, Mr.
Cole.
Just over half the students
took the frickin' midterm.
Well, did you email
them on Canvas?
Every last one!
Then you've done
all you can do.
What, we're just gonna wash
our hands of the whole semester?
[sighs] Of course not.
[Ethan] Well, it sounded like
what you were implying.
-Ethan, are you okay?
-I'm doing my job. [scoffs]
What is it gonna take to get
these students interested?
[Tamara] Ethan.
There is a lot going on
in the world right now.
Yeah,
and I'm trying to show up.
-We all are.
-We had enough trouble
with people
showing up beforehand.
God only knows
what the world's gonna look like
when this horror is over!
Wow.
That was really dark, Ethan.
Well, okay. Okay.
I'm sorry.
Yeah, me too.
Look, um,
maybe the Moon mission
will hit big
after the pandemic is over.
I mean,
we're all struggling, right?
You and me.
Your students.
Hey, that kid,
Antonio, he dropped, right?
Tamara, I'm sor-- I-- I'm--
I have another call I have to--
I have to-- thank you.
[call ends]
[Marie] It is [indistinct].
[Ethan] Sounds impressive.
It's, um-- it's--
it's a window!
-Okay.
-I love it, it's beautiful.
-You love it?
-Yes, I do.
-Really?
-Yeah.
[Ethan] Uterine cancer
in a 42-year-old woman.
Maybe a fall is waiting
inside each of us.
A green sea, drowning.
Marie went down so fast...
nobody heard her splash.
["Crazy World" by
Eddie Navarro plays]
Calling all cats
Hidin' out in my basement
And in the palm
Of my hand
And I think to myself
What a crazy world
Crazy, crazy world
It's a crazy world
Crazy, crazy world
It's a crazy world
[harmonica playing]
[waves crashing]
[song fades]
-[Antonio] What are you doin'?
-[Lita] Guess.
[Antonio] Well,
it looks like you're reading.
Well, you'd be wrong.
Guess again.
You're writing?
Ding, ding, ding!
Maybe you should've stayed
in school, you're pretty smart.
Are you kidding me?
You know what happened to me,
and this is how you're acting.
You want to know what
I hate most in the whole world?
You know what,
I'm getting some ideas
and maybe,
I'm thinking it's me.
I hate not being listened to,
Antonio!
I'm listening, Lita.
You're not even
listening enough to know
that you're not listening,
you're so out of it!
Well, you know what--
Well, maybe
if I could drink.
Maybe if you would let me,
allow me to have one beer.
Then maybe
I would listen to you!
Hey, hey, hey.
I didn't mean that, okay?
Just don't go. I'm-- I'm--
I'm sorry.
Look, I know
that you're struggling...
but I can't take this, Antonio.
You can't take this?
What do you think
was taken from me in San Diego?
Believe me, I know.
But your life
didn't end there.
You're doing it again.
But all my life,
people have told me to shut up!
-I never tell you to shut up.
-You might as well have!
Look, I'm gonna
say this one time.
So are you back
from wherever the hell you are,
the edge of the abyss?
Yes, I mean--
I'm-- I'm here. Yes.
Brown girls like me?
They know not to speak up,
and do you want to know why?
Think I'm gonna get told.
Because then we bring
attention to ourselves.
Attention!
And people tell me
like they have my whole life,
"Who do you think you are?"
-[Lita] Stop.
-I'm right here!
-Okay, I hear you.
-No, you don't.
-I'm listening, right here!
-You don't!
You're just trying to get back
together with me, Antonio,
and that's not gonna happen!
I thought
I could help you...
but I can't,
not by myself.
Yeah, go ahead, Antonio.
Get mad,
like you always do.
[Antonio shouting] f*ck!
There goes Antonio.
Can't talk about his feelings.
What do you
want me to do?
You tell me right now,
you want me to do something,
I'll do it right here!
What do you want me to do?
I'll do anything, you tell me.
I'll do it.
[Lita sighs]
Take me home.
[chair creaking]
[NASA official] [indistinct]
ten, nine...
We have ignition sequence...
[broadcast continues
indistinctly]
[NASA official]
Three, two, one, zero.
[rocket blasting off]
[machine beeping]
[broadcast continues
indistinctly]
[newscaster]
For the first time,
three Americans board
the Saturn 5 Moon rocket.
[NASA official]
Calling Houston,
you are a go for us,
[indistinct].
Emergency alarms are blaring.
Mission hangs
in the balance.
Where...
where the hell am I?
[phone dinging]
[sighs]
I need to talk to you, too.
[waves crashing]
[leaves crunching]
[Lita] Hey, teacher.
That mask makes you
look like a gangster.
So, I don't really know
what we're doing here.
-I think maybe you do.
-[Ethan] Well, then.
Tell me
what you want to tell me.
How's your boyfriend?
Antonio and I
aren't dating anymore.
Sorry to hear that.
But I am really
worried about him.
Why?
Seems like a pretty tough guy.
Uh, six feet, remember?
Let's just...
what is this about?
Antonio.
Getting drunk every night
and trying to hurt himself
because he lost
one of his best friends.
I'm sorry to hear that,
but what's it have to do
with me?
Antonio and I
are still living together
until the pandemic ends.
Last night,
he came home so drunk,
that he could
barely see or stand.
Before he nodded off,
he said something to me.
[suspenseful
droning music playing]
[dishes clattering]
[sighs] Okay.
[Antonio grunts]
[Antonio laughing]
[bottle hissing]
Ah.
[Lita whispering]
Wait, Antonio.
How's your boyfriend doing?
Your professor.
Huh?
You still taking
that shitty class?
[Antonio grunts]
Let me tell you something.
He's just like the white lady
of Central Park, chica.
Just like her!
No idea what that means.
Well, neither did I.
But this morning I realized
he was talking
about the white lady
who called the cops on the Black
birdwatcher in Central Park.
I can tell
you know what this means.
Let's take a walk.
[waves crashing]
First, I want to explain.
This is important.
A good person was...
lost.
Not just anybody.
A really special person.
Okay.
There. Look.
You're a fan
of the Apollo mission, yeah?
One of the greatest successes
of the 20th century, yeah.
I admit,
it's a favorite obsession.
You're the expert, in class.
I'm glad you think so.
What Moon phase is that?
Oh, uh...
that's a full moon.
A full moon is when the Sun
illuminates all of it.
A hundred percent.
This is a waning gibbous.
See, there's a chunk
on the edge missing there?
It's gone past
the full moon stage, about...
90% illumination.
Wow.
I'm impressed.
A few months ago, that would
have been all I needed.
I would have just
taken the good grade
and walked away happy.
I don't know
what's going on here.
I'm not just trying to
impress you anymore, Mr. Cole.
I'm trying to show you
that there's more to the Moon
than you think there is.
Okay. I get it.
No, you don't.
Fine. Explain it to me.
The Moon is about more
than white people landing on it.
You know the Sun?
It's like you.
Harsh and aggressive.
You celebrate
what it celebrates.
But your interests
could go beyond that.
You see, the Moon doesn't have
its own energy source,
but it is equal
to the Sun.
Its power is...
inward and mysterious.
It moves in ways that,
maybe to you,
aren't important...
but they're real.
Didn't know this was
about resenting my class.
I like your class, Mr. Cole.
I do.
But it only covers one side.
It doesn't cover
everything and everyone.
Make it sound like
I'm turning the Moon landing
into a white savior narrative.
Oh. Oh.
Well, you're trying
to blow my mind
and piss me off
at the same time.
It's working.
[Ethan grunts]
You know... I used to avoid
conversations like this.
But now I know
I have to have them.
Or you might do to someone else
what you did to Antonio.
Let's just
talk about what happened.
[door slams shut]
You okay?
Whom are you talking to?
Uh, you. Cole.
Teacher.
My name begins with
a "Mister" or a "Professor."
Professor.
Mr. Professor Cole.
So, how many points
did I lose?
All of them.
Every single one.
[Antonio scoffs]
[plastic wrapper crinkling]
[sighs] Damn.
You just don't give a sh*t,
do you?
Not the way
you think I should.
God, can't you see?
It's just like
someone like you would say.
[Antonio scoffs]
Someone like me?
What can I do
to get you to understand?
Maybe we don't speak
the same language.
Oh, you think that
girlfriend of yours speaks
the same language
as you, huh?
How long do you think
she is gonna let
someone like you drag her down?
Takes me
five seconds to see
that she's the brains
of the operation.
Oh, now you're starting
to get heated.
You know what? Sit tight.
I'll just talk to Lita instead.
[music intensifies, drops]
I'm being totally honest,
I was a little pissed that day.
So, he jumped you, because--
Because I said that
you and he were different.
Which was clearly
a sore subject.
-A sore subject?
-Look, it wasn't my best day.
But he shouldn't have
gone wild like that,
and obviously,
he shouldn't have jumped me.
-Anyway. I should get back.
-Mr. Cole.
A friend of mine told me
the stories people make up
in their heads are dangerous.
I think he meant
the stories people tell
with their own interests
in mind.
Well, I teach history...
so my stories
are based on facts.
In Mxico,
stories can be factual
and still empty
in the middle.
I have a class to teach.
I want you to think
differently about Antonio.
Like me, he doesn't have
any real family.
And he just lost
a really good friend recently.
[Ethan sighs]
I, uh...
I'm s-- sensitive to that.
Are you?
Look, what am I being
accused of here?
I know
that you lost somebody, too,
so you should be
the first person--
That is my business.
Okay. Lo siento.
It's just...
Antonio, he's...
he's just...
just falling.
And I'm trying to figure out
a way to help him before--
Before he hits the water.
Yeah.
I know it's crazy,
but I think you can help him.
I need to tell you
the story of D'Andre.
[Jamal] Man, this is
"Black man get k*lled 101."
Walkin' into people's
apartments
when they don't answer the
door?
[door knocker knocking]
But Lita said
he'd be here.
She said
he'd need to talk.
[door creaking]
Yo, T?
Tone?
Yo, Antonio?
[knocking on door]
-Tonio.
-[knocking on door]
[door creaking]
Jesus Christ.
Can't a dude
get some f*ckin' privacy?
Oh.
Damn, what, you livin'
on the toilet now?
Oh, it helps
when you need to throw up.
-[Antonio retching]
-No. God.
[Antonio coughing]
Jesus, man.
-Let me help you on that.
-[Antonio gibbering]
I got it.
[Antonio grunts, coughs]
What are you doin' in LA?
Ah, you know, bro,
just kickin' it about a...
Bro, I'm not even gonna lie.
Lita called me.
[Antonio sniffs]
Lita? Yeah, I-- f*ck Lita.
[Antonio sighs]
You know she's the best thing
that ever touched your ugly ass.
I know. [scoffs]
It's over now, man.
Well, you know,
the fighting.
-God.
-When's she movin' out?
Yeah, I think, like, um,
once this sh*t
with the pandemic cools...
she's out.
[Antonio making
whooshing noise, laughing]
So what, bro,
you about to just sit around,
shittin' yourself all day?
Oh, what do you expect
me to do?
Hmm?
My f*cking--
I don't have a job.
College is done.
[whooshing sound]
Hmm. My girl hates me.
-[Jamal] Yup.
-Yeah.
But you know what?
I ain't gonna
go down sober.
[Antonio retching]
-[Jamal whistling]
-[Antonio coughing]
Okay.
You know what, then?
I got you to party with.
[Antonio laughs]
I thought you'd be f*cked up,
just not this f*cked up.
Stop, don't talk like that, man.
This is life!
Huh?
Open the hole,
drop the poison.
-Nah, man.
-Like old times, come on.
Not for me, get that sh*t
out of my face.
Why?
No? Why?
Because, in a way,
goin' out drinkin'
is what got D'Andre k*lled.
Yeah.
You don't know that
for sure.
[Antonio laughs]
But you know what, man?
Thank you, bro.
So good to see you.
Thank you for the talk, man.
Thank you for comin'
and checkin' up on me, ese.
Well, thank you!
Fool-ass.
[water trickling]
[Antonio sighs]
No, you pathetic, boy.
[Antonio sighs]
That is some strong language,
bro. [chuckles]
You think you're strong enough
to be saying it?
You lookin' to k*ll
your immune system off?
I got a dead brother
that way.
Well, I guess
the plan worked, didn't it?
Excuse me?
He's gone, man.
Look at the f*ckin' world
we live in, it's donkey sh*t!
Only one thing to do now:
party time.
m*therf*cker, did you hear
a word I just said?
I said I got
a dead brother that way.
I heard it.
-Yeah?
-Yeah.
But right now, I'm too--
numb, dumb to feel it.
Well, you a coward, boy.
Are you doubling down now?
Huh?
Don't you ever call me boy,
ever again, okay?
All right?
Ever again.
Boy.
Little boy.
Punk, fool-ass boy.
[Antonio laughs]
Boy. Yeah.
You think you're hard
'cause you can slam some sh*t?
Look at you.
Can't even stand up.
-Yeah-- what. Right here.
-Yeah.
Yeah. Telling it like it is.
Let me hear it.
Come on.
You know what, we want to keep
that ugly face of yours, right?
You wanna do that?
You came here to come fight me?
Okay, fine.
You better make sure
your mouth writes a check,
'cause I'm gonna
cash in on your teeth.
But check this:
real men?
Yeah, real men speak,
even when it hurts.
My bro taught me that.
[Antonio sobbing]
f*ck you, man,
you don't know me, fool.
You wanna fight?
Come on, you don't know
how to fight, f*gg*t!
Come on.
You better watch out, bro,
I'm gonna f*ckin'
put you down for good, man.
Look, bro, I don't like
the word "f*gg*t," all right?
[Antonio crying]
I am gay, but...
I can fight.
You what?
I'm gay.
That clear enough for you?
So what's your whole f*ckin'--
tell the whole f*ckin'
rainbow coalition, man.
What do you want me to do?
You think I give a sh*t?
Give me a--
What, what, just because
you never told nobody,
what, you can
come in here and what?
When everything's upside down?
I told D'Andre.
Yeah, I told him that night.
What did he say?
He said he already knew.
That's just like him.
He was always
a know-everything kind of guy.
I hated his dumb--
-dumb ass.
-No, you didn't.
You loved him.
And this...
all this right here is your
ass-backwards way of showin' it.
Tell me...
Tell me again
what happened that night.
Come on, bro, we already did
this sh*t a few hundred times.
It's not gonna save anything.
Humor me.
All right, well...
we pulled up, and both
you and Lita didn't get out.
She didn't feel right,
man, she's just--
she didn't feel safe.
That's why we brawled, big time.
[Jamal] Maybe she wasn't wrong
to have that feeling.
How you do it, man?
How are you even
dealing with this, man, like--
Bro, I'm hurtin', too,
all right?
I just-- [sighs]
I don't know.
I can't give in to it, though.
Anyway...
I let Troy talk me
into the whole stupid deal.
[tense music plays]
This m*therf*cker was
yammerin' his fool drunk crap.
Talkin' about
a rack of Skittles, man.
Jesus Christ.
-I dunno what's goin' on, man.
-[indistinct]?
[Jamal] I was starting
to realize what a dumb call
bringing his ass there, what--
[Cantrell] Oh, look at that!
[laughter]
-Man, look at his face, dawg!
-[Jaime] Levi Adam!
Levi Angie!
He got in that ad!
There's no way--
Hey, that-- that board's rigged.
Dawg.
That's why you my dawg, man.
Yeah, yeah.
We get that, too.
You're my dawg, you better
pay me the money, then,
-yeah, you saw it, right?
-I ain't paying sh*t.
[laughing]
Let's take a minute.
-[Troy] Hello there, B.
-[Jamal laughs]
-Can I have moonshine?
-Hey.
We closed, man.
This right here?
Private audience.
[Tommy] Hey, man, what's up?
Hey, Tom-Tom.
-[Cantrell] Tom-Tom?
-[Tommy] S'all good, Cantrell.
I know this guy way back.
What's up, Jamal?
Looking good.
I'll be with you in a sec.
What was that flirtin'?
What?
Nah, chill, bro, we're friends.
Yeah, right.
I knew it. [laughs]
-Knew what?
-You sweet on him, huh?
Oh, my--
Hey, mommy and daddy finally
let you out, huh?
Fighting out there in the car,
as always.
[Troy laughs]
Dude, why you gotta be
such a assh*le?
'Cause I need a drink, man!
We shouldn't
have to wait too long.
Jamal knows the bartender.
Said he was lookin'
real good, didn't he?
You're a player, man?
But don't you got
all those guys up there?
We're playing twos,
need a ringer.
Figured you guys'd
be the athletes.
-What the--
-What the heck does that mean?
It's a compliment, bro.
You guys play everything good,
except quarterback, that is.
-Okay, now you playin'.
-Whoa!
Are you bein' a r*cist, fool?
-[Levi] Nah, man, I'm cool.
-You're cool in what world?
You got a problem here,
small-time?
I got your small-time
right here, come and get it,
-you bitch-ass m*therf*cker.
-Yeah.
[Troy] Let's go.
We know you got problem here.
Whoa, whoa, whoa,
whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!
What's up, guys?
What are you havin'?
These guys ain't drinkin'.
Hey, hey, Cantrell.
We got attitude over here.
-Black kind.
-[Jamal laughs]
Boy, you're about to get
bitch slapped, real quick.
Hello. Fellas.
Guy here just said
he was gonna give me a beatdown.
-In my house?
-That did not happen.
You called him out for lying?
I'm callin' him out
for wishful thinkin'.
[chair creaks]
[pensive music plays]
What am I doing here?
I'm a damn fool.
Been cooped up in my house
for a month and a half,
drinkin' too much,
and the first chance I get,
I go to a dark bar
to drink some more.
What the hell
are we doing here?
Burning off at the mouth
is what you doin'.
-Shut up.
-Or he could be insulting
the bar owner, too.
The one that didn't invite him
here in the first place.
I never would.
I have nothing
but appreciation
for business owners
like yourself.
Ah, sh*t.
This kid's got balls.
Okay. Proceed appreciating.
Let me just say
one true thing,
and then I will buy
everybody in this bar a drink,
and we will go home.
-Cool?
-[Levi] Just give me the drink.
-Hold the preach, bitch.
-Levi.
-[Levi] Yeah?
-Go ahead.
My mom used to
make me do this deal.
Whenever I was ready
to do somethin' super stupid,
she would make me
tell her one true thing.
So...
here's today's true.
I had a collapsed lung
when I was a kid.
Didn't know it.
It gave me chronic bronchitis.
Messes with
the breathing passageway,
so you overproduce mucus.
Anyway, it sucks.
[sniffs] Now, I never
really was into sports.
I-- I couldn't be.
Instead, I worked on my lungs.
I was a... mad
king walker.
Now, I found
this big old grassy hill
on top of downtown.
I walked there every day.
Lay on the grass,
stare at the sky.
I could... breathe there,
like, full gulps.
That was air, man.
Sometimes I stayed there
till the moon came up.
Inhaling... exhaling.
Here's the thing.
I don't walk much anymore.
I haven't been
to that hill in years.
Why is that?
Because air is for invalids.
Let's cocktail, please.
Levi.
Quiet.
I'll take it on.
Why you don't
go there no more.
One day...
you went up
to that grassy hill...
sun shinin'...
the wind was crackin' hard.
And you laid down
on that grassy hill...
bam!
Nothin'.
Stale.
Probably no big deal,
but definitely
not like the breaths
you took as a young turd.
And so what did you do?
Hmm, I wonder
where there's a dark bar.
Man, please, with that sh*t.
Listen up...
'cause here's
the one true thing.
When you're a kid...
everything happens
for the very first time.
But when you become an adult...
those same breaths that you took
just don't do it
for you no more.
And what do you say about that?
Maybe...
um...
here's my take.
Life is never second-rate.
People go cold.
The world
whips us along so fast.
We get out of alignment.
Don't fix ourselves.
You're right, bro.
One day,
I went to that hill...
took that breath...
and it wasn't the same.
Not because
breathing got old, though.
It was because
my mom and dad d*ed.
I... lost the upside.
I lost hope.
[scoffs]
Air is good.
Always.
But sometimes
it just hurts to taste.
Man, I already
tasted f*ckin' coronavirus
listening to this sh*t, I'm out.
-f*ckin' come on, man.
-[Troy] Man, f*ck me raw.
Oh.
[sighs]
Tell me about
this one true thing.
[Antonio] Sounds like D'Andre.
He always knew
how to turn anything around.
Who didn't love the guy
after five minutes?
Ha, the guys that hated him,
wanted to k*ll him.
There's plenty of them, too.
I wish I never met him.
You, too.
Damn.
You know you--
you start hangin' with a guy,
you know, you start...
you stop seeing the differences.
You just start seein' the dude.
That one's-- that's is true.
All real, all the time.
You know what?
I have to be, too.
You know, good sh*t, bro.
One true thing, huh?
I wish I had Mom
for as long as you did.
I don't know, I-- I--
I just wish I had more memories.
She loved you, dude.
So did Pops.
For both of them, then.
I-- I need to speak
my one true thing.
I-- I'm gay.
I know, dude.
You know?
Proud of you
for saying so, though.
Hey, everybody.
A toast to my bro, Jamal, here.
He just became a man.
[all cheering]
You know, earlier,
you asked me how I'm doin'.
I tell you what, bro.
D told me one last thing.
Yeah, they were about to hook
him up to the ventilator.
He said something to you?
Yeah, and I was almost gonna
keep it a secret, too.
But now I realize that I can't.
Through a glass window,
he told me...
that he's gonna be okay.
But if he's not,
and you wanna go around
blaming yourself, don't.
Because you blamin' yourself
is the same as you blamin' me.
And I won't be
nobody's reason to stop.
How is blamin' myself
the same as blamin' him?
Well, we're family.
All right, and in family,
there's no place
he ends and I begin.
And that's the same thing
for you and I.
That's why I'm here.
So get up off your ass, Ant.
Come on, don't make D
the reason that you stop.
He wouldn't be good with that.
You hearin' that okay?
[Ethan whistling]
[Ethan] I appreciate you're
trusting me with all this.
[Lita] Bad stuff happens.
Then more bad stuff,
if you don't trust anyone.
Ten days later...
D'Andre was gone.
Did you guys, um...
did you even get to see him?
Jamal did.
Through the hospital plexiglass,
six days later.
This thing, COVID...
tore right through him.
And Antonio figured,
"I drove him to the bar, so..."
When we got the news...
I gave Antonio all of my anger.
Everything.
Now I just wish
I could take it all back.
So you guys are...
I mean--
He's gonna be okay.
You don't know that.
And neither do I.
There's this movie,
D'Andre told me about it.
It's interesting.
You ever watched
a movie called Matewan?
Yeah.
It's a John Sayles,
I used to screen it
in a 101 class that I taught.
What do you think it's about?
It's about
a coal strike in the 1920s.
More.
These coal company people,
they tried to divide
the workers up,
make 'em hate each other,
so that
the coal business can grow.
They try and trap 'em in those
dark tunnels with no light.
But people share things,
don't we?
And eventually,
we all wake up, don't we?
And then--
and then--
and then, I don't know.
[chuckles]
[Ethan]
How about I email Antonio?
Maybe try to apologize
for what happened there.
Thank you.
Antonio, like most men...
is strong
when it comes to toughness,
but weak when it comes
to dealing with pain.
Hey, you know what?
I'm gonna watch
Matewan again, too.
Your analysis
is better than mine.
Stole it from a friend.
[radio crackling]
[Lita]
That semester wasn't over yet.
Not by a long sh*t.
On May 25th, George Floyd,
a 46-year-old Black man,
husband and father,
got cuffed
and shoved into a police car
for passing
a counterfeit $20 bill.
Second day, Jamal drove up.
We watched it
at home for a night.
The cops said he was on dr*gs,
then turned around
and said he was
in medical distress,
so they were helping him.
Didn't say they'd pulled him
out of the car,
pinned him under the full
weight
of a police officer.
Didn't say
they crushed his air passage.
They didn't have to.
We saw it.
And then we said no.
No more.
[crowd] Black Lives Matter!
Black Lives Matter!
Black Lives Matter!
Black Lives Matter!
Black Lives Matter!
[crowd]
The KKK's so very stupid...
[Ethan]
Something about following,
while others just
go on about their days.
Something about being
disconnected to everything.
[TV host] The resources,
the testing for the symptoms...
[TV host
continues indistinctly]
[gasping for air]
[Ethan] It hit me then.
To quote myself, "We do
big challenges here in America,
for we are a nation that
accomplishes lofty
aspirations."
This time, though,
the goal wasn't space.
They were doing
what I couldn't, or wouldn't.
[gasping for air]
I wasn't Icarus.
I was the plowman.
The fisherman.
And the shepherd.
I was a g*dd*mn bystander.
And I was drowning
in my own bullshit.
[Ethan exhaling]
[Jamal sighs]
[Lita sighs]
[Jamal] All right, guys, I think
I'm gonna call it a night.
What time are we at it tomorrow?
-11:00 a.m.
-All right.
-Good night.
-[Lita] Good night, Jamal.
Ugh.
[sighs]
Ugh.
Man, I can't feel my legs.
Oh, they're there.
They're just chillin'.
Promise?
I could
rub 'em for you to prove it.
Oh, Antonio.
Don't be so--
-Romantic?
-Horny.
-[Lita chuckles]
-What, it's...
protesting fires me up.
Well, keep it in your pants!
What, you can't trust me?
Haven't I proved myself
these last few weeks?
[Lita sighs]
You have.
But I'm not
in the same place anymore.
What does that mean?
It means,
I want to hear my voice
without yours
on top of it for a while.
[Antonio]
How long, for a while?
[Lita sighs]
Been whispering my whole life.
I'm tired of whispering.
Is that what the speech is
about tomorrow?
You're on the microphone?
Hopefully,
it's about a lot more than that.
-[Lita sighs]
-Hey, hey. Hey, um...
can you stay up
for a little bit with me?
I just-- one beer.
I have to finish my final.
-For, uh--
-[Lita] Cole's class?
-Yeah.
-Yeah.
Did you open any of his emails?
And here I thought
you were getting better
at expressing yourself.
Good night.
Li-- Lita, hey.
Just hear me out, okay?
I got nobody.
You wanna know what I got?
And I, uh...
I didn't protect you.
In San Diego?
I let you down.
Let everybody down.
[sobbing] I didn't do my job.
I didn't do my job.
Please don't hate me.
Don't.
It was never
about protecting me.
It was about respecting me.
I respect you.
I do.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry
I've been so angry with you.
And about D'Andre.
I'll always be sorry
for the time you lost
with such a good man.
But you had great memories, too.
And those don't just leave.
And who we have as friends
says everything about us.
So you want to know what?
The fact
that he was your friend
makes me wonder
what you are going to be like
in a few years,
when all this is over.
You're thinkin' of him...
it'll be my--
Not a chance.
You know me.
I believe in hope.
[Antonio chuckles]
Good night.
[keyboard keys clicking]
[computer dings]
[sad music plays]
[waves crashing]
[footsteps approaching]
You okay?
He's here,
but he might not come.
We're on our way to a protest.
I lied to you.
I know.
I was pissed that day.
I let it take me over.
I saw it.
You were breathing in anger.
You had to push it out.
I didn't know how.
You know what I don't get?
Why didn't Antonio tell
the department chair
what happened?
I-- he--
he could have outed me.
Looks like
you can ask him yourself.
I will.
I read your email.
You wanna say something?
The old world,
the one that existed
before this virus.
-It had a big defect.
-[Antonio] Don't do that.
You guys always do that.
Talk about the world.
The world this, the world that.
Talk to me.
You know, they always stand by--
wha-- what's the word?
-Platitudes.
-Platitudes.
Huh?
Yeah, that's right.
What I wanted to say is...
the part that was missing in it
was the part
that was missing in me.
Empathy.
It's almost like
we've gone too far
with self-reliance
and individualism--
Mr. Cole.
He wants to hear from you...
not your mind.
Well, that's the part
that I'm not good at.
It's never too late to learn.
Just speak.
If you talk,
I might listen.
That day, uh,
you had just said
that you and I
don't speak the same language.
And I said you and Lita
don't speak the same language,
which I shouldn't have done...
but I couldn't even
hear myself think.
Oh, no, no, no, no, no.
Don't-- don't-- just--
don't go there, bro.
-I mean, Cole.
-Mister.
Mr. Cole.
See, I can go anywhere I want,
because I have an education.
Because I have
the respect of the community.
You know what you have?
What?
Nothing.
No voice,
no standing, nothing.
Listen to this. Learn this.
Without an education,
what do you have?
I guess I'm gonna find out.
[Ethan] You.
You were all alone.
And you think
you have so much time.
But there is nothing
in front of you but failure.
Look, I'm done. I'm done.
No, wait, wait,
wait, wait, wait, you can't--
you can't say that,
you-- you're a teacher.
I can say whatever I want.
No one's gonna believe
someone like you anyway.
[Lita] You are kind of
like that lady in Central Park.
[Ethan] Oh, God, no. No.
Yes.
I didn't mean to be.
But Antonio,
why did you not speak?
I, um, just...
Say it.
I didn't think you could.
[Lita speaking Spanish]
I need to get cool
with people like him.
You know,
when I was a little kid,
my mom and dad
got in a fight...
and it was really bad.
And they came...
and they took my dad away.
I don't know
how it happened, or where.
But they found him dead.
Beaten to death.
He wasn't a bad man.
He wasn't a criminal,
he was nothing like that.
He didn't have...
anybody to answer for him.
I'll never forget...
what they did to him.
They did what they wanted to do.
I'll never forget
watching them take him away...
and he was arguing.
And I miss him.
And last time I saw him...
he was cold.
And he didn't wake up.
And, from that moment on...
I never wanted to be like that.
So I kept my mouth shut.
I never talked, I never argued,
I never did nothing.
I tried.
I tried to speak up,
I tried to talk about it,
but it never worked.
They didn't want to listen.
He just got angry.
People like you.
You don't want to listen.
And when people like him...
when they're angry...
they can't be trusted.
It's awful.
It's awful.
And I took you
back there, 'cause...
I got angry.
You're right about me.
I, um...
my fiance, uh...
[sighs] ...she--
she d*ed.
Um...
and I was raging,
and you were there to blame.
It just cost
too much to see--
Mr. Cole.
I'm sorry
about your fiance.
Really, I am, truthfully.
But it cost too much
to do what you did.
And then, it cost too much
to do what you both did.
To not talk.
That's what...
that's why.
Oh, my God.
I have to change something.
Can I borrow that?
[Ethan] Sure.
[Antonio]
She's givin' the first speech.
[Ethan] Wow, uh, uh, and--
and this woman can write,
I have graded
a few of her papers.
[Antonio] Tell me about it.
I used to be her boyfriend.
[Ethan sniffs]
Antonio...
it will never be enough, but...
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry, too.
About your fiance.
I feel like
we all lost somebody.
I mean, she lost her brother
and her dad.
I have to include that.
[Ethan] Wow.
Must be one hell of a speech.
Oh, yeah.
She won't even let me read it.
[Ethan]
Well, I'd love to hear it.
-Really?
-Of course.
Yo, what is the holdup?
Were you guys just about to
leave me in the car forever?
[Lita]
Do you check the clouds?
Eh, it's not good.
What is it?
Zero.
Cloud could cover all of LA.
Strawberry moon tonight.
Moonface put it in her speech.
[Ethan] It's what I call her.
-Moonface.
-[Antonio] Oh, it suits her.
Don't humor him.
No, please.
Humor me, Cole.
I mean, Mr. Cole.
Oh, God. Call me Ethan.
I'm sorry about your friend.
He was a good man.
He was the best of the best.
He had a way with words.
The only person that I know
that could do that...
was Lita.
Did you put him in the speech?
Of course.
It's ready.
If you guys want to hear it.
-[Antonio] Of course.
-[Jamal] Yeah.
-[Ethan] Yeah.
-All ears.
[soft music plays]
[crowd murmuring]
Hi. [clears throat]
My name is Lita Ortiz.
And I was born in bad luck.
And people born in bad luck
often lose hope.
I haven't seen my mother
in over 20 years,
because she lives
in Jalisco, Mxico.
She survives,
but that is all.
My brother and my father d*ed
on my journey here, to America.
Trying to teach themselves
to be hopeful
until their very last breaths.
[young Lita] Daddy!
[Lita] You see, to us,
America is where hope flowed.
But my brother and my father
never even got to taste the air
on the other side
of the Rio Grande.
I did.
I lived.
But hope was still
not in the cards.
Not even here.
My friends...
my teachers...
my boyfriends don't know it.
It's invisible.
We hide in the shadows.
Speak too softly.
And die young.
They tell me to have kids,
because they expect me dead
by the time I'm 30.
I'm 29. And I'm not dead.
-[woman] That's right.
-[man] That's right, man.
And I don't plan
to be anytime soon.
[man] Woo!
I have a confidence, though,
that cannot be drowned.
I swam to America
in the semi-darkness...
with only the moon
as my company.
I walked.
I walked.
And then I ran.
Until I found dry landing.
I stumbled
until I could see clear...
but it was right then
that I began to get lost.
I'm from a place
where trusting anyone
leaves you open to pain...
where optimism is for suckers.
But we must learn
to believe different.
I used to think that people
pay price no matter what...
but I know different now.
I knew a man
for a single night.
His name was D'Andre.
He had a broken-down house.
No degree.
A lot of dreams.
And a really bright soul.
He was a believer
in the America that is to come.
He knew
that the price of not believing
was an America
that benefited the few,
and that price is too high.
And we must stop paying it.
We cannot...
and we will not
pay the price any longer.
[crowd] Yeah!Woo!
[woman] That's right!
[Lita] This new
generation of Black,
brown and white anti-racists
will change that.
We cannot, and we will not
pay the price any longer.
[crowd cheering]
[Lita] We have suffered
for too long,
and we have
looked for ourselves
in the cloudy faces
of those in power.
[man] Yeah, yeah.
Mans, we do!
So, today...
we must put down the ideas...
that don't allow us
to see clear.
And we must
turn our heads to the skies.
[woman] All right. Yes!
[Lita] There is a moon tonight.
One that can't be seen.
But it is there.
A strawberry moon.
And it is pulsing
with imagination.
Feelings and emotions,
and they matter, too.
-[woman] All right.
-[man] That's right.
-[woman] Yeah.
-[man] Okay. Right, Lita.
[scattered applause]
We must realize
that we are the America
that has yet to speak.
And our words...
will fill the skies.
Well?
What do you guys think?
Come on, say something.
Anything?
-Don't...
-...change...
-...a word.
-[Lita chuckles]
[crowd applauding, cheering]
[Ethan]
Look at these people clapping.
Just cheering.
So hopefully.
Beneath a cloudy, moonless sky.
A sea of tranquility
in the middle of a pandemic.
I get it.
Alarms blaring are not
astronauts Armstrong or Aldrin,
or this young woman.
We can still get things done.
Even in the worst of times.
We can stand up and be heard.
[Lita] Wouldn't have chosen
this pandemic timing,
but it seems right somehow.
D'Andre would agree.
It's time
to rise above that heavy load.
So we gather together now.
We share the fight.
The goal is to get there,
wherever there is, together.
Not divided.
We're still...
learning the ropes.
This year was an education,
for sure.
Maybe we're moon students.
I don't even know
what that means,
but I like the sound of that.
Still no moon, though.
Ah, I knew
we were too optimistic.
I don't know,
it's kind of like astronomy.
[all laughing]
Just gotta have faith.
A new phase is coming.
["Satellite"
by Canyon City plays]
Day fades down
I found my constellation
in your face
And now I'm tracin'
through to shape you out
Each time I see the stars
Some long nights,
I lie and stare
Outside my room
through twilight air
I like to think
Your light's somewhere
I'll see clear in the dark
Satellite,
come down low tonight
Touch the ground
Gravity hold you out
So far away
There ain't much
that I can do
Just give myself
to someone new
And hope she laughs
and looks like you
And hurts the same way
There ain't that much
that I can say
Just hold my breath
and walk away
I know I'll lift
my eyes some day
And watch you fly by
Satellite,
come down low tonight
Touch the ground
Gravity holds you out
So far away
Satellite,
come down low tonight
Touch the ground
Gravity holds you out
So far away
Moon Students (2023)
Moderator: Maskath3
Watch on Amazon Merchandise Collectables
Random Movies that just don't fit anywhere else yet. Miscellaneous Movie Collection.
Random Movies that just don't fit anywhere else yet. Miscellaneous Movie Collection.