(ETHEREAL MUSIC PLAYS)
(PIANO MUSIC PLAYS)
WOMAN: It all counts.
People don't think about it.
But we are nothing
without numbers.
Sometimes it feels like
they are a secret
that belongs only to me.
It doesn't matter who we are
or what we believe.
The numbers stay the same.
The numbers never lie.
Ten, nine, eight, seven,
seven, eight, nine,
nine, nine, nine, nine... nine.
(LASSO BY PHOENIX PLAYS)
(COUNTS INDISTINCTLY)
(FAINTLY) How the f*ck
did I end up with nine bananas?
- (BEEP!)
- There were ten.
(BEEPING AND INDISTINCANNOUNCEMENTS)
Sorry. Do you mind
passing me a magazine?
Which one?
- Pardon?
- Which magazine do you want?
Oh, any.
You want ANY magazine?
Mmm.
Ah, thanks. Perfect.
Excuse me. Excuse me.
Hey.
Hey, uh...
I thought
maybe you'd want this.
Ah. That didn't really
work out so well for Eve.
(LAUGHS) That's very good.
Look, if I give you this apple,
maybe you'll give back
the banana you nicked from me.
Banana?
You stole one of
my bananas back there
when you thought
I wasn't looking,
but I was looking.
Oh, had you
paid for the banana?
Not yet.
So that would make it
the supermarket's banana.
And if I did take it from you -
and that's a big if -
put it in my bag,
paid for it and walked out,
well, that's possession,
my friend.
And with nine tenths
of the law,
well, that banana's
definitely mine.
Hey! Look out!
Take it. Keep it.
Least I could do
for the free legal advice.
You should see what ten apples
will get you.
They could probably
fix the whole justice system.
Bye.
Right.
(HAZEY JANE II
BY CAMILLE PLAYS)
I've always been
good at flirting.
So many possible conversations
to play out in my head.
Not that I get much practice
these days.
172,000 mathematicians
globally,
research grants shrinking
by 4.6% per decade,
personal financial losses
since hospitalisation,
substantial,
exponential gains in shame
and family disappointment.
MAN: I was born at midnight,
on the cusp of
the 9th and 10th of July.
I invented
the AC induction motor
and the Tesla coil.
I will never marry
nor wish to bear children.
I like watching the pigeons
in Republic Square.
My name is
Grace Lisa Vandenburg.
There are 19 letters
in my name.
I have a doctorate
in mathematics.
- Mm?
- I was in love when I was 21.
His name was Chris
and he looked a little bit
like Nick Cave.
- Hm.
- I don't like coriander.
And when I wear yellow,
I look like a corpse.
(CHUCKLES)
If you shaved your moustache,
you'd look like Kafka.
- Pizde! Odjebi, ah.
- (LAUGHS)
You sleep by yourself tonight.
One, two, three, four, six.
One two, three four, five...
For ages, I had a single bed.
It was perfect.
That changed at the hospital.
I used to think that
a double bed
was a vacant promise.
But not anymore.
TESLA: My name is Nikola Tesla.
There are 11 letters
in my name.
People don't understand
obsessions.
An obsession
is not a weakness.
When I found out someone
as great as Nikola Tesla
was also a counter,
he stopped being 'Tesla'.
And he just became 'Nik'.
- You look bored.
- Not bored. Busy.
Euclid's elements
will always be there, ljubavi.
That's the beauty of them.
I have to keep sharp, Nik,
a dull knife is death.
- Just give me ten minutes.
- I'll give you three.
Six, then.
Same argument for years now.
Nine is my final offer.
If you're not counting in tens,
you're a Neanderthal.
It's empirically perfect.
- Here she comes.
- The metric system.
- Fingers and toes.
- The wunderkind academic.
- Well, FORMER academic.
- (SIGHS)
(DVORAK'S
SLAVONIC DANCE NO. 2 PLAYS)
We're nothing without tens.
They are the entire balance
of a beautiful world.
If only you knew
the magnificence of trinities,
forget the world, ljubavi,
you...
...you could unlock
the entire universe.
Order is important.
The world gets all loose
and fuzzy without numbers.
Who wants that?
Besides, life without
an obsession or two
is no fun at all.
Alright, guys.
F(x)...
equals...
Larry.
Derivative of f.
Uh, five.
Lucky.
I know the competition
is still a way off,
but we have a huge amount
of calculus still ahead of us.
So let's get ready for
some continuous change.
- (STUDENTS GROAN)
- Are you saying
my humour's derivative?
- Wow.
- (BEEPING)
Alright, pack it up, you lot.
Grace. Hi.
How are you finding it?
It's not too much too soon?
No, no. I, um... I'm just
grateful to be working.
- Thanks.
- I'll see you.
- Hey, Larry.
- Hey, Freddie.
We going for
chips and milkshakes.
You want to come?
Um, I can't.
I have plans
with my aunt, so...
- Oh, well. See you later.
- Bye.
(GRACE RECITES IN SYNCH)
So this is Johnny Farrell.
I've heard a lot about you,
Johnny Farrell.
Now, I haven't
heard a word about you.
Hey, you know
the maths competition?
Won't all the kids just think
I'm some massive nerd?
First of all, no.
Second, you're going to win it,
and that's going to make you
an absolute legend.
And third,
and most importantly,
who gives a flying f*ck
what the other kids think?
Yeah, who gives a f*ck.
Watch it.
LARRY: What did Mr Garner want?
Ugh, just to bathe in the pity
of my spectacular
fall from relevance.
Nothing.
He was just checking in.
- Probably just worries.
- Mm-hm.
Everyone just worries.
(MOVIE CONTINUES)
Oh, don't you start.
I'm fine.
I'm fine. (LAUGHS)
(YEGELLE TEZETA
BY MULATU ASTATKE PLAYS)
Here's what has to happen.
I walk in.
Count the tables. Obviously.
Take the first table available.
Always.
- Tina will say...
- What will it be?
A hot chocolate and a slice
of orange cake, please.
The seeds on top
tell me how many bites.
20 is ideal.
More than 30 gets tricky.
- (MUSIC STOPS)
- (LOUD CHATTER)
No tables. No tables.
He just sat down. She's
ordering. Coffee's half full.
Tina, these ladies
want their bill.
Oh, you got the Bircher.
How lovely.
Did you know
there's a cafe in Berlin
that makes it with breast milk?
Imagine that.
OK, perhaps you can just
continue whatever this is
- over here.
- There are no tables, Tina.
I'll be with you in a minute.
(WHISPERS) sh*t.
Well, if it isn't
the banana bandit.
Supermarket stalker.
Everything alright?
I just really want
a hot chocolate
and a slice of orange cake.
Easy.
Hey. I'll have a black coffee
and a bacon and egg roll
and a hot chocolate
and an orange cake.
- Yeah.
- No orange cake.
We can do matcha waffle,
brownie or lemon tart.
Oh, Tina, you're really
activating my almonds today,
aren't you?
Well, lemon is a citrus,
which practically
makes it an orange, right?
Right. Yes.
- Uh, lemon tart, please.
- Sure.
You steal any fruit lately?
Three peaches, 26 grapes.
- Are you actually stalking me?
- (LAUGHS)
You do understand
how stalking works, right?
You see, I was already here.
I haven't... haven't
seen you here before.
What do you do?
- Houses, mostly.
- Ah.
- I'm a painter.
- Thanks.
Thank you.
f*ck. How am I supposed to
know how to eat this without...
f*cking poppy seeds.
Poppy seeds?
What's your name?
- Seamus.
- Seamus.
Six bites isn't enough.
Full name?
- Including middle?
- Mm-hm.
Seamus Joseph Rodgers.
19. That'll do.
- Thank you.
- Cheers.
(INTERNALLY) Just eat the tart.
Drink the hot chocolate.
Leave. No need to linger.
No need to think about
how alluringly long
his eyelashes are. f*ck.
So, come on, then.
It's your turn now.
Grace Lisa Vandenburg.
And are you a worker bee
or, what -
full-time kleptomaniac.
Pure mathematician.
Research, mostly.
Sometimes STEM-adjacents.
Oh, seriously?
Mm. Last time I checked.
Well, actually, um, currently,
at the moment, I'm not really.
I'm a maths tutor.
I don't stand a chance, do I?
Well, now you're
starting me on probability,
and that could
keep us here all day.
You're a bit odd, aren't you?
Mm-hm.
You can put that down to
the all-citrus diet.
Thanks for the table.
(DINGS BELL)
SEAMUS: Grace.
(DINGS BELL)
Look, I know this is forward,
but would you like to
get dinner sometime?
No. I mean, I don't...
No... I'm not sure...
I know this great little
Japanese place down the street.
You play your cards right,
I'll let you cut my karaage up
into little pieces for me.
OK, look, I tell you what,
I'm going to be there
Friday evening, regardless.
So call me up and tell me
to piss off if you like.
Either way,
I get to talk to you again.
- It's up to you.
- OK, bye.
(DINGS BELL)
- There you go.
- Thank you.
WOMAN: OK. Clear these books.
I'm not saying
I don't miss Ryan.
Just all us women
around the table
feels very right to me.
Grace, could you get
the napkins from the pantry?
How long's he in China for
this time?
- Five months, Mum.
- I don't know how you do it.
LARRY: Facetime every
night, Gran. It's no big deal.
Two, four, six, eight, ten.
Two, four, six, eight, ten.
Napkins, napkins...
(COUNTING CONTINUES)
Date. sh*t.
Sex would be fun.
Kids, marriage, divorce.
(INDISTINCT INTERNAL VOICE
CONTINUES)
It's just a date.
50% of marriages
end in divorce.
Eight, nine, ten.
Date. sh*t.
Ten, nine, eight, seven,
six, five, four, three, two,
three, two, one.
Grace.
I'm just going to say it.
There's an incredible
psychiatrist who's just...
No.
These are Saturday barbecue,
not Sunday lunch.
- Oh, just use these.
- Oh!
We're not animals.
Dr Fields, he's a genius.
He's really helped me
tap into my inner power.
Honestly,
that just sounds awful.
What? What sounds awful?
Jill's getting into
social justice.
- Occupy motherhood,
or something.
- I'm talking about therapy.
My friend just went to
wilderness therapy.
- She loved it.
- Oh, cool.
Look, I'm really glad that
things are working out
at the school.
- Mm.
- Leave it, Jill.
I just hope she's not teaching
all the kids to swear.
Well, they will have all heard
far worse at home,
I can tell you that
for nothing.
- Not the point, Mum.
- She's brilliant with kids.
And if she ever wanted
any of her own, then...
She can barely
look after herself.
It was on this day that Grace
learned she was invisible.
Besides, she's missing
the key ingredient - a man.
Well, technically,
I don't need a man.
I'd just use his sperm.
Anyway, it's harder nowadays
to meet people,
even if you are normal.
Well, I'm not saying
it's not tough out there,
especially if you're over 30.
Well, joke's on all of you,
because I've found one,
haven't I?
What? A man?
Yes, it's a date thing.
- What does he do?
- Oh, my God.
If we talk about this more,
I'll cancel the date,
move to Mongolia
and take up eagle hunting.
(CONTACBY BELINDA CARLISLE PLAYS)
I'm not some
totally virginal loser.
Sex is great.
On my own, fantastic.
It's just the whole
other-person thing
that gets tricky.
(MUSIC FADES)
- NIK: Huh.
- It's nothing.
It's something.
You've bought
this exact toothbrush
for how many years now?
And you've never thought
to count the bristles.
(WHISPERS) 2,217.
2,218.
2,219.
2,220.
2,220.
Are you sure?
Counted them
three f*cking times.
(BOTH COUNT FAINTLY)
(WHISPERED COUNTING CONTINUES)
...nine, ten.
You're alright, ljubavi.
(WHO? BY THE BRIAN JONESTOWN
m*ssacre PLAYS)
No notice. They could just
pull them from the shelves.
They could do it tomorrow.
They could do it anytime.
If they switch brands,
I'll have to count them
all over again.
- SEAMUS: Grace.
- Oh.
Grace.
I was thinking,
if I just stay really still,
maybe you won't see me?
It might be a bit late
for the not-seeing you part.
I don't know, I was...
If I just sort of...
(CHUCKLES) Right, come on.
Come on. The... the awkward
thing is happening.
Happening right now.
You gotta just...
- Got to live it.
- Oy...
- Hi.
- Hi.
I should have called.
- Did we have plans?
- Did we?
I don't think so. Um...
I did want to come.
I just have this very urgent
thing I had to do.
Honestly, not annoyed.
More curious to know
what problem
85 toothbrushes can solve.
90, actually.
What if I were to tell you
dental hygiene is my kink?
(BOTH CHUCKLE)
I've have got to
start flossing.
(LAUGHS)
I wanted to come.
I did. I...
had a nice dress
and mascara and everything.
I just need you to know
that I... tried.
f*ck, no.
Hands where I can see them.
You're not getting me
with that again!
- What do you think I am?
- Yes.
Dare I ask, where to next?
You can imagine,
I skipped dessert.
- Ice-cream aisle.
- (LAUGHS) Oh, God.
- Ah, just a sec.
- Sure.
Sorry about the mess.
Just doing some cleaning.
(JUKEBOX BABE
BY MOON DUO PLAYS)
(GRACE GRUNTS
AND BREATHES HEAVILY)
- (MOANING)
- (CLATTERING)
(MUSIC FADES AND ENDS)
(GRUNTS SOFTLY)
(EXHALES)
Oh, my God. (SNIFFS)
I'm officially too old
to kip on the floor.
(CHUCKLES)
It's a strong look.
Thanks.
Who's this granddad?
It's Nikola Tesla.
Oh, right. Like the car?
Like the greatest mind
of his generation.
- (EXHALES)
- Hey...
You have to go.
- What?
- You got to go. I have...
- Are you serious?
- Yeah. I'm serious.
I have a really busy morning.
- Busy morning?
- Mm-hm. I have a meeting.
I imagine
it's a very important one.
Yeah, actually.
You can't be here.
OK. Alright. Fine.
Hey, look, I'm going, alright?
- Just relax.
- Mm-hm.
But you know I don't believe
you for a second, right?
Right.
Look, Grace,
for what it's worth...
I'm not the needy type,
alright?
If you wanted this to just
be, like, a casual thing...
...that suits me.
- Yeah, I knew you'd agree.
- Ugh.
- You agree.
- Bye.
- You agree.
- Mm-hm.
JILL: Six times?
- I think he bruised my cervix.
- That is not a thing.
I would never lie about
something so serious.
When are you seeing him again?
I'm not.
Don't you like him?
He's funny.
He's... He's clever,
in his own way.
He's just a bit... average.
Ugh, there you go -
eyes bigger than your plate.
It's my plate, Jill.
I'm just saying,
even if you think
you MIGHT like him one day...
(JILL SIGHS)
(GRACE GROANS SOFTLY)
You got the wrong value for x.
It's thrown the whole equation.
- X is 13.
- No.
- Are you serious?
- Yep.
Oh, my God! It's so stupid.
I don't even know
where I screwed up.
Everyone at this competition
is going to know I'm an idiot.
How dare you talk about
my niece like that?
Honestly, it's gonna be OK.
And you'll have me there.
Don't forget these.
Put them in the freezer.
Oh, thanks.
You always just give up
before even really trying.
I don't give up.
I just am the way I am.
I'm fine.
You're not.
You know all Hillary wants is
to be like her Auntie Grace.
I don't think she understands
what that really means.
(LAUGHS)
Thank you. Thank you, Jill.
- Thank you.
- Thanks for the dinner.
Thank you, Jill.
(SIGHS)
Not on your f*cking life.
(FAINT BUZZING)
When Nick was 25, he became
hypersensitive to sounds.
A bumblebee buzzing
in the garden outside his room
- would amplify in his head
to an expl*si*n.
- (BUZZING INCREASES)
(expl*si*n)
It was so bad he could do
nothing but take to his bed.
Hm. Sounds lovely.
Miss Vandenburg.
Hi.
- Dr Fields?
- Uh, no. Sorry.
I'm afraid
he's been called out.
I'm Ava Gottlieb.
- So pretty.
- Thank you.
- Sorry.
- No. It's fine.
(LAUGHS) It's alright.
Have a seat.
So your file is telling me
it's been a while since
you've been under a protocol.
You're eight months out
from impatient.
This is your first follow-up?
Yeah. I just wanted to
get my life back in order.
So, currently unmedicated.
No treatment plan at all.
Has there been
an escalation or...?
No.
Just, you know,
with my... my counting,
I just wanted to get it maybe
a little better under control.
OK, well...
We can put a plan together,
you know, explore CBT,
maybe some
exposure response therapy.
But I'm curious, Grace,
what's prompting you
to seek treatment now?
(DISTORTED AUDIO)
- Grace?
- Yeah.
Sorry. This isn't
really right for me.
I think I'll handle it myself.
- OK.
- OK.
That's it?
No big speech
on how you can fix me.
I'm not really in the business
of big speeches.
Oh.
I was hoping to
make a strong exit.
Right.
Oh, I forgot my bag.
Yeah. (CLEARS THROAT)
- Bye.
- Bye.
(ENGINES ROAR, DISTANTLY)
(WHISPERS) Oh, God.
(INHALES AND EXHALES)
Oh, come the f*ck on.
Just...
(PHONE RINGS)
- Hello?
- Hi, Sheamus.
It's, um, Grace.
You made me sweat,
but I'm happy you called.
How are you doing?
Sorry. Can you just stop
for a second? I just really
need to get this out.
(EXHALES)
My name is
Grace Lisa Vandenburg.
There in 19 letters
in my name.
I am 34 years old
and I don't know about you,
but sometimes
I feel like running away
and, you know,
becoming, like, a pearl diver
or a milkmaid.
Um. But I hate running,
the vastness of the ocean
terrifies me,
and, um,
I actually just recently
switched to oat milk, so...
I don't like coriander,
and when I wear yellow,
I look like a corpse.
I think I'd like to
see you again.
Casual, um, or...
...otherwise.
Well, I bet it doesn't.
- What?
- Yellow.
You know, I bet, uh,
I bet Van Gogh himself
couldn't you do justice.
Uh, so...
Do you want to join me
for my Sunday ritual?
That makes it...
It's not weird, OK.
I just... Trust me.
You'll love it.
- Alright, I'll text you.
- Sounds good. Bye.
(TRADITIONAL-STYLE
CHINESE MUSIC PLAYS)
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
You look incredible.
Oh, my God.
- Should we just call it...?
- Yeah, that was awful.
- I've had a lovely evening.
- Yeah. Me, too.
Nice to meet you. Yeah.
This place is the closest thing
I have to a religion.
Honestly.
Can we get some pork buns
and dumplings, please?
Yeah. If you see anything
you like, just grab it.
That's what I'll be doing.
Thank you.
Yeah, I think it was
my first night here...
GRACE: Three dumplings.
How many bites in one dumpling?
Surely not two.
His mouth is bigger than mine.
Hmm.
God, I love his mouth.
Give me a second. I...
Oh. Can we get
some spring rolls
and some sesame toast, please?
- Do you eat sesame toast?
- Yeah.
Thank you very much.
Yeah, it basically doesn't
look much from the outside...
(MURMURS SOFTLY)
Can we have
some custard tarts, please?
WOMAN: Sure.
- Thank you.
- It doesn't make sense.
How many bites?
(DISTORTED) Two?
- It's not enough.
- Tea?
Do you want tea, Grace?
Sorry.
I can't.
(BREATHES HEAVILY)
Sorry.
Grace?
- (COUNTS INDISTINCTLY)
- Hey, hey...
- You alright?
- Yeah.
Right. OK, OK, I think...
I think you're having
a panic attack, alright?
So just... just breathe.
Yeah.
Look at me. Look at me.
Just breathe.
Grace, OK...
Let's just
take a minute here, OK?
Just... Just breathe.
Just breathe.
(BOTH BREATHE HEAVILY)
50 million sperm, give or take,
per ejaculation
of between 2 and 5 millilitres.
40 million people
living with HIV worldwide.
More than 650,000 people
die every year.
Do you have A*DS?
- What?
- Gonorrhoea, chlamydia?
Any of the big ones?
- Morning.
- Good morning.
Should I be worried?
No, I'm clean as a whistle.
OK.
Hey, should I be worried?
About some
half-Brit, half-genius?
No. I have the bar.
Do you...
You want to talk about
last night at all?
Panic?
Panic is the world's most
underrated aphrodisiac.
Oh! So I could have just been
anyone last night, then.
- Just the nearest bloke.
- Hm, that's right.
There's something
I need to ask you,
and I need you to be
100% honest with me.
Have you got
a spare toothbrush?
I... Actually, I don't.
You don't?
- No.
- No?
- What do you mean, no?
- (LAUGHS)
- Come on.
- (LAUGHS) No.
(NORTHERN SKY
BY NICK DRAKE PLAYS)
I never felt magic
crazy as this
I never saw moons,
knew the meaning of the sea
But now you're here
Brighten my northern sky...
SEAMUS: Stone Roses,
Joy Division.
GRACE: I don't know.
The Cure?
Thank God you said that,
because if you hadn't...
Honestly, if you hadn't said
that I was this close to saying
Marcel Marceau.
- What?
- Is he even a singer?
He's a mime!
So he definitely never released
a single, then.
I've been a long time
that I'm waiting
Been a long that I'm blown
I've been a long time
that I've wandered
Through the people
I have known
Oh, if you would
and you could
Straighten
my new mind's eye...
I've been wondering about
these Cuisenaire.
They're for counting,
teaching kids.
Named after George Cuisenaire,
my second-favourite inventor.
Is this like Jenga
for geniuses?
- Geniuses?
- Yeah.
Yes. They're vintage.
I had them since I was three.
Would you love me
for my money?
Would you love me
for my head?
Would you love me...
- SEAMUS: Hello!
- Hey!
Sorry I'm late.
Oh, if you would
and you could
Come blow your horn
on high...
Three, four.
I've slept with four people.
Four men.
That's actually more than me.
I've slept with zero men.
(LAUGHS) That's a shame.
You're really missing out.
(LAUGHS) So I hear. Honestly.
(BOTH LAUGH)
That's not even that many.
- It's not.
- (LAUGHS)
But it's the past.
It's the past.
OK.
I only care about the present.
What about the future?
Well, first things first -
nail Back In Black.
- Mm. Yeah.
- Gotta know your audience.
- Mm-hm.
(STRUMS DISCORDANT CHORD)
(BOTH LAUGH)
Don't say anything.
Oh... (LAUGHS)
It's only gonna get worse
if you distract me.
Alright.
You're making life hard.
OK.
(STRUMS MINOR CHORD)
(INDISTINCT COUNTING)
(DISTORTED GUITAR CHORD)
(FAINT COUNTING CONTINUES)
...five, six, seven, eight,
nine, ten. One...
...six, seven,
eight, nine, ten.
Eight, nine, ten.
Eight, nine, ten.
(COUNTING CONTINUES
INDISTINCTLY)
...eight, nine, ten.
(COUNTING CONTINUES)
(EXHALES)
(COUNTING CONTINUES)
Axium -
the very first principle,
always accepted as truth.
You mean 'axiom',
like axiom with an O?
What's wrong with you?
Nothing.
What's wrong with you?
My aunt got a boyfriend
and now she's losing the plot.
She's probably
not losing the plot.
She's cool and normal,
would never do anything weird.
- Such a nerd.
- You're such a nerd.
When can I meet him?
Soon.
I promise.
(WHISPERS) One, two...
...six, seven,
eight, nine, ten.
(QUIET MESSAGE ALERT)
(FAINT COUNTING)
JILL: Grace.
Grace.
Grace.
What's all this, then?
Mmm... I don't know, I just...
It has to come out somewhere,
you know?
It's just so tiring.
God.
What about Doctor Fields?
- Mmm... Yeah.
- Seamus?
You've got to tell him
what's going on.
Of all the advice
you've ever given me,
that has got to be
about the dumbest sh*t
you've ever said.
Honestly, Jill.
(LAUGHS)
Nope. Hide the crazy.
Mmm. How's that going for you?
Oh, don't look at me like that.
Everyone does it, even you.
(DOOR OPENS AND CLOSES)
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
Oh, crap. The tram's down.
Hi, Freddie.
I'll try your mum.
Mum's at Pilates till six, so.
Bye, girls. Well done today.
I know who you can call.
- Right.
- Thanks for the ride, bro.
No worries.
Hey, give me five stars,
though, right?
- Yeah, sure.
- Oh, for f*ck's sake.
- What?
- Oh...
Excuse me.
This is a private driveway.
Hi, Mum.
Uh, landed in Sydney,
did the whole recruitment thing
along with every other Brit.
Uh, it was soulless,
and I hated it,
but it got me my residency,
and then I had
a bit more freedom.
Fancied a change
of scene, and... Thank you.
...Melbourne and painting
it was.
- Grace doesn't travel.
- Grace is right here.
You know what I mean.
You're hardly
one for itchy feet.
Well, we'll have to
change that, then, won't we?
Please. Please take a seat.
Honestly, I think I know
my way around a potato masher.
- (LAUGHS)
- If you don't mind.
JILL: Oh, he's a cook, too.
Goodness.
Well, that's wonderful, Gracie.
Nice to have someone around
who can make life
a little bit easier for you.
You must miss your family.
Yeah, of course I do. Yeah.
We used to live on...
...on the same three streets
back home,
always in and out of
each other's business,
you know?
Sounds a bit like us.
And are your family
all painters?
Uh, labourers mostly.
Mum was a nurse.
But, anyway, Grace tells me
you are a lawyer.
WAS a lawyer. Taken some
time off to be around Larry.
Well, you must be very proud,
Mrs Vandenburg.
Marj, call me Marj.
You haven't half raised
some smart women.
Oh! (LAUGHS)
Did you ever WANT to study?
Glass number three, Jill.
It wasn't really an option.
I wasn't too bothered.
You know, university of life
and all that.
Oh... Rodgers?
Rodgers, isn't it?
- Yes.
- Yes, 'cause my sister-in-law,
she married a Rodgers.
You could be related.
From Nottingham, were they?
No. Ballarat.
- Right.
- I think it was Jimmy Rodgers.
Are there any chavs
in Nottingham?
- Chavs?
- How do you know
what a chav is?
- Yeah, there are a few.
- Lar, don't say 'chav'.
It's offensive.
Oh, sorry, Seamus.
I didn't realise you were...
No, it's fine.
I'm not a chav... anymore.
It's just the kind of thing I'm
going to think about tomorrow.
You did finish high school?
- I did finish
high school, yes.
- Jesus Christ.
I can even
tie my own shoelaces.
Oh! I didn't mean
anything by it.
No, I know, I'm just...
I mean, Grace could
never suffer a fool.
Well, I try my best.
Henry. Henry Rodgers.
- Cheers.
- Cheers.
To Henry.
MARJ: Please, do start.
Seamus, pass your plate,
please, and I'll help you.
Thank you.
Are you coming in?
I'd better not.
- Really?
- Yeah.
- I've got an early start.
- OK. Forget it.
You will not cry.
You will not.
You will not cry.
(KNOCKING)
I thought about it.
Oh. For just a minute?
All I needed.
(MACCHINETTA GURGLES)
(DISHES CLINK)
(TON NOM
BY CHARLES AZNAVOUR PLAYS)
(SINGS ALONG IN FRENCH)
Tell me, is there
anything better
than the smell of
coffee and Aznavour
on a cold morning?
OK, I'm going to say there is.
Uh, onions cooking with bacon
and the Pogues.
Right.
- sh*t! I gotta get going.
- Come dance with me!
- (SINGS ALONG IN FRENCH)
- Oh, you speak French now?
I SING French.
It's a big difference.
No, no. Sexy either way.
- Dance with me.
- I'm already late,
but tonight, I promise, OK?
Honestly. Tonight! Tonight.
I promise, I promise.
Just realised I said
I was ALREADY late, so...
f*ck it.
I think I'm having
a great idea.
Let's get out of town
this weekend.
- Why?
- Why?
You know, you, me,
country roads.
Uh, little bars of soap
wrapped in paper.
Sunset walks.
Other... physical pursuits.
(WHISPERS) OK.
- Yeah?
- Yeah.
Amazing.
Leave everything to me.
I am deadly serious, OK?
If you even think about
thinking about organising
anything that isn't a washbag,
I'll be inconsolable.
Bye.
He should have
danced with you.
Not everyone has your moves.
That's true.
(MUSIC ENDS)
For every 10,000 cars,
there are 0.45 fatal crashes.
That's one life
lost every 4,500 cars.
A driver could
pass out suddenly
and just veer towards us.
Probable cardiac arrest causes
3.1% of all driver deaths...
(BIRD CALLS)
...in Finland.
What if I get there
and I don't like him?
I'll need an escape route.
I'll have to get the bus back.
What if he's
an axe-wielding maniac
And I'm trapped in a cabin
miles from anywhere.
- What are you thinking?
- Wouldn't you like to know?
Yes. That's why I asked.
I mean, I am looking forward to
cracking mind-reading
eventually.
And then you'd have to hear
everyone's inner monologue
all day long.
OK, so what would be
your superpower, then,
if you could have one?
I already have one, babes.
- Yeah.
- Oh, right.
Agreed.
(LAUGHS)
(BIRDS SING)
(GRACE CHUCKLES)
- That's kind of
your whole thing, isn't it?
- Tell me about the lyre birds.
You've not told me that yet.
This is nature's fractal.
What's a fractal?
A repetitive pattern. See?
Using scale.
The area stays the same,
but the horizon is infinite.
SEAMUS: It's very cool.
You alright?
- Yeah.
- You crying?
No. What? Shut up.
You're crying.
(LAUGHS)
It's only a couple of trees,
mate.
Yeah, well, I haven't really
left the same 12-k radius
in a really long time, so...
Really?
Yeah, I get it.
It's pretty spectacular,
isn't it?
Yeah.
(NO FUN BY THE STOOGES
PLAYS ON RADIO)
(AUDIO DISTORTS AND CRACKLES)
- Can we turn that off?
- Hey, don't be a snob.
It's classic.
(TURNS OFF MUSIC)
Alright. So you really
don't like it, then?
I'd love it if it weren't
the most basic thing
I'd ever heard in my life.
(INSECTS CHIRRUP,
CREATURES CALL)
(SEAMUS BREATHES HEAVILY)
(SCRATCHY, DISTORTED AUDIO)
Did you?
- No. No.
- OK.
Honestly, don't worry about it.
I f*cking love it. I want to.
Stop. I just... Let it go.
Do we need to talk?
Mm, no, we definitely don't.
Right, yeah.
That's a mature response.
Are you kidding me?
Look, it's not
my first rodeo, OK?
So if you've got something
to say, then just say it,
just be honest.
Whenever we hold hands,
you literally... you flinch.
And I see you muttering
to yourself all the time.
Like, do I...
Do I irritate you?
No.
I don't want to pressure you,
but you're pushing me away
and I can feel it.
So, please, if it's not me,
then just tell me what it is.
Do you know you have 137
eyelashes on your right eye?
There are 119 on your left.
I've counted them.
I count everything.
Everything.
And these past few weeks,
I have held it all in.
Around you,
I hold it all together.
But the moment you leave...
...I fall apart.
Just... long enough
to count all the pieces
and put them
back together again.
Because I really
f*cking like you.
- It's really good.
- I know.
- Yeah.
- It is!
- (LAUGHS)
- It is.
Hey, um,
are you doing it now?
Mm?
The counting.
Oh. No.
- I'm sorry.
- Mmm!
That's fine.
Like, what...
does it do for you?
Well, it makes me prone to
bringing home sexy Brits
- on a whim.
- (LAUGHS)
Come on,
tell me what it's like.
What it feels like.
Uh... Well, sometimes
it feels soothing.
Mm.
And then, other times,
it feels like
my... my brain runs so fast,
you know, like there are
a million different thoughts
jumping around all the time.
And so then I count.
And then, if I miss a number,
I start all over again.
Right. f*ck.
(SARCASTIC ACCENT)
What a weirdo.
Not a weirdo.
I'm just imagining
what that must... OK.
Yeah. OK. Yeah. As soon as
things get slightly personal,
the f*ck starts.
I'm just... I'm trying to
imagine what it would be like
to have that going on
in my head the whole time.
Like, are there things
that can help?
(TICKING)
I'll do the medication.
But under no circumstances
am I doing the Freud couch.
That was a very strong entry.
Ah, thanks. I really
worked myself up outside.
The couch is non-negotiable,
I'm afraid.
I mean, not literally.
You can sit wherever you want.
But we need to meet regularly.
OK, I'll just pretend
I thought of that.
Miss Vandenburg?
Take the pills. Move my body.
Confront the discomfort.
Keep a routine.
Simple as that.
Take the pills. Move my body.
Confront the discomfort.
Keep a routine.
Pills.
Body.
Discomfort.
Routine.
Pills.
Body.
Discomfort.
Routine.
Oh, for God's sake,
don't you tell your sister.
When did this start up again?
Oh, a couple of months.
Look, it's... it's disgusting.
I know.
I am quitting, but I just...
What are you doing here,
anyway?
Larry? Competition prep.
What's on your mind, Mum?
Look, I don't want to
put any pressure on you.
That's not fair, uh...
And I really want it to
stick this time, but I just...
I just need to be sure
that you'll be OK.
Not... Not 'normal',
whatever that is,
just OK.
OK.
- OK.
- OK?
OK.
...two three, four, five.
Five trolleys. Six dumplings.
Eight, nine, ten.
How many chairs?
(FAST, OVERLAPPING COUNTING)
...nine, ten.
Eight, nine, ten.
Six, seven, eight, nine...
f*ck exposure therapy.
- Thanks.
- AVA: How you doing, Grace?
I was reading this thing
the other day
about this guy who
couldn't mix short and long.
So shorts meant a t-shirt,
jeans meant a long sleeve.
And if he ever mixed them,
he would feel really
uncomfortable all day,
like his skin would burn.
And then his wife left him
because he set
their wardrobe on fire.
Why are you
telling me this story?
(BOTH BREATHE HEAVILY AND MOAN)
We're just not having
animalistic sex anymore.
I loved it.
And now he just treats me
like I'm made of f*cking glass.
Well, have you talked about it?
This shift is probably
a new thing for him, too.
No, it's... it's not just him.
It's me as well.
I just find it hard to
feel sexy and cool
with all the counting
out in the open.
So you want to
stop the counting,
get back to the animal sex?
- Basically, yeah.
- Good, good.
Getting somewhere.
Yeah, except the counting
is almost gone,
but so is half my brain.
There are other medications
we can try.
But...
You know, it's...
it's just a band-aid
until we get down to
the cause of it all.
When you count,
what does it do for you?
Keeps us safe.
Me, my family, Seamus.
(FAINT, INDISTINCT VOICES)
JILL: (INDISTINCTLY) Grace?
Grace?
Grace?
Yeah, that sounds good.
Is she OK?
She's nervous
about the competition.
You'll bring her home
afterwards, yeah?
She told me
in no uncertain terms
that she doesn't want me there.
And, besides, I have to collect
Mum after her colonoscopy.
Oh, Jill! Really and truly.
Yeah, that's fine.
Seamus can drive us.
Well, make sure
he knows where to go.
It's at St Gabriel's.
Ugh, why they're
hosting this thing
halfway across the damn city...
He'll be fine. Stop stressing.
I'm glad you'll be there.
I really like him. He's nice.
I'm fine. It's just these
new meds are kicking my arse.
Well, we had you on those
when you were 16,
and they didn't sit well
with you then either.
I don't remember that.
- Really?
- Mm.
I'll get your notes together
so you can
give them to your doctor.
Pretty clued into it all,
aren't you, Mum?
Well, Grace, I am your mother.
I just hate feeling so slow.
What you need is some exercise.
You should come to a Pilates
class with me in the morning.
Oh, please, not all of us have
to hate ourselves so intensely
before 8am.
Well, you're starting to look
like a wrung-out flannel.
I look wan.
Wan?
What's wan?
Wan. You know, sickly.
- Wan...
- Pale.
Photocopy of
a once-vibrant soul.
That is nonsense.
You look beautiful.
(GROANS SOFTLY)
You do.
Sorry.
(EXHALES)
You'd probably be more aroused
by a packet of chips.
What does Ava say?
Keep trying until we find it.
You're amazing for trying.
- Are we in a rut?
- No, we're not in a rut.
It's just routine. It happens.
My routines have never been
this mind-numbingly dull.
(EXHALES)
You seem sad, ljubavi.
(PILLS RATTLE)
(PHONE RINGS)
(RINGING STOPS)
(BUZZES)
- Hey!
- Hey.
What are you doing here?
Why aren't you
at the maths competition?
I've been calling you
all afternoon.
I had no idea where to go.
I don't have Larry's number.
Oh, God!
f*ck!
She'll just be with her mates.
She'll be fine.
Hey. It's not your fault.
(EXHALES) Larry!
I'm so f*cking sorry.
- I won.
- You won?
I knew you were gonna win.
Are you...
Is that wine? Yes it is.
She broke into
St Gabriel's chapel
with a bunch of kids,
got into the communion store,
all at the behest of some boy
she's apparently in love with.
Do you know
this Freddie character?
Freddie?
- This is not
how you were raised.
- It's not a big deal.
You've been suspended
from school.
It is a very big deal.
Do you have any idea what
could have happened to you?
And you!
What's your excuse this time?
Too busy playing house
with a tradie,
leaving my 13-year-old daughter
to wander the streets, drunk.
This was not intentional.
She is sorry.
Stop it.
Stop it with the excuses, Mum.
We've spent our whole lives
tiptoeing around her
with the excuses.
Toby was my brother too, Mum.
I can't believe
I was stupid enough
to just think that
it might stick this time.
- I mean, I must be
the sick one...
- Jill...
...trusting you
to look after Larry.
SEAMUS: Enough! Enough.
I know you're upset, Jill.
Grace screwed up royally,
but she's been
trying really hard.
She's not perfect.
It's a process,
and it's going to affect
all of us, not just you.
Because you know Grace
so well, huh?
You know about
the time I found her
catatonic in her bed
after a power failure.
See, she couldn't get up.
Not without the clock
telling her it was 6am.
You had to go in-patient
after that one,
- didn't you, Grace?
- Jill...
Pretty soon after that,
you lost your tenureship.
A whole life of genius
down the toilet.
- Jill!
- So, yeah, Seamus,
feel free to enlighten me.
Tell me how well
you know my sister.
I think I'll go.
(DOOR OPENS)
(DOOR CLOSES)
(EXHALES)
You never told me
you had a brother.
What happened?
They said
he didn't feel any pain.
He was just... lying there.
Looked like he was sleeping.
I'm so sorry.
And that's when it started.
I counted everything.
I wish you didn't feel like you
had to hide all that from me.
Because it's
none of your business.
OK, yeah. I'm not...
Just, I feel like
I've been with you
every step of the way here,
and...
you don't think I had the right
to know something like that?
- Had the right?
- Not the right...
You had the right?
You, you, you.
It's always about you. This
is nothing to do with you.
- This is about me.
- When is it ever about me?
I'm... Look, everything
we do or don't do,
everywhere we go or don't go,
that's always about you.
- And that's fine.
- Ah, you accommodate me.
Yes, I do accommodate you.
But I do it happily.
Because - listen to me -
I do... Listen.
I do it happily, Grace,
because when you love someone
and they're going through it,
that's what you do.
That makes you feel
big and important, does it?
- Huh?
- No, no, no.
We all know there's only
one important person
when you're around.
Trust me.
- I can't.
- I didn't... I didn't...
- I didn't mean it like that.
- Actually, I can't.
OK... What's this?
Yeah. Take the nuclear option
first time out, every time.
- Usually works.
- Get the f*ck out.
Just get the f*ck out.
I'm done.
No, Grace...
This isn't us.
OK, please,
just take a step back.
Just take a second.
Think about
what you're doing here.
(LAUGHS)
I have literally
thought of nothing else
for weeks.
Of finally being free
from this f*cking droning...
...inside my head.
OK.
Go find someone else to rescue.
(DEVIL OR ANGEL
BY LOU DOILLON PLAYS)
I'll never quite understand
Why we love to carry on wars
As we do
And I haven't yet
opened the doors
That your b*ll*ts
are already flying through
And I wish you'd stop
Claiming you surrender
Lay down the g*ns if you do
Honey you're so quick to skip
From praise to slander
Devil or Angel,
I'm not one or the other
And I'm sorry if I
If I disappoint you so.
(TICKING)
It's alarming just how easy
it is to erase someone.
After a week, it was like
he had never even existed.
Erasing someone who refuses
to be erased, however...
Well, that can be
a little tricky.
(HAZEY JANE II
BY CAMILLE PLAYS)
And what will happen
in the morning
When the world,
it gets so crowded
That you can't look
out the window in the morning?
And what will happen
in the evening
In the forest with the weasel
with the teeth
That bite so sharp
that you're not looking
In the evening?
And all the friends that
you once knew are left behind
They kept you safe
and so secure
Amongst the books and all
the records of your lifetime
What will happen
in the morning...
(KNOCKING)
SEAMUS: Grace? Come on.
It's me.
- (KNOCKING)
- (WHISPERS) He's persistent.
Can we talk? Please?
Don't be sad, ljubavi.
Happy smiles, yes?
Seamus and I broke up.
A few weeks ago.
I'm sorry.
Yeah.
Um, I came off the meds.
I just wanted to feel a little
bit more like myself for a bit.
But we can try again,
down the road.
Yeah. Yeah. Of course.
Do you know Nikola Tesla?
- The inventor.
- I do.
Well, he's, um...
He's lived with me, for years.
In what way?
Like he's, um...
Like he's there. He's with me.
We... We talk. We...
...do things together.
(LAUGHS)
Not those kinds of things.
No. It's platonic. (LAUGHS)
Oh, my God. I'm f*cking nuts.
I... I've heard
far stranger things, Grace.
- Oh, really?
- Believe me, yes.
OK, well, when did Tesla
first come to you?
Um...
It was the first time
I left the hospital.
And what about before that?
What happened
when you were six?
My brother.
Part of me feels like if
I just count the steps properly
that he doesn't fall,
he doesn't die.
That if I count everything
all the time
that no-one gets hurt.
And I get it. I...
I get that
the rational part of me
knows that
it makes no sense, that...
that things happen to people,
good and bad, all the time.
It has nothing to do with
the numbers.
But the fear...
...fear is always still there.
Do you remember what
happened to Tesla in the end?
Yeah. He went bankrupt building
the Wardenclyffe Tower.
It was sold for scrap metal
in World w*r I.
He was ahead of his time.
He was just... misunderstood.
Mmm. And after that?
He died alone in
a crummy hotel room, broke.
He told everyone he invented
the death-ray g*n
and that he could communicate
with other planets.
The smartest man in the world,
and yet he...
...he couldn't
find his way out.
Couldn't manage the fear.
Just because Tesla
couldn't get his sh*t together
doesn't mean he's a loser,
you know?
I know.
But imagine how remarkable
he would have been
if he did
get his sh*t together.
(ELO'S STRANGE MAGIC
BY REINA DEL CID PLAYS)
Once you take
two steps forward,
taking one step back,
well, it's like putting on
an old coat
that doesn't fit anymore.
You're sailing softly
through the sun...
All you can do is try.
You fly
So high
I get a strange magic
Oh, what a strange magic...
(ALARM RINGS)
Oh, it's a strange magic
Got a strange magic
Got a strange magic
One, two, three, four,
five, six, seven...
Maybe I really am
changing for good.
I know I want
something different.
I guess I'm trying to figure
out exactly what that is.
Oh, no
Ah-ah, ah-ah
Oh, no
Uh-ah, ah-ah
I get a strange magic
Oh, what a strange magic
Oh, it's a strange magic
Got a strange magic
Got a strange magic...
Well, this is...
this is lovely.
Gran, even I know
you can't put the toothpaste
back in the tube.
(LAUGHS)
(ALL LAUGH)
I'm not going to make
a single excuse for myself.
If you can't forgive me,
that's fine.
Come down off the cross.
Of course I forgive you.
OK?
Come here.
- But actually, I just
really want that lasagne.
- (LAUGHS)
Now, I know we're not
supposed to talk about it,
but are you sure you can't
make things work with Seamus?
Oh, God, Mum, that toothpaste
is all the way out,
smeared across the floor.
Well, that is a shame,
because you two,
you were such a pair.
Never forgive myself
for missing it.
You couldn't help it.
You still mad at me?
Why would I be mad at you?
I got you into trouble.
Everything that happened
that day was on me.
OK?
Everything.
Are you going to tell Mum?
Tell Mum what?
About... Freddie. About me.
Come here.
Hey...
It's none of her business
until you want it to be.
But your mum
is such a brilliant woman
and she loves you
just the way you are.
Whatever way that is.
And all that stuff
you're feeling,
all of that
tightness in your chest,
that's just fear.
And one day, you'll be able to
look it in the face
and know exactly who you are.
(LAUGHS)
Oh...
I'm glad you're doing better.
I like this Grace.
Well,
work-in-progress Grace.
(SHE'LL BE COMING 'ROUND
BY TINY RUINS PLAYS)
Like a brightly painted one
Freed from the turning
of the wheel
Her mane dancing in the wind
Eyes fiery as the sun
Hooves bounding
across the fields...
SEAMUS: I promise
I won't come by again.
I just didn't think
you should be without these.
Happy birthday.
She'll be coming round
She'll be coming round
The bend...
I'll miss you,
Grace Lisa Vandenburg.
(DO YOU REALIZE??
BY THE FLAMING LIPS PLAYS)
One, two, three, four!
My name
is Grace Lisa Vandenburg.
There are 19 letters
in my name.
I have anxiety
and a hell of a lot of issues
around guilt,
but I'm working on it.
I know that counting
can't keep anyone safe,
not even me.
But safety isn't everything.
Do you realize
That you have the most
Beautiful face?
Do you realize
We're floating in space?
Do you realize
That happiness
makes you cry?
You are Seamus Joseph Rogers.
There are 19 letters
in your name.
Just like me.
You may not be able to
read my mind...
...but you see me.
It all counts.
Life is made up of
thousands of fleeting moments.
And if you don't pay attention
and make them count,
you could miss it.
You could miss your whole life.
Do you realize?
Ah-ah-ah
Do you realize
That everyone you know
Someday will die?
And instead of saying
all of your goodbyes
Let them know you realize
that life goes fast
It's hard to make
the good things last
You realize
the sun doesn't go down
It's just an illusion
caused by the world
Spinning round
Do you realize
That you have the most
Beautiful face?
Do you realize?
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Addition (2024)
Moderators: Maskath3, GabrielAlejo2341, sidolanters, Maskath3, GabrielAlejo2341, sidolanters
Watch on Amazon Merchandise Collectables
Valentine's Day, Hot, Steamy, Sexy, Romantic Movie Collection.
Valentine's Day, Hot, Steamy, Sexy, Romantic Movie Collection.