( man announcing over P.A. )
( woman announcing over P.A. )
This is the rocket scientist I was sitting next to on the plane.
Mr. Shi, this is my sister Barb.
Oh, how do you do?
My daughter.
- Oh, hi. I'm Yilan. - Hi. Nice to meet you.
Mr. Shi told me the most fascinating stories.
Old stories. I'm retired.
Well, you have a wonderful visit in America.
- Nice to meet you. - Nice to meet you. Bye-bye.
( keypad beeping )
( dog whining )
( chuckles )
Yilan...
Yilan.
( switch clicks )
Huh?
Eh?
( vacuum cleaner whirring )
( footsteps )
( sighs )
( instrumental music playing )
( Russian choir singing )
( singing continues )
( distant dog barking )
( muffled rock music playing )
Good afternoon, sir.
( phone ringing )
Hello?
No, thanks.
Good morning.
WOMAN: What are you writing?
( chuckles ) Nothing.
Well, it's a beautiful day.
Uh, yes.
Uh...
( speaks Chinese )
You no work today.
You no work yesterday.
Good.
Yeah, well, I'm unemployed at the moment.
I can't seem to find a job.
What you do?
Oh, well, I studied to be a forensic scientist.
- Scientist? - Yeah. Uh-huh.
Oh, good good.
I scientist-- rocket scientist.
Oh my God, that is so cool.
That is so cool.
I want to be a forensic scientist.
Have you ever been in a cadaver lab?
It's very peaceful. It's very peaceful.
We once had a brain that we sliced up like a loaf of bread--
Well, pretty much everything sliced up for our convenience.
A lot of people think I'm weird and morbid,
but I think I have a very sunny outlook on things.
Oh, yes, you like sun.
- Uh-huh. Yes. - Good good.
Uh, goodbye.
Oh, bye. Bye.
Bye-bye.
Good weather.
Uh...
( speaks Chinese )
( makes continuous noise )
Ci-cah-das.
Ci-cah-das? Ci-cah-das?
( makes continuous noise )
Down.
Sleep.
17 years.
Come up.
Sing. ( makes noise )
Jirjirak. Jirjirak.
Aha.
( speaks Farsi )
Sing one summer-- die.
( speaks Farsi, laughs )
( phone ringing )
Zari-Jon, salom. ( speaks Farsi )
To park.
Adult school.
Friend. Salom.
Hello in Farsi-- salom.
Salom. Say salom.
- Say salom. - No, salom.
Salom.
Salom, hello--
Chini...?
Ni Hao.
( laughs )
( speaking Farsi )
Telephone.
Cell phone.
Have cell phone?
No?
My wife--
Oh. Oh.
She die.
No phone.
No cell phone.
Cancer.
Liver cancer.
( knocks on door )
Good afternoon, sir.
How you do?
Good good.
This is Elder Reilly and I'm Elder Leach.
How are you today, sir?
Good.
You look like you're a little worried about something.
Are you okay?
Sir, have you ever thought about finding answers
to all the questions you have?
America
like cold water.
No good to stomach.
Stomach?
( speaks Chinese )
Sir, have you ever heard of the prophet Joseph Smith?
Or of this book, the Book of Mormon?
Joseph Smith brought the Book of Mormon to the world
and we believe it to be
the most correct book on the earth.
Uh...
"awake, my sons.
Put on the armor of righteousness.
Shake off the chains with which you are bound
and come forth out of obscurity
and arise from the dust."
What it means is
this is a prophet
and he is talking to his sons.
And he's telling them
to break-- break out of the chains,
to be strong.
To stand up.
Workers in the world, come together.
You free. You have world.
You know who said this?
No, I'm afraid not, sir.
Marx, Engels.
( speaks Chinese )
You too young.
Is he a Chinese wise man?
Yes, clever.
Sir, there are many wise sayings
by many wise people,
but what we seek to learn,
what helps us
answer the questions we have
are the words of the prophets of God.
I not know
your god.
China no have god.
That's why we're here talking to you, sir.
Yes yes.
Do you have any questions?
Questions many many.
I not know English.
Would you like some Chinese missionaries--
speak to missionaries to help you understand?
I see you--
I remember myself.
( speaks Chinese )
1948. Communist.
Okay.
- Okay. - Thank you.
I finish book--
I see you.
"Indian summer."
# one little, two little #
# three little indians... #
( door opens and closes )
My daughter--
she not happy.
Oh.
It's good. Have daughter is good.
Be happy.
- Yes. - ( speaks Farsi )
Her husband--
( speaks Chinese )
He go China,
no back. No back.
Eh?
I ask.
My daughter no talk.
( clicks tongue, speaks Farsi )
Yes.
Yes, my husband,
husband of mine left.
Left.
Uh,
Another woman?
My-- husband of mine
uh...
three...
three years.
America.
Iran-- return.
- Oh. - Return to hell.
Men--
( speaking Chinese )
Idea. Idea.
Communist.
( chuckles )
Huh?
I study Russian.
Communist.
Communist-- ( speaks Farsi )
( chuckles )
Communist no bad.
Communist in bad hands.
Bad hand, bad foot,
bad Kalle. Communist bad.
I-- I love America.
( speaks Farsi )
Yes yes.
- Yes yes. - Yes?
Me?
Thank you.
I love America.
My son,
big son,
here-- doctor.
Good life.
Good car.
Good house.
All America.
You have son-- good.
My daughter
close to mama.
I make rocket.
We no talk.
( speaks Chinese )
I-- no good father.
"Seeking."
"Men seeking men."
"Women seeking women."
( phone ringing )
Hello. Oh, hi.
Well, if every child did the right thing with the parent,
We would lose half of our traditional Chinese literature.
Yes, you're right.
Yeah, I'll try.
All right, I'll see you in a little bit, okay?
Bye.
( Russian choir singing )
( ducks quacking )
( speaking Chinese )
I need go.
You come. I know here.
You sorry. I sorry.
Oh.
( speaks Farsi )
Baby son. Son baby son come.
Oh.
- Son have son. - Son have son.
Baby son. Grandson.
( speaks Chinese )
Grandmama.
Where grandson?
Hospital.
I go hospital.
Where you go?
Friend, my friend drive.
Oh, no.
I take bus. How do you do, madam?
Hello, sir.
( speaking Farsi )
Sit.
I must tell to you something.
( speaking Farsi )
I had daughter.
Where?
In Iran.
Not here?
No, not here.
She died in Iran.
Look look.
( speaks Farsi )
Beautiful.
War.
Eight years war.
Two crazy men--
Lose daughter. Lose daughter.
( ducks quacking )
Sad story.
( speaks Chinese )
You look good side.
You two sons.
You baby grandson.
You grandmama.
( speaks Chinese )
You good. You good.
Eh?
( door opens, chimes tinkle )
MAN: Hello there.
How do you do?
Can I help you?
I looking something.
Take your time.
I have a feeling I have here in my store
Exactly what you're looking for.
So what are you looking for?
( speaks Chinese )
Present-- my daughter.
Something old, very old.
I see.
How about this?
A friend of mine has a trading post in Montana.
His great-grandfather used this knife
in Custer's last stand.
Have you ever been to the museum in Montana?
You see, Custer stood maybe about that tall.
He had little feet--
Sorry. ( speaks Chinese )
Something good luck.
I see.
Now I get you.
What about this--
Good luck for Native Americans?
Good luck American.
Native Americans. American Indians.
These bears were very special
and thought to possess magic powers.
The spirit of the bear-- very good luck, see?
I can find the tribal certificate if you want to see.
Forget the certificate.
Take my word, it's one of a kind.
Is this old?
Well, honestly,
maybe it's not that old
but if you want something from 300 years ago,
you need to pay big bucks.
And this conceptually
is as old as a 300-year-old piece.
- FATHER: Hello? - YILAN OVER PHONE: Dad.
Oh, Yilan.
( phone ringing )
MALE VOICE: Hello. No one is available to take your call.
Please leave a message after the tone.
( machine beeps )
Yilan...
( machine clicks )
Wei?
Good morning.
I go here.
Oh, I'm going downtown and I can transfer you to the right bus.
- Thank you. - Thank you.
Sir, your I.D., please.
I look--
( speaking Chinese )
I'm sorry, sir, this facility
is only for the college community.
( speaks Chinese ) She work here, library.
My daughter. My daughter work--
I'm sorry, sir, but this facility
is for law students and college community only.
I'm sorry.
Okay. Okay.
I'm father.
( speaks Chinese )
Hello.
Madam okay?
Grandson okay?
Madam fine. Grandson fine.
She wasn't going to the hospital to see her grandson.
I moved her into the retirement home.
Retire home?
Old people home.
Madam big son,
doctor--
she say he take care madam.
Big house.
Not anymore.
Him and his wife-- they don't want madam
to take care of their baby.
( footsteps )
Yilan...
( sighs )
( footsteps )
( keys jingle )
( lock rattles )
( door opens and closes )
- Mister manager. - Yes, sir.
Uh, more bus?
No, sir, that was the last one for tonight.
My daughter no home.
I wait.
( speaks Chinese )
The least she could have done was giving you a call
And saying that she'd either be out late with friends
- Or working late. - Yes yes.
I spent 11 years with the C.I.A.,
so when my kids would take off for a little while
I always knew where they were,
or at least I thought I did.
C.I.A.?
Mm-hmm, yes, I was with them 11 years.
But, you know, our kids worry us all the time.
We feed them. We clothe them. We love them.
And then they turn around and they bite us.
I worry. I worry.
Well, that's all we can do as a parent,
is worry and hope, you know?
Hope good. Hope good.
( speaks Chinese )
I'll have to agree with you there.
You know, when she gets home
sit down and have a little talk with her.
And if that doesn't work, give her a swift kick in the shins.
Good night, sir. You have a good evening.
Oh, good. Thank you.
YILAN: You know, in China
we have an old saying--
( speaks Chinese )
What does it mean?
"It takes 300 years of prayers
to cross a river in a boat with someone.
It takes 3,000 years of prayers
to share a pillow with someone."
How many prayers did we say?
Not enough for us to become husband and wife.
You know,
you probably should work
on getting your wife and daughter to come to America.
I'll see if I can get another Russian class
to T.A. next semester.
You may think how much money you make
is important to your daughter,
but maybe
you just don't know girls as daughters.
And someday
before it's too late
you may want to explain something to her--
something about love,
men,
and all the things that her mother doesn't know.
( door opens )
( sighs )
I'm perfectly fine.
( sighs )
FATHER: Yilan...
( keyboard keys clicking )
( distant< train whistle blows )
( keyboard keys clicking )
# I waved to you #
# as my boat was leaving #
# hats flew up #
# and everybody cheered #
# but you turned #
# as I guess someone spoke to you #
# and in a sea of arms #
# you disappeared #
# I live a life #
# of a ragged soldier #
# the secretary #
# to a rebel king #
# he kept us drunk and hungry #
# in a jungle #
# tangled in the lilies #
# of his scheme #
# we gambled #
# and we fought with one another #
# we had no Code #
# to give us unity #
# most died among us #
# without god or honor #
# as blood became #
# our faith and currency #
# but all the while #
# I kept your name beside me #
# I wrote it #
# but refused it on my tongue #
# believing you a song #
# still there inside me #
# I feared your loss #
# if ever it was sung #
# I found myself at last #
# on a shoreline #
# I booked my passage home #
# and stood in tears #
# with a bag of apples #
# and a forged passport #
# the first I'd seen my face #
# in seven years #
# now I wonder at the day #
# when I might find you #
# appear among the living #
# at your door #
# will you have a husband #
# and some children? #
# will we share a secret #
# anymore? #
# oh, life is brutal #
# to the weak and sober #
# its powers of persuasion #
# dark and grey #
# it pushes its way up #
# to the railing #
# and it turns its face #
# as you start to wave. #
Subtitles by LeapinLar