Genre: Drama
Director: Kenneth Lonergan
Writer: Jimmy Ellis
Cast: Casey Affleck, Thomasin McKenzie, Dakota Fanning, Tobias Menzies
Plot: New Eden, a not so distant future where a nameless order of ideologues have stripped society of artistic expression. Books are burnt; music destroyed; artists cast as heretics and subjected to surveillance and control.
Piles of books and record albums all gathered together, warmly lit by a lamp. Gail Stanthorpe (Thomasin McKenzie), sits on the floor with earbuds on, listening to music and singing along to a Walkman. She's pale with a calm and serene look in her eyes.
An explosion of light shines on Gail. She turns. The bunker door has opened with Renner Stanthorpe (Casey Affleck) silhouetted in it. Behind him, there's the dead body of a man lying in a pool of blood. Gail backs away into one of the piles, making books and albums avalanche to the floor. Renner grabs Gail's wrists and tries to drag her out of the bunker. She struggles, trying to bite into his hand and wrists but he keeps forcing her out until he succeeds. Two soldiers enter and grab the books and albums, throwing them into a black plastic bag. The soldiers throw the plastic bag into a burning trashcan and watch as the pages turn to ash and the vinyls melt.
Gail is thrown into a room with only a bed by her father, Renner. She screams and pounds on the walls and doors. She goes to the window but it has been covered up by wooden planks. Renner stands outside the door listening to his daughter, looking concerned.
As Gail sleeps on the floor we hear a voiceover from Renner: “Like all civilians, you got used to it.” The door opens and Renner enters the room and picks up Gail. Voiceover: “I wanted to show you that you didn't need sin to enjoy the world. I wanted to show you what it was like to live in this New Eden we had created.” He carries her out of the room.
Renner drives his car while Gail sits in the passenger seat staring at the trees.
Renner and Gail sit in the woods, eating around a campfire. They laugh and smile at each other, but there's something forced to her smile. It vanishes too quickly. The two then start talking a bit. Renner tells her that he can’t tell her stories like her mother used to, he couldn’t lie to her. Gail looks up disappointed. He tells her that he just wants her to appreciate the gifts that God had given to the people, not what those liars (the storytellers) had given. Gail stares at her father with a blank stare. Renner looks into the woods for a split second, taking his eyes off of his daughter, Gail gets up and sprints in the other direction. Renner quickly drops all of his gear and chases after her.
A tiring Renner is still yelling out for Gail. He stops at a hill panting, he looks down in horror. Gail lies at the feet of the hill, her body sprawled in a pool of blood seeping from her head. He picks up Gail and carries her in his arms, crying he lays her down in the backseat of the car. Gail lies in the backseat while Renner drives furiously in the middle of the night, his eyes are filled with tears and panic.
Renner pulls into the hospital and yells out to somebody to get help. The nurses and doctors rush out to take her into a room.
Renner kneels in front of the hospital bed, tears cover his eyes as he holds Gail's hand. She lies in the bed, unconscious. He tries talking to Gail to get her to wake up.
Doctor Hal Beck (Tobias Menzies) walks in the room and says that there are a few things that could happen. The first one being that Gail may never wake up again. Renner questions that as long as she is breathing, she will be fine. Beck says that they could be waiting the rest of their lives for her to wake up. Renner asks about other options. Beck gulps, then answers. He says that music is the option. Renner yells and asks him where the hell he wants him to get it from, they destroyed it all. Beck suggests that the ‘liars’ could teach someone maybe even Renner himself. Renner makes sure that before he leaves he tells Beck not to tell a single soul.
Dimity Lawrence (Dakota Fanning) sits on a wheelchair, her pale skin marked by two bluish wounds on her neck. She's in front of a table, staring at a plate of food and utensils. A necklace around her neck blinks a tiny red light. She reaches for the spoon but can barely get her fingers around the spoon. She lifts it but can't hold it and drops the utensil.
Renner enters and she turns her wheelchair to him. Fear briefly flashes across her face until she's only sternly looking at him. He greets her and she nods her head. He tells her that the New Eden needs her help, he asks her to teach him how to play the guitar. Something lights up in Dimity's eyes. She wonders why and Renner tells her, he says that she loves music and that he hopes music could wake her up. Dimity looks down at the fallen spoon on the floor. Renner turns to it as well. He tells her she will be compensated. To that she gets furious. She asks whether she will ever get her hands back. She yells at him asking if he now understands the pain she and everyone else has had to endure with the loss of music and stories. He shakes his head and hands in anger saying he needed to do it to appease God and shake the devil out of everybody. She says she won’t do it for Renner, however because Gail likes music she will do it for her. Hopefully Gail’s love for music can rub off on her father. Renner asks one more thing, whether she knows how to make a guitar. She nods.
A series of shots shows the guitar getting made. A craftswoman carves a guitar body out of wood, reading from instructions as Dimity and Renner watch. The craftswoman shows Dimity a crooked, poorly-made body of a guitar. Dimity shakes her head. The craftswoman carves a new body. The body is complete and the craftswoman places the strings. The craftswoman hands the guitar to Renner. He looks at it as if it was an alien object. Dimity asks whether she can hold it and Renner hands it to her. She caresses the guitar with her fingertips, tears fill her eyes. Struggling, she plucks at the strings. Renner and the craftswoman freeze as they listen. She drops the guitar but Renner catches it in mid-air. She says ‘Let’s Play’.
A Few Weeks Later: Dimity and Renner sit in an empty room. Renner is playing different notes on the guitar. She asks what type of music Gail likes. Renner remembers and begins humming the tune. Dimity knows that song and says that she can teach him and even the words. He demand that no words be sung. He can’t go too far.
Renner lies in his bed strumming his guitar. The next day he plays the full song for Dimity and she smiles, he then shares the smiles. Renner puts the guitar aside. He reaches for his pocket and pulls out dozens of golden coins, putting them in a tiny sack and placing it on Dimity's knees. She then asks if Renner will allow singing and storytelling again. Renner has an odd look on his face and says No. She’s disappointed and confused that after learning he still doesn’t care. She begins yelling and is visibly upset. Renner stands and places his hand on her neck, he tells her that he can still have her head blown off. She throws the sack of coins at Renner and they spill onto the floor. Dimity turns and wheels herself away from him towards the door and slams it.
Renner walks into the hospital carrying the guitar, he is concerned as nurses and doctors stare at him. Renner takes up a chair and sits in front of Gail. Renner clears his throat and starts to play. Briefly, he looks up to see if Gail is reacting but there's nothing. He keeps playing and then, finishes. He looks up and sees that she's still unconscious. No sign of her acknowledging the music. A fury fills Renner and gnarling, he smashes the guitar against the wall and floor. Beck rushes into the room and begs him to stop. However it was too late, Renner had already obliterated the guitar, he stares at Beck and Beck gives him a panicked stare. Renner leaves the room upset.
Renner lies in bed, sniffling and holding back tears. He holds out his hands, playing air guitar. He closes his eyes. Memory Flashback: Renner is dancing with a kid Gail. Renner opens his eyes, tears stream down his face. He looks next to his cabinet. A golden coin lies on the bedside table. He stares at it.
Renner runs up to Dimity’s house and knocks frantically. Dimity opens the door. Renner says that she may be right, that singing may help, and he asks whether Dimity will sing for Gail. She says that she will but on one condition, artistry is welcomed back, singers, drawers, writers, everybody. Renner kneels and embraces Dimity in her wheelchair. He heads off to make a new guitar.
Dimity and Renner enter the hospital room together, they both set themselves. Renner starts to play. He plays for a while until Dimity starts to sing. As he plays and she sings, tears come to Dimity's eyes. Her voice is slightly broken, rusty but not lost. Tears come to Renner's eyes as he plays, watching her. They finish and look at each other. They turn to Gail. She's still unconscious. He puts his hand on Dimity’s shoulder and tells her he will keep his promise. They turn to Gail again, watching her. One of her fingers starts to twitch. A smile starts to form across her face.
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