Guy Ben-Ner, Stealing Beauty Transcript

Stealing Beauty Audio Transcript

[music] Max: Honey, I’m home. Honey? Honey? Speaker 1: Customer service line three. [background noise] Max’s wife: Hello? Anybody home? [background noise] Oh, God. I see you don’t waste time. Max: What? Max’s wife: Don’t you what me, masturbating in the shower again. Max: No, I wasn’t. Max’s wife: I saw you

[unintelligible 00:01:34].

Max: Just cleaning myself. Max’s wife: Just cleaning myself? Now, that’s a new one. I just hope you fantasize about me from time to time while you do it. Anyway, that’s a total waste of energy. So unproductive. If you mention waste, your son is doing it at school. Max: Masturbating? Max’s wife: No, you idiot, wasting his time. We just got a nice, long letter from the principal. Max: Just what I need when I come back home from work, to deal with my family. Where are the kids, anyway? Max’s wife: At the Watsons. Max: The Watsons. Max’s wife: You mean Ms. Watson, don’t you? Didn’t you two just had a private rendezvous in the shower, or rather, in your head? Max’s daughter: Hi, Mom. Hi, Dad. Max Jr.: Hi, Dad. Hi, Mom.

Max’s wife: Children. Hi, kids. Had a good day? Your son just brought a note from school today. Apparently, he was caught stealing money from little Billy Watson. Max: You can’t do that, son. Why? If you want something, you have to earn it. When I was your age, I was already out earning my own money. Where do you think we got this house from? Do you think we stole it? You have to work for your pleasure, son. Max’s wife: Listen to your dad. He knows what he’s talking about. Why, just a few moments ago, he was doing just that in the shower. Oh, and before I forget, your lovely daughter came home last night after 12. Didn’t you? Max’s daughter: I forgot to look at the time. Max’s wife: No. You forgot to ask for permission. Max’s daughter: I’m sorry. I just-Max’s wife: You just didn’t ask for permission. Max: Young lady, you’re grounded. Max Jr.: Busted. Max’s daughter: Max was stealing, and you didn’t ground him. Max: Oh, don’t worry, young lady. Max will pay for his mistakes. Besides, I find it easier to understand Max’s motives. His urge for money is natural. To your room, Pinocchio, and let your nose lead the way. Max’s daughter: Oh, you never listen to me. [background noise] [slams door] [music] Max: The Watsons are having a party again. Max’s daughter: Dad, how come you and Mom decided to have children? Max: Well, sweetie, you are our investments for the future,

and the interest too, the offspring. Max’s daughter: Huh? Max: Daddy put a deposit into Mommy, and Mommy bore the interest. Max’s daughter: Would you ever sell us for the right profit then, Dad? Max: Princess, some things in life are not for sale. Max Jr: Dad, can you read us a bedtime story? Max: Sure. Speaker 2: [foreign language] [background noise] Max Jr.: That’s all I got. Speaker 2: [foreign language] [music] Max’s wife: Honestly, I don’t understand where he got this behavior from. [unintelligible 00:05:25]. You could think we have no money at home. We gave him anything he wants, anything he asked for, and he goes stealing money. Where did we go wrong? Max: Well, that’s the thing with terrorists. You give into them once, and they never stop. I tell you, there should be no negotiation here, only a strong hand. Max’s wife: No negotiation? You’re just too lazy to talk with your son. Max: What do you want me to do? Max’s wife: What do you want me to do? I’m going out shopping tomorrow, and you will have plenty of time to talk with the boy. Max: My day off, and you just have to give me some homework, don’t you? Max’s wife: I can’t concentrate. Max, Max, are you awake? Max: [grunts] Max’s wife: Max. Max: Angel. Max’s wife: I can’t sleep. I’m worried.

Max: Angel, I’m trying to sleep here. Max’s wife: Come on, Max. I’m worried. I mean, what kind of young man do you want him to become? Max: Okay, okay, I’ll talk with the boy. Now, let me sleep. Max’s wife: Good night, Max. Max: Good night. [music] Max’s wife: Thank God for weekends. Max Jr: Hi, Dad. Good morning, Mom. Max’s daughter: Hi, Mom. Hi, Dad. Max’s wife: Good morning. Did you two sleep well? Max Jr.: Yes. Max’s wife: Kids, I’m going out with Ms. Watson. Your father would have loved to tag along, but he has to stay home and watch you two. [car honks] Oh, that’s her. I’m off. Have fun with your dad, kids. He’s all yours. Don’t exhaust him. Max Jr.: Bye, Mom. Max’s daughter: Bye, Mom. [crosstalk] Max’s wife: Bye, kids. Max’s daughter: Bye. [background noise] Max Jr.: Dad, is our house private property? Max: Yes, it is, son. Max Jr.: What is private property? Max: It means that this house belongs to us. We are the only ones who have the right to use it, and most important, we have the right to exclude others from using it. Max Jr.: Exclude? Max: Exactly so. You can claim something as yours the moment you keep others out of it. Max Jr.: Huh?

Max: Private property creates borders, son. It limits others while liberating its rightful owner. Max Jr.: How did we really get our house, Dad? Max: Well, I worked hard, saved my money, and-Max Jr.: Yes, but who sold it to you? Max: The guy who owned it before me. Max Jr.: How did he get the house? Max: I don’t know. He bought a piece of land and built a house on it. Max Jr.: From who did he get the land? Max: From the land owner. Max Jr.: And he? Max: He bought it from another land owner. Max Jr.: And that other owner? Max: Are you trying to drive me crazy? Max’s daughter: I read that once all humans were nomads-- Hunters and gatherers. Nature belonged to no one, and to all, then suddenly, someone claims nature as his own, and others have to pay him rent. Strange. Max Jr.: The big ones take from the small ones. Max: Nobody took anything. Come on, you guys. Stop it. Don’t confuse profit with theft. Max’s daughter: Dad, are we your private property? Max: Of course not. You are my kids. Max’s daughter: Then why do I have to ask permission for everything? Max: Because I’m your father. That’s why. Because I’m big and you’re small. When you get bigger, you can do exactly as you please. Max’s daughter: It’s all a matter of size then? Max: Exactly so.

Max Jr.: Will we get your house when we get bigger? Max: Yes, my son. Someday this will all be yours. That is called inheritance, and that’s how we accumulate. Max Jr.: When? Max’s daughter: When he dies. Max Jr.: What is inheritance? Max: Inheritance means that the property stays in the family. Our family is just like your pink piggy bank, son. That’s what families are for, to keep property from leaking out. Max’s daughter: Is Mom your private property? Max: No. Mom is Mom. Max’s daughter: Anybody can take her away from you? Can Mr. Watson? Max: No. Just let him try. Max’s daughter: She belongs to you because you exclude others from using her? Max: Well, yes, in a way. Max’s daughter: Then she is your private property. Max: Now listen, girl. You keep running into the same obstacle over and over again. Don’t confuse love with property. We cannot measure love. It cannot be valued like property. Why, love is probably the only thing in the world that does not have a price tag attached to it. We cannot buy and sell love. Why, love is the glue that holds us together as family. Max’s daughter: Love holds the family together, and the family holds the property from leaking out? Nice. Max: That’s right. The family, just like money, is built on an act of faith. Both require credit, and credit will allow you to produce and reproduce. Max Jr.: Produce? Max: Make objects so we can sell them and buy a house. Max’s daughter: Never seen

you produce any object. Max: Oh, I don’t need to. I can buy them. Max’s daughter: Haven’t seen you reproduce either. You’re wasting it in the shower. Max Jr.: Can I inherit Mom when you die? Max’s daughter: That’s so Freudian. Grow up. What about sharing? Max: Sharing is primitive, honey. Animals share. They live in herds. They have hooves. Do you want to live in a herd? No, we evolved. We rose up on our two feet so we can free our hands to point at objects and say, “This is mine.“ We freed our fingers so we can count. How far could you count if you had hooves? No, girl, anatomy is your destiny. Use your hands. Max’s daughter: Dad, can you help me out with my homework? Max: Sure. Can you finish the dishes for me? Max Jr.: Yes. Max: That’s the way. You got to earn, let it circulate. [music] Max’s daughter: The original meaning of the word “family“ , first coined in ancient Rome, did not have the sentimental and domestic meaning we attach to it today. Max: [foreign language] Max’s daughter: For the Romans, the word “family“ did not even refer to the married pair and their children, but to slaves. Famulus means a domestic slave. Familia means a total number of slaves belonging to one man. This was the new Roman social organism whose head, the father, ruled over wife, kids, and slaves. Thus, transitioning full private property was accomplished parallel with transition to monogamy. The single-family became the economic unit of society. Sentimentality and love came only later to seal the deal.

Max Jr.: Dad, how come I got half the money you got for doing your job? Max: Because I am smarter. Max Jr.: No, you’re not. Max: Actually, it’s the time of production. It takes more time to become a teacher than to become a dishwasher. You see, it takes more time to produce an adult than a seven-year-old kid. Time is money. Max Jr.: How can time be money? Max: If this cup took half the time it took to manufacture this plate, this would mean that one plate is worth twice as much as one cup. Max’s daughter: Time is a way to calculate an object’s value? Max: Indeed. It’s all a matter of age. Max Jr.: Oops. [plate shatters] Max’s daughter: That was definitely the sound of one plate, not two cups. Max: Think of it this way. Just as every specific sound has a very specific object it’s attached to, so will an object always have its own unique value attached to it. That is the price tag, a red tongue that speaks its value. Max’s daughter: I prefer silence. Max: Baby, the breaking sound is what makes us feel pain once an object has been destroyed. Without it, all is worthless. Without it, you’re in a slapstick comedy. Add sound, and you turn that comedy into a tragedy of wild consumption and waste. Add sound, and you add value. Max Jr.: Thieves are silent. Max: Exactly, boy. People who have something to hide are silent. Thieves are silent, and we are not thieves. Are we, boy? No. Always regard silent as suspicious. [foreign language] [phone ringing] [foreign language]

Max Jr.: Hello? Max’s wife: Hi, honey. How are we doing? Max Jr.: Everything’s all right, Mom. Max: [foreign language] Max’s wife: Is your sister doing her homework? Max Jr.: Yes, Mom. Max’s wife: Is Daddy helping her? Max Jr.: Yes. Max’s wife: Did Daddy have a talk with you? Max Jr.: Yes. It’s so cool, private property and thieves. Max’s daughter: He’s so cute when he says “private property“. Say “private property“ . Max Jr.: No. Max’s daughter: Please? Max Jr.: No. Max’s daughter: I’ll pay you. Max Jr.: Private property. Max’s daughter: Again. Max Jr.: Private property. Max’s daughter: Again. Max Jr.: Private property. Max’s wife: Now listen, boy. You better cut it out, or I will ask Dad to ground you as well, for a whole week. Got it? Now, put your dad on. Max: Yes? Max’s wife: Honey, I hear things are not going so well. Still have that obsession for stealing? Max: Oh, don’t worry. Just a little bump on the road. How is Ms. Watson doing? Max’s wife: We are just fine, shopping. Strangely enough, I feel quite at home here. Max: You’re not coming back? Max’s wife: Is that a question or a wish? Max: When do you plan to come back? Max’s wife: I won’t be too long. Don’t worry. See you

soon. Bye. Dear, where were we? Max: Where were we? Max’s daughter: Family is an economic unit. Love is sticky. We feel at home just about everywhere. Max Jr.: Objects talk, thieves are silent. Max’s daughter: Private property’s cute, but the law that protects it was first erected to protect the first act of stealing. Objects talk, but the law, like a thief, is silent. Objects talk, but they don’t say all they know. They keep some secrets for themselves. [background noise] [music] [moaning] [background noise] Max Jr.: A good movie is always open-ended, like a call to the future or a sequel. We have decided to end with the call to the future. Max’s daughter: Children of the world, unite. Release the future from the shackles of the past. My peers, it is our time to steal, not in order to gain property, but in order to lose respect for it. Property is like a ghost. You cannot possess it without being possessed by it. Steal and let others steal. Let property move freely from place to place so it will not haunt your home. Steal from the local supermarket, steal from the city, steal from the state, steal from your parents, and above all, don’t accept inheritance, steal it. Rob your parents and rid yourself of promises you will have to keep. Children of the world, unite. Release the future from the shackles of the past.