Next Of Kin

-THIS IS A WASTE OF TIME.

I AM NOT GOING TO LISTEN

TO YOU ANYMORE.

-PETER WILL HEAR US QUARRELLING,

AND HE SHOULDN'T.

-LET HIM HEAR US QUARREL.

-HE SHOULD BE HEARING US

TRYING TO INSTIL

SOME VALUES IN HIM,

GET THROUGH TO HIM ABOUT WHA HE'S GONNA DO WITH HIS LIFE.

-I SAY HE SHOULD BE HEARING ME.

I THINK IT'S TIME--

-HE'S HEARING YOU.

BUT I THINK HE'S HEARING

THE WRONG THINGS FROM YOU.

-MY GOD! WHAT A LIFE THIS IS.

WHY DO I HAVE:

TO PUT UP WITH THIS?

I HAVE TO GO TO WORK

THIS MORNING.

( Spanish guitar music)

-MY NAME IS PETER.

I'M 23 YEARS OLD,

AND I'VE LIVED AT HOME

ALL MY LIFE...

WATCHING MY PARENTS

DISLIKE EACH OTHER.

FOR A WHILE, I THOUGHT THAT WAS

A PRETTY EXCITING THING TO DO.

BUT IN THE PAST YEAR OR SO,

IT'S ALL BEGUN

TO GET ON MY NERVES.

SO WHAT I'VE BEEN DOING INSTEAD

IS SPENDING A LO OF MY TIME... PRETENDING.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU

( aII singing )

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR PETER

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU

Peter:
I FIGURED OU A LONG TIME AGO

THAT BEING ALONE WAS EASIER

IF YOU BECAME... TWO PEOPLE.

ONE PART OF YOU WOULD ALWAYS

BE THE SAME, LIKE AN AUDIENCE,

AND THE OTHER PART WOULD

TAKE ON DIFFERENT ROLES,

KIND OF LIKE AN ACTOR.

-NOW BEFORE WE START, I'D LIKE

TO POINT OUT THOSE CAMERAS.

THEY'LL BE VIDEOTAPING

OUR CONVERSATION.

AFTER THIS MEETING, I'D LIKE

EACH OF YOU TO VIEW THE TAPE,

SOMETIME OVER THE NEXT WEEK.

NOW IT'S IMPORTAN THAT YOU WATCH IT ALONE.

USE ONE OF OUR ROOMS

ON THE NINTH FLOOR.

THEN, WHEN WE MEET AGAIN,

WE CAN TALK ABOUT YOUR REACTIONS

TO WHAT YOU SEE,

AND WHAT YOU THINK

OF THE WAY YOU'RE BEHAVING.

OKAY? GOOD.

-IS THAT S YSTEM HOOKED UP TO A...

A S YNCHRONIZING GENERATOR?

-YES. NOW... GOOD.

COULD SOMEONE TELL ME

WHAT'S BROUGHT YOU HERE?

-RIGHT NOW, OUR BIG PROBLEM

IS WITH PETER.

HE DOESN'T WANT TO DO

ANYTHING WITH HIMSELF.

-IS THAT RIGHT, PETER?

-I GUESS, YEAH.

-WHAT DO YOU DO ALL DAY?

-HE PRETENDS.

-IS THAT RIGHT, PETER?

DO YOU MAKE-BELIEVE?

-SOMETIMES.

-WHY?

YOU ENJOY IT?

-I GUESS, YEAH.

-DO YOU HAVE MANY FRIENDS?

WHY NOT?

-I... I FIND IT DIFFICUL TO COMMUNICATE SOMETIMES.

-ARE YOU LONELY?

HOW OLD ARE YOU?

-HE'S 23.

-I ASKED PETER.

IS THAT RIGHT? ARE YOU 23?

-YES.

-DOES YOUR MOTHER USUALLY

ANSWER QUESTIONS FOR YOU?

-SOMETIMES.

-A LOT OF THE TIME?

WHAT TIME DO YOU GET UP

IN THE MORNING?

-HE USUALLY SLEEPS IN.

-DO YOU STAY UP LATE?

THEN WHY DO YOU SLEEP SO MUCH?

MR. FOSTER, WHAT TIME

DO YOU USUALLY GET UP?

-OH, AT A QUARTER TO SIX,

SIX O'CLOCK.

-YOU GO TO WORK?

-YES.

-IS IT A GOOD JOB?

-OH, YES!

-AND YOU WORK HARD AT IT?

-YES.

-TAKE A CERTAIN PRIDE IN WHAT YOU DO?

-UH-HUH.

-THEN HOW IS I THAT YOU'VE RAISED A SON

THAT DOESN'T WANT TO WORK,

HAS NO PRIDE:

AND PRETENDS THAT HE'S

SOMEBODY ELSE ALL THE TIME?

-I--

-IS IT NECESSARY TO BE SO BLUN

ABOUT ALL OF THIS?

-MAYBE PETER'S TRYING

TO REJECT YOUR VALUES.

IS THAT IT, PETER?

YOU DON'T WANT TO BE

LIKE YOUR PARENTS?

-OH, I HAVE NOTHING

AGAINST THEM.

-YOU LOVE THEM?

-HMM.

-VERY MUCH?

( Hearing voices )

Peter:
LOOKING BACK ON OUR

SESSIONS AT THE FAMILY CLINIC,

I'VE COME TO REALIZE SOMETHING:

I ENVY THERAPISTS.

I MEAN, WHAT CAN BE

MORE EXCITING THAN...

THAN GETTING TO KNOW

ANOTHER FAMILY,

TRYING TO SOLVE THEIR PROBLEMS?

WHAT CAN BE MORE

SATISFYING THAN...

THAN GIVING DIRECTION

TO OTHER PEOPLE'S LIVES?

Father:
I DON'T HAVE

TO LISTEN TO THIS.

I HAVE TO GO TO WORK

IN THE MORNING.

YES, YOU HAVE, GARY, IF WE WAN TO GET THROUGH TO EACH OTHER...

AND THROUGH OUR SON.

-THIS IS A WASTE OF MY TIME.

-SO HOW'S YOUR FAMILY?

-NOT BAD.

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