THE LOVELY BONES (2009)
I remember being really small.
... too small to see over the edge of a table.
There was a snow globe.
And I remember the penguin who lived inside the globe
He was all alone in there and I worried for him.
Don't worry, Kiddo He has a nice life.
He's trapped in the perfect world.
Look at that, Susie Q.
I remember being given a camera for my birthday.
I love the way, a photo could capture a moment.
Before it was gone.
That's what I wanted to be when i grew up...
'A wild-life photographer'
Sorry, mom.
I imagined that, when I was older I'll be tracking wild elephants and rhinos.
But, for now, I'd have to make do with Grace Tarking.
Its strange the memories you keep
I remember going with dad to the sink-hole out at the Connor's farm.
There was something about the way the earth could swallow things whole
And I remember the girl who lived there. Ruth Connors.
The kids at our school said she was weird,
but now I know, she saw things others didn't.
Ready? One, two, three!
And I remember the worst thing that ever happened to us as a family,
Somebody help! - Mom?
Where are you? Mom?
Oh God!
Dad?
The day my little brother stopped breathing.
Buckley!
What happened? - He's swallowed a twig.
Watch out!
Are you crazy? - Sorry!
Buckley.
You're okay...
And I remember the light in my parent's eyes. the relief.
We weren't those people...
... those unlucky people, to whom bad things happened for no reason.
You know the Buddha said, "If you save someone else's life...
My grandmother predicted I would live a long and happy life because I've saved my brother.
As usual, Granma Lynn was wrong.
My name is Salmon, like the fish. first name Susie.
I was 14 years old when I was murdered, on December 6, 1973.
(Announcer) A little baby skin mini...
This was before missing kids started to appear on milk cartons.
Over feature stories on the daily news.
It was back when people believed things like that didn't happen.
No matter what size it will hug your girly girl curves in all the right places.
If you got it, why not?... - Hold on, buddy.
Buckley! - Look!
There it is.
Who is he? Does he like you as much as you like him?
Grandma, He's a senior.
He doesn't know I exist. - He's Cute.
- Granma, can you please just drop it!
You're safe now. He's gone into the record store.
I wasn't safe. A man in my neighbourhood was watching me.
If I haven't been so distracted, I would have realized something was wrong.
Coz that sort of thing give me the skivvies.
But i was too busy, thinking about the length of Ray Singh's eyelashes.
I counted each one in library time while he was reading 'Abelard and Heloise'
The most seriously tragic love story ever.
So, have you kissed him yet?
Why not? You like him, he likes you, What's the hold up?
I'm just afraid I won't be any good at it.
My first kiss was with grown man.
You're not gonna tell me, are you? - Of course not.
- What was it like? - The kiss? Oh, it was wonderful.
Beautiful, glorious.
Took me a long time before I realized that a kiss like that, it only happens once.
Susie ...
Just have fun, kid.
It wasn't Mr. O'Dwyer, by the way. although, he does look kinda suspicious.
Mr.O'Dwyer,never hurt anyone.
Mr.O'Dwyer's own daughter died a year and a half after I did.
She had leukemia, but I never saw her in my heaven.
Hey, look at me!
Mom - Hi honey -
My murderer was a man from our neighbourhood.
Thank you so much -- Careful, honey.
I took his photo once as he talked to my parents about his border flowers.
I was aiming for the bushes, when he got in the way.
Thanks for the flowers!
He stepped out of nowhere, and ruined the shot.
He ruined a lot of things.
- What have you been photographing, honey?
Everything. - Everything?
Hey, look at me.
Mom
Smile!
Over here.
Hey, look at me.
OK. Here we go .
Clarissa's got a crush on you.
Which one's Clarissa?
You know, blonde hair, mega blue eye shadow.
She's out on Surf & Turf. - The tall one?
She's not tall, she wears platforms.
She doesn't know you're an accountant... -I take it, that's a negative.
or that you are a closet scale modeler.
Did Mom know before she married you?
About your obsession?
Susie, hobbies are healthy, it teach you things.
Like what?
Like if you start something you finish it,
you don't stop until you get it right.
If you don't get it right,you start over again and
you keep on going as long as you have to.
That's the way it is, that's what you do. It's perfectly normal.
You're granpy taught me to do this, Now I'm teaching you.
We're creating something here, for us. Something, special.
- I know - You're my first mate, Susie Q.
One day, all of these will be yours.
- Jack, Susie, dinner.
Hey, wait, wait, wait. Wait. Ready?
Yeah
- Now pull it steady. - Give me.
Okay, shipmate take it away!
Now that's a thing of beauty.
Come on.
I don't believe it. Would you look at the stain of this room? .
You're gonna clean this mess up tonight. - Yeah, I will.
Hey Mom, we need get these developed.
Susie, You used up all the film?
Do you have any idea what this is gonna cost?
No, no. Absolutely not. Out of the question.
Thanks a lot. That's my camera down the toilet.
Oh do not be so melodramatic. - Oh honey, what? What's down this morning?
She used up all the film we gave her for her birthday.
All of it. - All of it, every single one.
Susie ... - It's a crime to be creative in this family.
It's alright. So we pay for one roll a month.
One roll a month?
You realize by the time I've seen my photos I'm gonna be middle-aged.
Look we got 24 rolls of film, right?
It costs $2.99 a piece to develop. That's $71 and 76 cents.
I don't think we're being unfair? - Oh, honey.
Are we? - That's why I love you.
Please, could you just not do that at breakfast?
Yes. OK. Whatever you say.
Eat your food, c'mon.
It doesn't have a siren, moron and it's a cement mixer.
Don't call your brother a moron.
Buddy, no buddy, that cement stays on the bowl, please.
It's not cement, it's my oaty.
OK. - School, come on, let's go.
Bye, Dad. -Bye, Susie.
Susie!
What's that? - That's your new hat, sweetie.
Well Mom, I thought you'd given up knitting.
Oh no, I'm still knitting. You want me to make you one too?
Do you have your gloves with you? Could you put them on please, young lady?
Susie, put your hat on, it's cold.
Holiday, come inside. Holiday, come here.
Cool little wooly, Susie. - Shut up.
That really looks good on you.
This is an exercise on humiliation.
C'mon, we're late.
Othello. What is that? Sounds like a myth.
That guy look pretty stupid with that black make up on.
Who? - The one with two first names.
Lawrence Oliver. - What a loser.
Clarissa!
C'mon, let's go. - I'm talking to Susie.
And I've been waiting for hours for you, jerk off. Now if you couldn't finish, I wanna get out of this town.
It's nice to see you too, Bryan.
Are you coming or not? - Yes.
Bye Susie.
Hey, Susie.
Hi, Ray. - What did you think of the Moor?
Who?
Othello.
Well, I just ...
It was amazing. Yeah, I mean ...
It was really incredible.
I love that play.
That's another thing we have in common.
What else do we have in common?
Don't you know?
Crap.
It's OK. - Fine, I got it.
Stupid books. I don't even read them.
Susie, what are you doing on Saturday?
Are you really from England?
Yes.
You are beautiful, Susie Salmon.
Forget it. - It's obscene.
Are you listening to me? There are no breasts on this anatomy model.
There are no eyes or mouth either. But we we're told to draw on a face.
Your unnecessary anatomical additions got the LS boy thoroughly over excited.
He stole my drawings. -- Yes.
And now there are pictures of naked women all over this school.
Move along, people.
Sir, can I have my drawing back? - Certainly not.
Did you hear me Singh? Go.
Meet me at the mall. 10 o'clock, Saturday.
Now.
Where in the mall? - The Gazebo.
Hello. - Dad!
Hey, buddy.
God, you're choking me. Lend me some air.
How was your day? - Good, Buckley go wash your hands.
Go buddy, we'll play after dinner. - Is Susie with you?
No. - She's late.
Lindsey Lou, where's your sister? - What?
Your sister. - Oh, she have film club.
What's for dinner?
Oh, shoot.
I hope that was your homework.
Oh, hey you're the Salmon girl, right?
Yeah. - Do you remember me? You'll remember me.
I live right down the street. Down in the green house. Mr. Harvey.
Hi. - Hi, how are you?
How your folks doing? -They're fine.
Good, tell them I said hi. You know, you're the perfect person for me to run into.
Because I just built this thing over here and wanna get a second opinion, do you mind taking a look?
Actually, Mr. Harvey I have to get home.
Ok.
I just worked so hard on it, and I guess I got excited for someone to see it ...
but that's ok. I'll show it to other kids in the neighbourhood, they're gonna be very excited about it.
Really? - Oh, yeah.
It's great, I mean, it's really neat.
Come on, I will take two minutes.
You're probably late already.
I don't see anything. - You don't?
You're gonna have to be more observant, Susie.
What is it?
I've washed my hands. - Hey, hey, hey, you're drying.
Oh not beans. - What?
Only one. - One bean?
Pretty neat huh?
You want a pork chop, honey? - Yes, thank you.
See, look at your sister.
But she's older.
I built it for the kids at the neighborhood. ...
I thought they could use it as a, kind of a club house or I don't know..
You wanna be the first one to try it out?
Really? - Yeah, sure yeah, go ahead. It'll be fun.
Go ahead.
- Nuts and seven beans.
If you eat them both you can stay up and watch TV with me.
Nah.
I'll make her a plate.
That's it.
Wow, this is neat-o.
She doesn't like bean so I'm not gonna go with it.
Put more on her plate make her eat them all.
Why don't she got to eat beans? - Okay, okay, I'm giving her beans.
It's really good. - Watch this.
That's better. - Pile them on.
You think I'll finally eat spinach, there's bean and I can too.
Make yourself at home.
This is really cool Mr. Harvey. - Yeah it's cool, huh?
I thought that you kids would like a place of your own there. You know, hangout.
Here, have a seat, come on.
Do you like it? - Yes.
Do you think she's still at the mall?
Yeah, probably she'd be with Clarissa. - She could have at least called.
I mean a 14-year old girl know how to use a telephone.
I understand, I understand. I will deal with when she gets home.
There's always things like this little.., you know, fluffy animals and ...
And some games, because I know there are kids that like to play games.
And candles and then you know, little figurines like these angels I thought were so pretty.
Very sweet, and you know, some of these little little things.
There you go.
It's nice with candles and everything, right?
And there's one rule.
No adults allowed.
Ok?
What a cute hat, I like that hat very much.
Would you like a refreshment, Susie?
Actually I have to go. - No, be polite.
You have to be polite. Be polite.
That's another rule.
It's warm in here.
Are you warm?
You can take off your coat off if you want.
You're very pretty, Susie.
Thanks.
Do you have a boyfriend?
No? I know, you see, you were not like those other girls. I knew that.
Mr. Harvey?
It's nice down here, isn't it? Special, especially down here, right?
Yes it is, it's very special.
But I have to go.
I don't want you to leave.
I'm not gonna hurt you, Susie.
If you see her, would you please just call. Thank you.
She's not with the SPEDs. - Where are my keys?
Where are they? -I don't know honey. In the bowl by the door?
Where are you going? Jack, could you just wait?
Jack, would you please wait for the police?
Look, stay by the phone.
She's gonna be in so much trouble.
Go back to bed, sweetie.
Ok.
Guys, this is my little girl Susie. She hasn't come home from school, have you seen her?
-No, I haven't seen nobody, sorry. - No.
Ma'am, could you take a look at this? Have you seen this little girl?
Sorry, buddy.
Can you take a look at this please? This is my little girl, she hasn't come home.
Would you take a look at that?
Ma'am, have you seen this girl? Please, can you just take a look?
Susan has been missing for, what is it, four hours?
Susie, we call her Susie. Yes, little more than four hours.
It's the first time she's ran away?
She didn't run away, she's missing.
Problems at home?
Family difficulties?
No, there really are no problems. This is a happy ...She's a happy child.
She's never done this detective, she.. - I understand that, I just have to get a sense of ...
She's not home and she always comes home. - ..of what's going on here.
There's nothing going on. She's missing.
Call me when you see her, please.
Dad?
Excuse me, sorry to interrupt you, my name is Jack Salmon ...
Dad!
Can you put together a list of all her friends?
And the names, contact information? --Sure.
And a description of what she was wearing. - Well, actually I could tell you that right now...
if you wanna write it down. She was wearing a handmade woolen hat ...
Mom, Dad!
..but she did wear pink gloves and she has a beige Khumbmella schoolbag.
Mom?
No!
Secure that corner!
Christ, and tape off the rest of the area before the whole neighbourhood shows up.
Setup the ISP at the school.
What is that?
We found some evidence in the cornfield behind the school.
There was a cavity in the earth, a lot of debris.
Mostly loose woods and broken crates.
I think it's some remains of some kind of structure.
And Susie?
We didn't find her, Mrs. Salmon.
That's good. Isn't it?
I mean, you found Susie's hat but you didn't find her, which means we really don't even know if she was there at all, right?
That..it's preferable, right?
We also found blood.
A significant amount of blood.
I'm very sorry.
We're gonna get through this. - How?
I'm gonna take care of you. I'm gonna take care of all of us.
You can't. - And we'll make it right.
You can't make this right, Jack. You can't.
I'm going to find her. I promise, we'll bring her home.
You have my number, or you can just come by at the police station.
Thank you for your time. - Welcome.
Have a good day. - You too.
Mr. Harvey? - Yes.
Detective Len Fenerman. - How are you doing?
You have some time for few question ? - Certainly.
Come in. - Thanks.
I know why you're here, of course. I think when something like this happens ...
you always blame yourself.
All I can think about now was why didn't I see something, why didn't I hear something because..
because surely that young girl must've screamed.
Did you want...? - No, no, thanks.
But if you could just think back when she was wearing blue jacket, yellow corduroys.
Similar clothes to these.
This blue jacket here? - The darker blue jacket.
And on the second photograph you could see the pants as well.
No, it does not ring a bell.
But you were at home that day?
What day? - Last Wednesday.
Last Wednesday ...
Last Wednesday ... No, I was home all day.
I mean, I probably went out and ran a few errands or something like that but I mean...
I've actually been here all day for the most part.
Ok, good. Thanks.
Are you married? - I was.
But you have kids? - No I wish, I wish.
You mind if I take a look? - No.
I make everything myself. --Really.
Oh yeah, all of these, I turn all the varnishes myself. Make all the shingles and the furniture and...
I used to do cabinet making, but there's not much call for that these days.
Maybe I spent too much time on these things, but that's the perfectionist in me, I guess.
All it shows. - Thank you.
-That's amazing craftsmanship. -Oh, well.
I took a risk and try something new and discover the talent that I didn't know I had.
What's that underneath the stairs? - That would be the basement.
Dad?
She's dead, isn't she?
I was slipping away.
That's what it felt like.
Life was leaving me.
But I wasn't afraid.
Then i remembered there is something that I was meant to do.
Somewhere I was meant to be.
Ray?
Ray!
Ray! Wait!
Ray!
If I had bought an hour of love ...
If that be all is given me ...
An hour of love upon this earth ...
Then I would give my love to see some more.
Are you the Moor? - Why?
I think this belongs to you.
Where did you get this?
I found it.
I write poetry. You're quite good.
Don't you have somewhere to go?
You miss her, don't you?
I never knew what that meant.
I used to think it meant loss. Frozen.
It means gone. She's gone.
What if she isn't?
What if she's still here?
Help!
You're not supposed to do that. - What?
Who are you? - She saw you, that girl.
I think my hand touched hers. - Yes, that's all it takes.
She carry enough for the rest of her life.
You're not supposed to look back. You're supposed to keep going.
Hey, come back. Wait! Who are you?
I'm Holly. Holly Go Lightly.
That doesn't sound like a real name. - It isn't, I borrowed it.
You can do that up here. - Up here?
You mean in heaven? - [Speaks Chinese] You're funny.
What's funny about it? - This isn't heaven, not there yet.
What is this place? - This place is not really one place ...
and also is not the other place.
It's a bit of both.
What is that? - That's where we're going.
Holly said there is a wide heaven behind everything we knew.
Where there is no cornfield, no memory.
No grave.
But i wasn't looking beyond yet.
I was still looking back.
You can't go back.
Who are you?
It's over. Come with me.
I don't know you. Why are you here?
You need to let go of Earth.
You're dead, Susie. You have to leave.
I have to go home.
Dad!
My murderer began to feel safe.
He knew people wanted to move on. They needed to forget.
He took comfort in the thought no one was looking at him.
But there was one thing my murderer didn't understand.
He didn't understand how much a father could love his child.
Dad.
It's ok. It's gonna be ok.
He knows I'm here. My dad knows I'm here.
I was still with him.
I wasn't lost or frozen or gone.
I was alive... I was alive in my own perfect world.
Dad?
I saw Susie.
She came into my room.
She kissed me on the cheek.
Come here buddy.
I saw her too.
Dad? I think she listens.
She used up all the films we gave her for her birthday. - All of it?
It's a crime to be creative in this family. - So we pay for one roll a month?
One roll a month?
I got them.
Look at these, some of these are good.
Honey, why don't you get them all developed? This one roll a month thing is ...
Really crazy, honey. It's crazy. - Why?
I mean, why do you wanna keep this thing dragging out like this?
We're not dragging it out. We made a deal.
There is no deal, Jack.
Fenerman. Len, I had to call you.
Look, Susie is smart kid. She would never go off with a stranger.
It had to be someone she knew. Somebody local.
Look! I've got a name for you. I've got several names actually.
Ronald Driver. - Do you have an address?
Len I've got another name for you. He's a janitor, Michael Gitchell.
Gary Davis. - Who's that?
Davis. He works in sanitation department. -Ok, I'll look into it.
I have his address right here. Is it a bad thing if i just drive by there, take a look myself?
Did you check on Brent Peretti yet? - Who?
Peretti. I have his credit report Len, it does not look good.
I'm on top of it. Understand? - Len, I found another one.
Listen, you gotta trust me, ok. We're gonna get this guy.
Len, glad you're here. I was just gonna call you. - Yeah, I got your messages.
I've been at the public records office. All stuff to go over here.
I know you're looking at the obvious suspects.
Convicted felons, child molesters and I understand why, but Len ...
I think you're coming at it from the wrong angle.
Honey. - Herman Stolefish, just across the street ...
Now he appears to be perfectly normal, but Len ...
The man wears adult diapers .
Herman is 80 years old. - I followed him to the supermarket.
His shopping cart was filled with them. - He has a prostate problem.
My point is, we need to start working backwards. Instead of looking at family histories,
criminal records, mental health issues ... - Jack, this doesn't change anything.
Taxes. Len you can tell a lot about a person through taxes.
Please, will you just stop it now, will you just stop? Can't you just leave it alone?
Jack, I know it's been 11 months , I know you've been trying to deal with this in your own way but...
She is not coping very well. She needs help, Jack.
She needs someone to help her get through with this.
Grandma is here.
What's my mother doing here? - Look, you're not coping, ok.
Len's worried, I'm worried, your mother offered to help.
You invited her here?
- Darling.
Hello, mother. - Oh, look at you. Are you eating?
Is this all of it? - Don't be ridiculous. That's just my makeup.
Oh you're so handsome as hell, Jack. - Lindsey, honey, are you gonna say hello?
The child hates me. So what will it be, Jack?
Actually, I'm not drinking these days. - Oh, that's your problem in a nutshell.
Are we still a family? - Of course we're a family.
Your mother's in crisis, your father's a wreck.
What does that make you?
I'm in charged.
He's walking through the woods, looking for blood sport.
Then he sees three. He grabs his gun and looks and aims.
And then a giant puff of smoke, He doesn't see them anymore.
Then he realizes that his gun, it was out of bullets. Then he runs. Runs, runs, runs....
You're a Salmon girl, right?
Holiday.
Grandma, I know where Susie is.
Yeah, Susie is gone to heaven, sweetheart. - Lindsey said there is no heaven.
Alright then, she's dead.
You might be dead soon. - Why do you say that?
Because you're old.
35 is not old. You've been sniffing too much of that nail polish.
And anyway, nothing is gonna happen to me. You know why?
Because I take my medicine everyday.
Grandma, she's here.
What? - Susie.
Susie is in the in-between.
I was in the blue horizon, between heaven and earth.
The days were unchanging.
And every night I dreamed the same dream.
The smell of damn Earth. The scream that no one heard.
The sound of my heart beating, like a hammer against cloth.
And I already hear them calling. The voices of the dead.
I wanted to follow them. To find a way out.
But I would always come back to the same door.
And I was afraid.
I knew if I went in there ...
I would never come out.
My murderer could live in one moment for a long time.
He could feed off a memory over and over again.
He was animal. Faceless.
Infinite.
But then he would feel it. The emptiness returning.
And the need will rise in him again.
Go. - In here?
When summer came he know this young lovers would sneak into the cornfield.
He began to follow them. And watched.
Will you come to bed?
Yeah, soon.
Buckley did this. - Correct, he said that this is our house ...
This is the police station, and that's you. - That's me.
Yeah, he made you chief of police. - I've gained 20 pounds.
It must be the uniform. - It's the dangers of a desk job.
I'd like to report a lost.... - Why don't you have a seat?
I'm living with this every day. - What about the marriage?
What marriage? Jack sleeping in his study.
You got to find a way to keep going. You don't have a choice.
If you can't keep up, you have to... ah, bingo.
Oh no Mother, that is cooking cherry, please, please! - You have to find a way to live with this.
Live with it? I am living with this. I am dealing, I'm coping.. --You're not. No, you're not letting go of Susan.
Dealing with it. So what?
You have a tomb in the middle of your house.
Oh sweetheart, do you really think if you seal it up that the pain is gonna go away?
My mother went as far away as she could.
She found a job in a small orchard outside of Santa Rosa.
The work was hard, but she didn't mind.
If anyone asked, she said she had two children.
Dearest Lindsey ...
And Lindsey, who always said she didn't believe in love.
Found it anyway.
And there it was. The moment that I would never have.
My little sister had run ahead of me.
She was growing up.
What's the matter? I thought you'd be happy.
I am happy.
I'm very happy.
Then why are you crying?
No, you think she did not want to kiss him? - No, she did.
She wanted to kiss him very much.
Always i would watch Ray.
I was in the air around him.
I was in the cold winter mornings he spent with Ruth Conner.
That strange otherworldly girl who...
so easily accepted the presence of the dead among the living.
And sometimes Ray would think of me.
But he began to wonder, maybe it was time to put that memory away.
Maybe it was time to let me go.
Lindsey, throw it.
Missing girl, Susie Salmon and sister Lindsey Salmon (right)
My murderer had finally tuned instincts.
He knew my sister had begun to wonder about the solitary man who lived in the greenhouse .
She seemed intent on crowding him.
And he resented it.
He began to feel a familiar itch.
Rolls to develop.
Mom, look. - Just a sec...
Careful, honey. - Mom.
This is a beautiful ...
Mom, look.
Hey Dad, look at me.
Mr. Salmon, hi.
What is that? - Oh, this is a project I'm working on.
Are you a hunter? - Ducks.
That's a blind, right? - Yup.
Yup. - So these things really work?
Oh, yeah.
It's all about concealment, the art of concealment .
And patience. Takes a lot of patience.
You sit for hours on it in the dark. I'm an outdoors man.
I wish I have been.
Mr. Salmon?
I just, I never got a chance to tell you how sorry I am about your lost.
Dad.
Here, let me help you. - Oh no, that's alright. Really I can manage.
It's no trouble.
Alright, appreciate it.
Daddy, look. - This is for you.
You're welcome.
It's beautiful, is it not?
Look at me. - Careful, honey.
Oh, that really good smell.
Delicious. - Beautiful.
Dad.
Hey Dad, look at me.
I think it's time for you to go home now, Mr. Salmon.
Go on home?
I'm sorry. I can't help you.
What did you do with my daughter?
It's gotta stop, Jack. You came this close to getting arrested tonight.
You're lucky George Harvey declined to press charges.
Lucky?
Your father put a hole in the man's backdoor.
Yeah, he should've put a hole in his head. - Lindsey, please.
Did you hear that, Jack? This is the example you're setting for your kids.
Persecuting the neighbours. - He's not crazy.
I didn't say that. - Well then, why won't you listen to him?
Because you need evidence, Lindsey.
You can't go around making accusations against George Harvey when you have no evidence.
You need proof. - You are pathetic.
Why can't you just admit it? You stopped looking for her a long time ago.
Len's right.
It's time to put this behind us. It's going on too long.
This has to stop. - Dad ...
Things will take their natural course, Lindsey.
Len, I appreciate everything you've done. You've been a great friend to me.
It goes for Abigail too.
You've been a great friend to both of us.
Murder changes everything.
When I was alive, I never hated anyone.
But now hate was all that I had.
I want him dead.
I want him cold and dead, without blood in his veins.
Look at me.
Look at what he did to me.
What am I now? The dead girl?
The lost girl? The missing girl?
I'm nothing.
I was stupid.
I was so stupid. - You don't control this, Susie.
He does not own you.
You can be free of him. But not this way.
What do you know? You don't know anything.
That man took my life.
You will see, Susie. In the end. You will understand.
Everybody dies.
Brian? - Go.
Where then?
Dad?
Dad? I realized what I had done.
I willed him to stop.
I willed him to turn back.
I know it's you. Come out.
Come out. Face me.
Did you hear me, son of the bitch?
Get off me. - Sick bastard.
Brian, stop.
Brian, stop it.
Dad!
No. - Brian, stop it.
Brian, stop.
You can get him killed.
He's dead. - Go, go.
Go.
I knew then, he would never give me up.
He would never count me as one of the dead.
I was his daughter.
And he was my dad.
And he had loved me, as much as he could.
I had to let him go.
Sophie Cichetti, Pennsylvania. 1960.
She had been his landlady.
Jacky Meyer, Delaware. 1967.
She had just turned 13. Her body was found in a drainage ditch.
By the side of the road.
Lea Fox. Delaware 1969.
She was already dead when he dumped her body in the river.
Lana Johnsen. 1960.
Bucks County. Pennsylvania.
She was lowered into a shack, he had built out of old doors.
She was the youngest. She was six.
Flora Hernandez. Delaware 1963.
He'd only wanted to touch her. But she screamed.
Denise Liang. Connecticut 1971.
13. She was waiting for her father to close up their shop when she vanished.
Denise Liang, who sometimes like to be called Holly.
Susie Salmon, 14. Norristown, Pennsylvania. 1973.
Murdered in a room he had built under the earth.
Come on, guys. Keep up.
Are you OK. Lyndsey? - Go on.
You sure? -I'm fine, Go.
Catch up?
Local Teen Charged with Felony Assault
Salmon girl.
Corn Field Salmon House
Hatch.
Dad.
Where's Dad?
Mom.
What are you doing here? - What, does it matter? She's home.
Home for good? - Of course she's home for good.
Where is Buckley? - He's at soccer practice. And I have to pick him up in an hour.
My girl. - Jack.
Look at you. What happened?
No, no, no. You're too late.
We're closed. - You're closed, huh?
Yeah.
Too bad. I was really hoping I'll get rid of this thing.
Sorry, pal. We're filling her in. - Well, you filling her in, huh?
Well, I really hate the inconvenience... but...
Would you like some help. - Yeah, good. That'd be great.
I come here almost every day.
I like to listen to the sounds.
Have you seen Holly? - Did she tell you about this place?
Yes.
Then you must be ready. I'm Flor Hernandez.
The others will be here soon.
Who's that? - I don't know.
But he gives me the skivvies. - The skivvies? Why? Are you 12?
#On the floating, shipless, oceans#
# I did all my best to smile #
# Till your singing eyes and fingers #
# Drew me loving into your eyes.#
# And you sang "Sail to me, sail to me, Let me unfold you." #
# Here I am, here I am waiting to hold you. #
# Then I dream you would dream about me?#
# Were you here when I was full sail?#
# For you sang "Touch me not, touch me not, Come back tomorrow."#
# Oh my heart, oh my heart shines from the sorrow.#
It's beautiful.
Of course it's beautiful.
It's heaven.
Come on, let's go.
What are you waiting for? You're free.
Almost.
Not quite.
Ray!
Ruth!
What happened?
What's wrong?
Ruth!
Susie!
You wrote me a poem once.
You called yourself Moor.
I got it, I think.
Kiss me.
You're beautiful, Susie Salmon.
These were the lovely bones, that had grown around my absence.
The connections sometimes tenuous.
Sometimes made at great cost.
But often magnificent.
That happened after I was gone.
And I began to see things in a way ...
that let me hold the world without me in it.
A cold night.
Are you looking for a ride?
No.
No?
Are you sure? It's pretty cold out here.
I'll take you wherever you wanna go.
What do you think? - Look, mister ...
I'm not interested. Ok? - I'm not trying do nothing. Just trying to be polite.
That's all.
A young lady, alone at night. Not safe.
Didn't you hear me? Piss off!
When my mother came to my room I realized that...
All this time I've been waiting for her.
I have been waiting so long.
I was afraid she wouldn't come.
I love you, Susie.
Nobody notices when we leave.
I mean, the moment when we really choose to go.
At best you might feel a whisper or the wave of a whisper.
Undulating down.
My name is Salmon. Like the fish.
First name Susie.
I was 14 years old when I was murdered on December 6.
1973.
I was here for a moment.
And then I was gone.
I wish you all a long and happy life.