Grandma Randolph used to smile a lot.
She said it was good for the heart.
Grandma was the first dead person I’d ever seen.
She also said there was nothing a smile couldn’t fix.
So it started. An endless line of relatives
waiting to toss dirt on my grandmother.
My dad loved astronomy.
Most mornings I’d wake up and find him asleep in the attic.
His telescope aimed at the horizon.
He loved watching the moonset.
He died when I was 9.
Relax, it's okay.
It's okay, honey. It's okay, Ryan
I should’ve never let him look in the casket.
He’ll be all right.
His cousin is of the same age and he didn’t cry.
Tossing the dirt... I should have seen that coming.
It was all too final.
He wasn’t ready for that.
You can’t protect him from everything.
From life.
I do that?
In a way.
He keeps intact to it in his room.
He’s a boy.
Let him fly.
My dad told me the moon is a big magic ball of dust.
And I believed him.
I used to be able to see the Man in the Moon.
Until my mom gave me my dad’s telescope.
Then what I found up there were a bunch of craters and rocks.
It’s weird.
Sometimes, if I look at the moon without my telescope, I can almost see him again.
Almost.
My dad was crazy for Gordie Hawn. Guy who walks on water, my dad used to say.
Frozen, of course.
Grandpa doesn’t even know Grandma is gone.
Mom says that’s the silver lining of Alzheimer's.
Ryan, honey, why don’t you take your cousins outside, OK?
Show them how to play hockey. Come on.
Hey, did you notice one of Grandma’s eyes was open?
You know what that means.
One of the relatives is going to die in six months.
Maybe, one of us.
It’s true. I swear it.
Yo, Flynnigan!
Yeah, and then he goes low and scores!
So, you think your mom will let us go fishing in the trouter jump?
Hey!
Does he ever talk?
If you watch your dad get mashed by a train, you’d probably go mute, too.
Why? You’re having trouble understanding him?
All right.
I’m sorry about your Grandma. She was a really nice lady.
- Made us laugh. - It’s all right, we didn’t really know her.
- We… live in New Jersey. - Oh, then I’m really sorry.
Later.
Dude, the fish are gonna be great. My cousin caught a 20-inch trout.
20 inches.
Okay, it was 18.
- Watch out, Ryan! - Get out of the road!
Jackass!
You’re all right?
He didn’t really hit you, did he?
Are you sad, Ry? About your Grandma?
Hey, come on, don’t worry about it, buddy, she’s in Heaven.
What are you, an atheist, Flynn?
Someone who doesn’t believe in God?
If you’re even thinking about it, that can’t be good.
I mean,
if there were no God,
that would be harsh.
Can we go for the bridge?
No thanks, that bridge is like a pile of toothpicks. Besides, it’s not even a shortcut to the lake.
But … Whatever.
Check it out, Flynnigan!
Am I the master or what?
Look at that, look at that baby.
Oh, yeah! Oh, it’s a lively one. I got it, I got it.
Hey.
Hallo?
I could really work in a killer well here, You’d only notice if it bit you in the butt.
What’s up, dude? You’re like a pile of molten cheese today.
Ryan, what are you doing?
What are you doing?
Oh, you do it.
Come on!
- Don’t move, don’t move. - That hurt.
I know, but what were you doing in the lake, when your hook was still cast? - Ask Flipper.
Success!
- Yo, Ry? - Ryan?
See you tomorrow.
- Thanks, Mrs. Flynn, you saved my butt. - Oh, get out of here.
Go, go, go.
Ryan?
Come out.
Ryan!
Ryan, get out of the car!
Oh, God!
Dad!
Ryan.
Good morning Ryan, where do you wanna meet?
All right, see you in five.
Excuse me, how about asking for the phone?
Come on, what is going on?
Are you angry with me? What?
Oh, Rocky will just have to wait. Besides...
I thought we had an agreement - on the weekends we fish together.
All right, but next weekend it’s you and me, okay?
All right, go on.
Hey, slow down.
Ryan!
You’re all right?
Ryan!
Ryan, where are you?
Ryan!
Grandpa Randolph?
Do you like the car? Outside?
When did you start talking?
I didn’t know I stopped.
I mean, when did you start?
- Where’s my mom? - Well, she’s not here.
- Am I dead? - No, you’re not dead, no.
- Where am I? - In your room.
- No, things are different. - Well, you must have wanted them to be.
- I didn’t ask for this. - Frankly, neither did I, some things you don’t ask for.
Is my dad here?
I don’t bite, boy, just need help getting up, please.
Oh yeah, thank you, thank you very much.
- What?
Your hand ... It just went through the glass.
Oh yeah, that explains why you’ve been standing in the toilet there.
You’ll have to forgive me, before the Alzheimer's this was the bathroom.
There was a closet. Obviously your mother renovated.
Your father was quite a stargazer.
Astronomer.
He was an astronomer.
Someday I’m gonna fly up there.
The Moon.
An astronaut.
- You have a taste for adventure. - I never miss a shuttle launch.
- Grandma said you were a dreamer. - Yeah, but sometimes ...
You have to step back to see what’s right in front of you.
I dream that I am good at that. Very good at that.
Well, are you coming, boy, or you’re going to stay in the toilet all day?
- That’s the closet. - Not for me.
- Who is that? - Pretty, huh?
- Why is she wearing a coat in summer?
Why don’t you ask her?
Go on, turtle, chase her.
- I’m not a turtle. - Prove it.
Ryan.
Come on out!
- What’s the matter? You won’t get wet. - Of course I will.
Of course you won’t.
Come on.
That is so unfair.
It’s always winter for me.
You’re lucky, you arrived in summer. Give me heat any day.
Tahiti, now that’s the place.
How to do that?
- What’s your name? - Ryan.
- What’s yours? - Melanie. But I like the name Pan better.
Like Peter Pan, only a girl.
- Oh. - You do believe in Peter Pan, don’t you?
If you don’t, I couldn’t ever speak to you again. Ever.
- Why? - It would mean you have no imagination.
So?
- Do you believe? - Sure.
- Have you been to the factory? - What factory?
Oh, excellent, I get to take you!
Come on.
What’s the matter?
Ryan?
It’s nothing.
Let’s go.
Come on.
Let’s go, slowmo.
Pretty creepy, huh? He runs the show.
How long have you been here?
A while, I guess. Time is kind of unimportant here in the Dust Factory.
That’s how you call this place? The Dust Factory?
Yup, a kind of home away from home until you’re ready to go back.
Which I’m not!
You’ve got to see how the big top works to understand.
Come on.
Who are all these people?
People like you and me. We’re stuck here.
Stuck?
It’s called getting dusted.
You see, when you decide to make the leap, you only get one chance to fly.
So, either you make it and move on, or get dusted and go back home.
That’s the only way to go home? To jump and miss?
No one’s getting me up there.
- Wow, so she made it. - Yep, she moved on.
Complex, isn’t it?
- Hey, do you like to spin? - I don’t know what you mean.
Spin, in circles till you get queasy and see double. Spin!
- Bet I could ride this longer than you? - Yeah, right. I can go forever without puking.
Bet you can’t!
I’m gonna win!
Come on.
Oh, careful.
Don’t feel bad about puking. I always win.
I wasn’t puking. I was spitting.
- See you tomorrow? - Not tomorrow. Just see you.
- She’s a nice girl? - I guess. Have you been to the factory?
Sure. Joined the crowd once, but didn’t jump, of course.
Yeah, I’m definitely not big on jumping.
- And I don’t like that dust. - Can’t blame you.
Falling all that way...
- How do you know if you’re ready? - I'm certainly no expert.
I suppose it’s different for everyone.
Some folks probably dawdle around here quite a while, trying to figure that out.
Melanie, for instance...
- She... She seems a bit of a dawdler. - I don’t mind dawdling,
if it means not having to jump.
Hitting that floor looked awful painful.
You’re afraid of a little pain. That’s an overrated phobia.
- So, what’s it like? - What?
You know, dying.
I don't know.
Well, you must. You’re practically dead.
Thank you. Thank you very much.
- It’s gotta hurt. - Hurt? Life hurts, boy.
Boxing. That’s a real pain. I was a boxer myself.
Not a good one, but I was a boxer.
Come on.
Now box, box, box!
More, more.
You're too strong for me.
- I heard you called me a dawdler. - Not me.
- I didn’t. - Promise you didn’t?
- If it means you’re letting go, I promise. - Mean it?
Yes, I mean it. Let go.
Better mean it.
- Doesn’t this day ever end? - What do you mean?
Well, there is a beginning, but no end.
How do you know it began?
Well, it had to.
- Or it wouldn’t be. - That’s not true. It just is what it is.
You know, light all the time.
Maybe, if we run away from the sun, we’ll find night.
Let’s go east. That way, we’re going with the Earth’s rotation.
It gives us a better chance of outrunning the sun.
Wow, you're a Boy Scout, too.
Grab your skates, slow man. We’ll have a race to the train track from the cemetery. Maybe it’s night there.
- Catch up, dawdler. - Dawdler?
Cheater!
Catch up!
Get those skates over the grass.
That was great, wasn’t it?
You don’t like to lose, huh?
You don’t hate me for winning, do you?
No.
Besides, this is not the last race we'll have.
You have no idea how long I’ve waited for someone like you to come along.
Too long, I’d say.
- We didn’t beat the sun. - It must be night somewhere.
- I miss the moon and the cool breezes. - I love the Sun’s warmth.
I suppose you would.
- Make me a promise. - Sure.
- If you decide you want the 4 seasons again... - That means jumping at the big top.
- Forget it. I’m never going home. - But if you change your mind...
promise you’d tell me first?
Why?
I might consider going is all.
- Partners? - Partners.
- Bonjour!
Oh, mademoiselle, monsieur.
It's been a while since I tried my green thumb, but I think I found it.
Grandma died.
- When? - The other day.
- Where? - There.
- Here? - Well, there.
You’re not supposed to be down there.
I was supposed to go first.
I suppose I messed it up.
It’s... it’s a beautiful day. There’s a celebration this evening.
What’s the point?
She’s dead.
Exactly, if no one celebrates her life, what’s the point?
We bring meaning to each other’s lives, and now...
Particularly your grandmother’s.
Here, for the great ball.
The formal initiation only you find, of which you’re one.
- You’re serious? - Yes, I’m serious.
- Is he serious? - Yeah.
- Do you dance? - Of course he does.
- You know, tangos and waltzes... - Of course not. I’m a guy?
Oh, lame-o excuse.
Dancing is the most exhilarating, glorificating, fantazilating.
Just let your toes go tapping heels kerplanking.
It is the essence of life.
And if you think you’re too fancy, too grandiancy,
Just let your feet
explore the floor.
They'll know the layout,
forget yourself and play out.
‘Cause there’s no substitute.
Heck, it’s the essence of?
- Life? - Life.
What do you say, Ryan?
I guess.
What was Grandpa thinking? I can’t wear his old clothes.
It’s definitely out.
Here. It’ll fit.
If you wanna get anywhere you’ve gotta start using your imagination.
Try these on.
- I can always stitch them up. - Okay.
- Oh, please, I won’t look.
- Ready for the shirt? - Come on.
- Turn around. - Sorry.
- You wear butt-huggers? - Briefs, they’re cotton briefs.
You should wear boxers, they’re way cooler than butt-huggers.
Baseball cards?
Hockey. They’re collectors’ issues.
There’s nothing wrong with having heroes.
Baryshnikov, Nureyev.
I adore them!
Man, they can fly!
- Cool, I love astronomy. - Really?
Wow, you’ve got your name engraved on everything.
It was my dad’s.
We used to watch the shuttle launches together.
- So, do you spy on your neighbors? - No.
The stars, the Moon...
Isn’t the Moon kind of close?
I mean, you don’t even need a telescope to see it.
I was looking for something more specific.
- What? The flag Apollo 11 planted? - No.
Did you know Galileo thought that oceans made up the face of the Man on the Moon?
Actually, they’re lava flows.
I know, they’re called maria.
- Do you know the name of the biggest, nearest crater to the Apollo 11 landing? - Julius Caesar.
- Do you know when the Apollo 11 landed? - The summer of '69.
Which hemisphere?
- West. Can you name an eastern landing? - Apollo 15, summer of '71.
- Name another west? - 17. Winter of '72.
- Name a landing near Copernicus crater. - Apollo 12, summer of '69.
- And 16 landed in the spring of '72. - And 14 in the winter of '71.
We're all out of missions.
Wouldn’t it be fantastic to go there?
Someday I will.
They’ll have really fast interplanetary ships.
Yes, and who you use... What’s that power source?
- Electromagnetic propulsion. - Yeah, that’s it!
Good thing you met me then, huh?
Every space traveler needs a partner.
Only we can’t see the Moon if it never gets dark.
Here, try this on.
Very handsome.
What are you wearing?
What was that for?
I don’t know.
- Bonjour! - I’m still not used to you doing that.
Sorry, it’s the only way in for me.
Stunning. Your grandma wore a dress just like that the first time I fell in love with her.
You fell in love with her more than once?
- Of course. - How old were you?
Sixth grade. What a romance.
It lasted a week and then my family moved and...
And I didn’t see her again
till I went away to college.
Did she remember you?
No, not a bit, but we fell in love all over again.
- That is so romantic. - Yeah, my beautiful wife.
Let’s see it, go.
Is the duchess ready to dance?
- Shall we? - We shall.
- Ryan. - No.
You’re a quick study. I thought you were.
I’ve never seen him outside the big top before.
No.
Ryan!
Stop it! Stop it!
The kids... The kids have to finish their tango.
What does he want with me, Grandpa?
Don’t fear him, boy. It would be a mistake.
He is no one to be afraid of. No.
Ryan?
Melanie would love this.
Do you ever get bored?
I didn’t know I needed more than this.
- No, I mean knowing you’re stuck here. - Who says I'm stuck?
- Did your mother ever tell you about the Fair Footed Flekk? - No.
- What about the flekk? - The Fair Footed Flekk.
- Is there a point to this? - There will be, if you have any patience.
- I’m patient. - You have patience? Let me see.
Once upon a time there were three men
who decided to climb the tallest mountain in their country.
- Which mountain? - The tallest - that's the point.
These fellows knew if they succeeded, they would be showered with wealth and power by the king.
- For climbing a mountain? - This happened a long time ago,
when climbing a mountain wasn't a weekend sport.
They even referred to the mission
as a "quest for paradise."
- This is an honest to goodness fable, huh? - You'll see.
Now, the king had a beautiful daughter,
and he promised her hand to the bravest of the men. - So even if the guy was an ugly toad with fart's breath,
she'd have to marry him? - Yes, yes.
Halfway up the mountain,
one of the men turned to the guide and said he couldn't justify
the strain of another day's hiking just for the king's good blessings.
- Go on, Grandpa. - Go on, go on, go on.
The next morning,
the second man decided to climb was foolish.
Even if the king were offering pails of gold,
he figured it wouldn't be worth spending from his deathbed.
So, off he went.
The last man...
The last man was chipper as a fox in a chicken coop!
Already counting his good graces...
Anticipating wealth, wench, happiness!
- The guy's stylin'. - Guys stylin', yes.
Well, his excitement was short-lived
as the guide outlined the final day's journey. Treacherous.
This fellow just shook his head in disgust.
I mean, for a spoiled child bride,
it would take all the king's money to keep her happy, anyway.
So, without even a proper fare-thee-well,
he turned on his heel and left the young guide alone.
And you know what the guide did then?
- Bailed? - He went for it.
- Cool! - Cool, yes.
So, then what?
After two more days, he reached the precipice
and discovered a weathered bench looked out over the countryside...
cupped his hands and shouted:
"What paradise is this?"
He was answered by a beautiful voice.
"What paradise do you seek?"
- The Fair Footed Flekk? - Yes, she skipped through the clouds
as is she were light as air itself.
She explained how the men he'd started with
were glory seekers expecting paradise, but disappointed.
Disappointed at the price.
The young man was touched and moved.
as he looked out over this tiny piece of the world
seeing with a clarity he'd never known.
And a word trembled from his lips...
Paradise.
- And the Fair Footed Flekk? - Gone... into the clouds.
- Memory. - Climbing the mountain was his reward?
Climbing was his paradise.
- You all right, Grandpa? - Yeah, never better.
I wish Melanie was here. She would dance for us.
Melanie... Ryan, you can dance.
You can dance.
And left on, and right on...
Left again and right again.
- That’s impossible. - In the Dust Factory, anything is possible.
You just have to unlearn your can's and can'ts.
Besides, the walk back would have finished me.
- So, you have been getting tired? - And, you’re feeling stronger?
- Yeah, I guess. - Ever heard of conservation of energy?
- You can’t create it. - Or destroy it.
Just keeps moving around.
- As it should. - Ryan, Ryan, Ryan.
Ryan. Come on.
Let’s go.
See you later, Grandpa.
Boy, boy, boy. Don’t forget, you’re on a quest for paradise.
- Careful there, partner. - Almost got it.
- What’s up with you? - I don’t know.
- I just feel great. - Like you’re in Neverland?
- I suppose. I never saw the movie. - But you get it now.
Now... More balance. Try again.
Balance, balance.
- Ryan?
He’s not ready.
- Ryan, are you okay? - Of course. Don’t worry, I’m not gonna fall in the lake.
Now show me the spin move again.
Eyes forward.
- What?
I don’t know.
It’s like I forgot to do something.
- It runs? - Why wouldn’t it? I didn’t have butchers for mechanics.
Where are we going?
Patience. Patience.
- Hey, what’s with you two? - You don’t see any trees?
- No. - This is an orchard.
Hey, what’s with you two?
- You didn’t see any trees? - No.
Look at all the leaves.
My grandfather told me,
when a leaf floats past you
it means somewhere someone is thinking of you.
Oh, please.
What? You don't think anyone thinks about you? Oh, Melanie. You have to believe.
- I know what you're up to. It's not fair. - Oh, Melanie. Little lady.
I believe.
Patience, patience.
I don’t want this to ever end.
Again with that word "end". It's a myth.
- That is a lie. - Don’t be selfish, Melanie.
When you make the leap at the big top, time in the Dust Factory ends.
- Let Ryan decide.
Melanie.
Dust.
I hate it.
I don't wanna jump. And I never will!
Melanie.
Ryan, help!
- Mel, hold, please! Hold! - I’m trying, it’s too strong!
Sorry, Ryan.
I didn’t mean to bring us here.
Everything was gonna be perfect. It was gonna be just you and me.
Your Grandpa went and ruined everything with those leaves.
The dust.
You never should have messed with the dust.
Careful, Ryan.
- I think you sh... - Ryan, I think you’re supposed to shoot.
Ryan, don’t leave me here.
Mel.
Grandpa? Grandpa?
There’s no paradise for me.
Fair Footed Flekks don’t exist. They’re all lies.
Where are you, Grandpa?
Boy, boy.
- Grandpa, It's Melanie. - She can wait.
- You don't understand. - I understand perfectly.
- But Grandpa, I left her in that awful place.
No, her lack of faith keeps her there.
No, she's just scared.
Melanie will learn on her own.
Otherwise, she'll never make the leap,
and we can't dawdle here forever.
You're leaving.
What? I should.
- I should overstay my welcome? - But I like the way things are.
- Here with you and Mel. - No. No. You have a home,
a family, a life.
That mustn't be tossed aside because you're afraid of dying.
I won't go back!
Boy, the beauty of living
is that you get to work all the world's myths.
Let each of them tug at your insides.
Take a shot at answering the questions of life and death.
When I die, I don't want it to hurt.
I don't see paradise, Grandpa.
I want to, but I don't.
Patience.
I hear the circus clowns. I hear them.
They're singing.
Will I ever see you again?
The colors of sunset. Warm... and cool...
Always extraordinary.
Live your life,
Ryan Flynn.
No!
No. No.
Mel.
Mel!
I’m not afraid of you.
You’re afraid I could win her back.
I challenge you.
Yes!
Come on, Mel. Let’s go. We’re out of here.
What? I beat you. I scored.
I'm ready to leave, I proved it.
- What’s wrong? - You won, Ryan.
- I didn’t. - No!
You just have to believe there's more to life than one long winter.
You're asking me to risk everything!
I've been here too long. I don't even remember where I came from.
Where would I end up?
I can't handle that kind of uncertainty.
Grandpa would tell you to turn all that doubt into trust.
Take a chance, Mel!
Do you trust me?
Do you trust yourself?
Say it, Mel!
Come on, get off those toe-picks and skate. Skate now!
Meet me halfway, Ryan.
Grandpa took the leap.
Did he make it?
He made it, Ryan. It’s all right.
- Thanks for coming. - Special catch, he was.
He would've caught me if I'd done nothing but offer two stumps for hands.
What a man.
Dad?
I wanted to tell you so much.
Remember when you showed me the man in the moon?
And I couldn’t see him for the longest time.
And then you drew me a picture of him. Told me his eyes were so droopy
because he only slept three days out of a month.
And that his smile was so big
because he loved to watch me play.
Ever since you told me that story, I wanted to visit him.
I really miss you, Dad.
Ryan?
He was right here.
- Ryan, it’s OK. - No, he was right here.
No! My dad, I saw him!
Dad...
He looked so real.
They’re waiting for us.
Come on.
He’d have caught me if I'd done nothing but offer two stumps for arms.
What a man .... what a man ...
Come on. This is supposed to be a celebration, remember?
A toast, to Grandpa.
Not here.
I’m not sure I understand anything Grandpa said.
But at least I'm not afraid anymore.
I figure he's in eternity.
I almost grasp the meaning of it. But then it slips away.
Maybe because I'm just a kid.
Fill it up.
To a wise old man, who’d better have not driving.
I never saw the Fair Footed Flekk.
Do you know what she looks like?
No.
Then how do you know you haven't already met her?
Funny. I still don’t see paradise.
I wanna go home.
Really go home.
I know.
And I don't want you to.
It was always my plan to leave too, you know.
But I was just waiting for a sign.
I figured there'd be this perfect moment where I'd just know it was right.
I guess I'm just a dawdler.
You know, I can still do everything better than you can.
- Faster - always will. - You can't always win.
- I'll always beat YOU. - And I won't mind.
I’ll never forget you, Mel.
You will.
No, I won't.
See you later.
Not later. Just see you.
I wish I had the courage to climb a mountain.
All I have is this stupid lake!
It’s not winter, it's not winter, it's not winter! It's summer!
Ryan!
Ryan, come on!
Over here, Ryan, swim!
You can do it! Just swim!
Come on!
Honey, when are you gonna tell him his Grandpa died?
I don’t know, he just got out of the hospital.
He hardly knew his Grandpa.
That’s supposed to mean something. When a leaf falls...
It means you don’t need summer. - Oh, right.
Lewises brought their daughter home.
There’s a girl you’d wanna get to know, Ryan.
Got spunk. Like a good power forward.
A girl? Yeah, right.
You got a problem with girl hockey players, huh?
Let me hear you say it: “Women are the best athletes on the planet. "
All right, all right, all right then.
Women ... aren’t the best hockey players...
Let me hear you say it. Let me hear you say it.
- I give up. Mercy, mercy. - Oh, mercy?
- You’re like a dog paddling. - No I wasn’t, I know how to swim.
Well, you must have forgotten it in there for a minute, buddy,
because you were paddling like a hound dog.
You know, I don’t even think that you knew your pulp was busted.
Adrenaline rushes does that to you.
Gosh, it’s so weird hearing you talk.
I don’t have to.
No, no, no. It’s good.
Doesn’t look like such a bad fall from here.
Are you kidding? I saw you fall.
You landed way up there.
Aren’t you coming out?
Do you know her?
No.
Come on, Flynnigan, go for it.
Your friend should see a doctor for that tongue thing.
People might think he’s trying to catch flies.
- What happened to your leg? - I fell.
Off this bridge.
- Right. - Really, I did.
- Wow, that’s pretty cool. - It was an accident.
I had an accident. In my head.
They said it was an aneurysm.
- Is that bad? - Not anymore.
- How long do you have to wear your? - A couple of months.
You really fell off this bridge?
- Cold, huh? - I really don’t remember much.
I don't like cold weather.
Give me heat any day. There's this island called Tahiti.
I'm going there when I grow up.
No winter - just long, hot days.
I don't know. I kinda like fall and winter.
That's 'cause your parents told you winter makes you look forward to summer.
- Why wait nine months? - I suppose you're right.
But I'd still miss the colors and the leaves.
Boy, someone snowed you over but good.
Come on, Ryan.
- Race you? - Yeah, right.
Fair enough?
We’ll look like a couple of turtles.
So?
Your friend can call it.
Dust is a funny thing. It's everywhere all at once,
like a teeny, tiny snowstorm, in every ray of light.
Even the moon is just a big dust ball.
But you know, it's all in the way you look at it.
Not this way or that way, not forways or backways.
Just believe before you look.
The man in the moon has a magic all his own.