I'm talking with the American painter Richard Smythson
and his wife Claire.
So what's next for you two?
Well I create the art.
She creates the rest of our life.
Do you know?
Where the hell are we going?
Talk about this.
How about that for a smile?
Everything that we do is up to Claire.
He's been behaving so strangely for months.
I thought it was about the show.
His work habits are erratic.
He's been drinking more.
He'll have these moments where he's just so himself.
Playful, smart.
And then he vanishes
and he's angry, childish.
And I react, I can't help it.
The things I loved the most about him
and still love are things a person
isn't supposed to love.
His arrogance, his ego.
I have never been in his shots.
That's Richard.
Every moment of his life
has been lived on his own terms.
And now...
They didn't have those wide brushes
you like, the Grumbacher.
But I will get them.
How was class today?
I'm painting, Claire.
Sorry.
I love you.
Don't forget Ada's show
at the new museum.
I know she'd love to see you.
Mhmm.
What's that you're eating?
Looks delicious.
That's 'cause you don't have to eat it.
It's good.
But if we had deep fried the brussel sprouts,
we could have kept all the antioxidants.
Let me see what Richard's been working on.
Just carry the laptop into the studio.
Nobody ever sees my work until it's finished except her.
You know that.
No one has seen any
of your work in years.
Everyone's curious.
Richard,
- no. - No, no!
One a day!
These virtual dinners,
they're extremely bizarre.
Have a brussel sprout.
The date is set, it's been written about.
I'll be ready, honey, I always pull it together.
You know that.
I got some sketches here and I can't find them.
They're in a little notebook.
What kind of notebook?
A notebook with all my personal things in them.
And how can I trust you with all of my personal things
if you lose them?
What are you talking about?
It's my very important things, okay?
Why am I explaining to you?
I was talking about the show, Richard.
I've had it with the show.
Don't mention it anymore.
It's not your job!
My job?
Shit.
I don't know what happens.
Everything starts going away
that disappears, people disappear.
Are you drunk?
It all gets lost.
Good morning, ma'am.
It just happened in the past few months.
Look over there and then run your eye along the bottom edge.
It's sinking, I know it.
You think so?
I never noticed.
See how the foundation's a little lower on that side
and there are these cracks here.
Let's get you inside.
You shouldn't be out here in only a sweater.
You finish that grocery list for me?
Joyce?
Why did you leave your husband?
I guess you could say we left each other.
My mother used to tell me people only got divorced
when both of them wanted to leave at the same time.
Otherwise one pulls the other back in.
I didn't know until Bill moved out
how unhappy I've been.
And that first year after it happened
people would tell me I looked happier.
People I barely knew.
Let's get you inside.
Why do we paint?
We paint because we have no choice.
Why do you paint, Melanie?
Because I have no choice?
What do you paint with?
My brush?
Oh no, it has nothing to do with a brush.
This kid next to you paints with his cock.
You, you paint with your cunt.
Oh, here we go, an exit.
Maybe I should have taken
a sensitivity training class
before I came in today.
The minute you go out the door,
you're telling me and everyone else in the class
that you don't have it.
It's not a painting unless you leave
a piece of yourself on the canvas!
What is this?
Well, I can never remember the time anymore
so I bought a clock.
You bought a 94,000 dollar clock?
What were you thinking?
And it's so ugly.
Well, I think it looked better in the little picture.
I'd better be able to return it.
Honey?
What are you doing?
Richard.
What are you doing?
You accused me of having an affair
with one of my students.
That was six years ago!
Look.
I might have flirted with her.
But I never!
Is that?
Did you paint her?
You know what it was, Claire?
Your goddamn accusation,
I didn't want it at my house anymore.
I don't think I'm really quite sure
about what this is all about.
They're honoring you.
You're getting an award.
For what?
For your work, what else would it be for?
I don't quite understand what this is about.
Richard.
Go.
And you?
It's just for you.
Congratulations, Richard.
When I heard about this from my wife
who's back there, her name is Claire,
and she's from Sweden.
And I asked her, I said Claire,
what happened to Jim?
Where's Tony, where's Gene?
Where'd they all go?
She said "They're all dead, Richard."
I don't know, I didn't know what to say.
I didn't write anything down, so I just,
you guys are gonna get to a point in your life
where people go, things go.
I don't know, why am I here?
I don't know how to say anything.
All I can tell you is what's going on with me.
Why did they put the goddamn light
so when you walk out,
you can see me but I can't see anybody?
Richard, I'd like to speak with Claire.
Is that fine?
Yeah.
What did you say?
It never occurred to you?
The times I've seen the two of you out this last year.
Remember that concert at the college?
Richard can be unconventional
but even then I observed little things.
He has...
He's a brilliant, creative,
crazy painter.
He's an artist, he's not a...
I'm so sorry, Claire.
I wish I had better news.
But can you really tell if someone has Alzheimer's
You can't tell that.
You can't know for sure.
You can guess when someone is strange
and someone is what,
does everyone have to be normal?
Does everyone have to be like behaved perfect
all the time?
I don't know.
What do I do?
How can I help him?
Just try to be there for him.
It's hard to accept.
But a person with dementia can still have
a good quality of life.
Look, I want you to get this prescription filled for him.
Claire, don't do this alone.
With a support structure in place,
with family around, with people who love Richard.
What family?
It'll ask you for your signature first
and then swipe your card.
What?
It'll ask you for your signature first
and then you can swipe your card.
Oh, oh okay.
Of course.
My grandmother started losing her memory very young.
The doctors told us it was a lost cause.
But then we started giving her-
- This machine isn't working.
Oh you have to do the chip thing.
Oh right, right.
There's always hope.
That's what I think.
Can you do it?
I'm sorry, Mrs. Smythson,
everyone has to use the machine.
It's very easy though.
You know what, I'll just pay cash.
Ma'am, you have to pay for that.
I am paying for it.
Before you eat it.
What do you want me to do now?
I'm paying for this,
and I'm paying for these, I'm paying for these,
and I'm paying for these.
Are you happy now?
Hi, this is Angela.
Leave me a message and I'll call you back.
Angela?
Who's asking?
Whoever this is, you woke up my son.
You have a son?
Angela, that's wonderful.
Claire?
Is this Claire?
I'm sorry to bother you,
I just wanted to-
I didn't want your money five years ago
and I don't want it now.
That's not why I'm calling.
Is...
Is he?
Is he dead?
No, no.
No, thank, no.
He's just-
Mommy, who's dead?
Oh, nobody, sweety.
Just go back to bed, I'll be there in a minute.
- Okay. - Is that your son?
What's his name?
Claire, it's late.
I really don't feel like talking right now.
Richard is sick.
He's having trouble remembering things.
I was thinking maybe you wanted to-
I can't.
Can you just let me ask?
You can say no.
But at least let me ask.
I have to go.
I'm sorry about Richard.
Fried brussel sprouts.
How about that?
Ugh.
How's work?
Anything?
It's not coming, babe.
I heard about a writer
who worked in a cottage just like this one.
Each morning he handed his assistant his clothes.
He figured that without any clothes
he'd be trapped in the cottage and would have to work.
Poor bastard.
I think it was Proust, maybe.
Sola, somebody French.
I'd like it better if it was the Bronte sisters.
Would you like to give me your clothes?
You're my wife.
Not my assistant.
I love you.
It will come.
It always does.
I've never been able to capture
the true beauty of life.
Most people would say I have
but I haven't.
I think you have.
I was thinking of going into the city tomorrow.
I wanna see Liza and talk about the show.
Is that okay?
You're asking permission?
You don't have to ask permission.
It's not Saudi Arabia.
Can I help you, ma'am?
This is Angela Smythson's building, isn't it?
Do you know her unit number?
I'm her stepmother and we don't see much of each other.
Let me call her.
Thank you.
This is inappropriate, Claire.
Is there a more appropriate way
to tell you that your father has dementia?
What am I supposed to do about that?
I'm sorry.
I've been swamped with work.
I'm just so busy, Claire.
Everybody's busy.
When you ask someone how they're doing, they say busy.
As if that's an answer to the question.
Early Christmas gifts.
You didn't need to do that.
I wanted to, and unlike the rest of the world
I'm really not that busy, so
it gave me something to do.
I wasn't sure how old he is.
He'll love it.
Thank you.
It's a 2006 bottle of Cobos Malbec from Argentina.
We bought a case of it when they did a retrospective
of his work at the MACBA in Buenos Aires.
Your father stood up the President of Argentina
to visit that vineyard.
Not surprised, he's good at disappointing people.
Can we go upstairs and talk?
Angela, I want him to know you
before he forgets.
He's never really known me.
Okay.
I'm really sorry that I bothered you.
Merry Christmas or whatever.
You won't believe who we got to DJ
in the front room.
Oh, we're so excited to see it.
- We'll see you inside. - Claire, oh!
- Come! - This is such a scene.
Get inside, it's too cold out here
for someone with your bony ass.
Come on.
Is Richard coming later?
No, he's busy painting, Liza.
Oh, yeah, thank God for that.
Tell me you have some pictures to show me
of what he's been working on.
I can't betray his trust.
Fine, fine, but just tell me, is it good?
Of course it's good.
Because he says it is the best work
that he's ever done.
But artists have no perspective on their own work.
A lot of young artists come to me now.
And some of them are wonderful
but it's just not the same.
Back then, I had to chase my artists,
I had to discover them, I had to earn their trust.
And those are the ones who are still
the most important to me.
I even like some of their wives too.
There's an organic juice bar on the corner.
Oh, gentrification everywhere you look.
I think this is it, this is it.
What was the landlord's name, something Turkish.
Mustafa.
Richard always wanted to live
in these awful, seedy places.
You can't worry about the floor being clean
when you're trying to create!
He wasn't entirely wrong.
He would pay Mustafa with paintings,
even though we had the money for rent.
Once, we gave him one of my paintings.
Your paintings were stunning.
No, they were stuck in the past.
Nobody wants that.
They were classic.
This is what people do
when they get old, isn't it?
Old people are in bed.
I'm sure she'll be right down.
Do you like the term doorman?
I don't know.
I haven't given it much though.
It's just these words, doorman, wife.
They reduce us, don't they?
You're beginning to feel like a stalker, Claire.
I had a little too much champagne, and whiskey,
and a cigarette.
I haven't had one of those in years.
So sorry.
There are no more buses back till the morning.
Could I possibly stay?
Are you kidding me?
Did you plan this?
Angela, I've given up on a lot of things in my life.
But I've never given up on your father.
I thought about leaving him many times.
I don't need to hear this.
He's not an easy man.
But he's worth knowing.
I can get a car to take you to East Hampton.
I'll pay for it.
I can't spend two hours drunk
in a hired car in the middle of the night
with a stranger.
Mmm-mmm.
Fine.
This is nice.
Did he go back to sleep?
Yeah, he said he wanted his magic spray
and then the conked right out.
Hi, hello, I'm Claire.
Hey, hey, right.
So nice to meet you.
I'm sure you've heard terrible things about me and Richard.
And some of them are true.
Claire.
But I hope you can forgive us
'cause we're family.
Danny's the babysitter.
Oh.
Yeah, I'm just the babysitter.
I'm gay, Claire.
I had a child with my partner?
Right, right.
I'd love to meet her.
Well, you can't because she left me.
She's living in Hell's Kitchen with a spin teacher
she met eight days after we separated.
Oh, I'm so sorry.
There's so much he doesn't know about you.
So if you don't need me, I'm gonna head.
Yeah, see you.
- Oh, hey. - It was nice.
It was nice to meet you.
Yeah, nice.
I'm so sorry I assumed you were heterosexual.
No, I am heterosexual.
Angela isn't, though.
Okay.
Yeah.
See you tomorrow.
Great.
- See you tomorrow. - Nice meeting you.
Angela?
Hi.
I'm Claire.
I know who you are, Mom told me.
What did she tell you?
That you were old.
An old friend.
I can live with that.
And she said you were rude
but I should be nice to you anyway.
Has anyone talked to you about perspective,
how to draw the horizon line?
Let me.
You choose a point and draw lines towards it.
And you have a path that goes on forever.
You can choose where the path is.
It's all up to you.
You wanna try?
I think about that now,
how you forget you had that freedom
or maybe you never knew you had it
and after a while you're not on a path anymore.
Your life's just a two dimensional plane
that's flat and exact.
I'm sorry.
I don't have much experience with people
who are six.
You're six, right?
Mhmm.
Just turned six.
Oh, hi.
Hey.
Hi.
I thought Angela was here.
Oh yeah, she just had a morning meeting.
And Gogo spilled syrup on my jeans
and so,
Well, bigger than you were yesterday, kid.
He's speaking?
Hindi.
Angela thinks that India's gonna be
the world's next superpower after China.
What do you think?
I don't know.
I just lived there when I was young.
Can I get you anything?
Can I get you some coffee or something?
I should get going.
There's a morning Jitney.
But thanks.
I like birds because they can fly.
I like you.
Richard?
Darling?
I decided to stay over at Liza's.
Every now and then people get a chance
to live in a room with a view.
Well boy oh boy.
Are you magnificent.
You know, we do get older.
But goddamit, you smell the same.
I'm exhausted, I'm gonna take a nap.
A nap?
A nap might be out.
Did you take your?
I just need a time out.
I don't know if I took it or not.
Okay, okay.
It's good.
Remember that apartment we had
with the cracked bathtub in the middle of the room?
I would sketch in the tub.
I think one winter I had to fix it with duct tape.
Do you remember?
I think so.
We couldn't stop painting.
We needed to.
We moved out here and life
became so comfortable.
I haven't seen this one yet.
I didn't wanna waste your time
but hey, you never know.
I'm so sorry Claire, but I gotta close up.
One more minute.
Your husband usually doesn't get those kind of brushes.
I can find you the right ones.
He's trying something new.
So Paul, what are you painting?
Mikey.
You paint a guy named Mikey?
My name is Mikey, sir.
Oh, what do you call me sir for,
you forget my name?
No, I-
- It was a joke.
Stand up.
Excuse me?
Stand up.
Where's your passion?
Where is your aggression?
Scream!
No, that's-
Louder!
That's it, hate me!
That was good.
Now, tell me why you paint.
I don't know.
You have to know why you paint.
If you don't, then tell me your painting is a piece of shit.
Repeat after me.
My painting is a piece of shit
and doesn't deserve to exist.
I don't understand what's going on.
You see this painting?
This is a painting that should never have been created,
and I'm going to abort it.
Watch this.
What the fuck?
You guys know anything about what it's like to lose?
Of course not, you're young.
You're busy doing other shit.
You're running around, you're getting laid,
you're breaking every goddamn thing you can.
It's very hard to look inside and paint
what's all gone.
Paint what breaks your heart.
What you can't get back.
We've had several complaints,
and not only from students.
Missed appointments, excessive use of profanity.
Parents don't feel comfortable
having their kids in his classroom.
This is how you treat him after 15 years?
It's not the first time.
He enjoys being around young artists.
He needs the contact with other people.
He needs somewhere to go.
We have to do what's right for our students.
We have a responsibility.
Responsibility?
You use his name to attract students here.
You plaster his face and his paintings
all over your admissions catalog.
This is a painting
that should never have been created
and I'm going to abort it.
Watch this.
Claire.
We have great respect for Richard.
We're looking to part ways amicably.
There are no amicable separations.
Claire.
Claire!
Don't do this!
Claire.
Come on.
We can talk this through.
Claire?
What are you doing?
Claire!
Claire, that's a gift to the college from Richard!
I know that.
Why didn't you tell me you were fired?
Richard.
Yeah?
Would it have mattered?
It matters because
I feel like I'm losing control.
Well, you're not the one
who's losing the ability to
remember which car is yours in the parking lot either.
This man can't even make a goddamn cup of coffee.
I can't do this.
Claire?
Yeah?
I wanna be alone.
Now.
- Hi, Claire. - Hey.
Hi.
My body transformed.
Every detail in these nine rooms
is part of the story.
Ada?
Who is that?
Claire?
It's me.
Claire!
You are like a vision.
Did you come to see the preview?
Oh, look at you.
How have you been?
Where have you been?
Why have I not looked upon
that absolutely magnificent face
in over a decade?
I've been busy.
Busy, good.
There is nothing worse than not being busy.
How is Richard?
Still sexy, I imagine.
You were very smart, Claire.
You married a man who's sexiness came from his talent.
Are you painting again?
You were always such a sensitive artist.
You had a absolutely magnificent way
of taking the past and making it feel present.
Of course I always
envied your decision to step away.
Being a woman in the art world is like
being a Christian in the Roman Empire.
Ada, it's time for the shoot.
Come on everybody.
Are we ready, Ada?
Mark, can you put a platform over there, thank you.
I'm sorry to have kept you waiting, my darlings.
All right.
Let's go.
Now remember, it is not just about being pretty.
It is also about reality.
Take me as I am.
Double mastectomy and all!
Beautiful.
Turn a bit to the right.
Perfect, perfect.
Angela?
I just wanted to try and
ask you again.
Today is really not a good day.
I was thinking
I could come to the city today
and restart my career as a painter.
At my age, it's stupid.
I finalized my divorce this morning.
Oh, I didn't know.
I'm sorry.
I was putting it off.
All that awful paperwork.
Now, I feel relieved.
I went to our favorite coffee shop the other day
and amazingly, it didn't make me feel sick to my stomach.
It takes time.
And therapy.
Oh, lots and lots of therapy.
I follow her on Facebook.
And she has a nice life.
Diana and her new girlfriend and our kid.
You shouldn't torture yourself like that.
I thought I had the perfect life
and in a couple months it just fell apart.
And my reward is I get to pay
for her brand new apartment and her fancy new life
with her yoga teacher girlfriend.
I thought she was a spin teacher.
She teaches at one of those studios that does everything.
Spin, Pilates, yoga.
I hate people who do many things poorly
instead of one thing well.
Yeah.
Angela, this is about your little boy.
Don't let your son experience the same loss you had.
Who told you to do that?
Nobody.
Nobody needed to tell me.
How many times have you seen her?
I honestly didn't think she would come.
So if she hadn't come,
it would have been okay not to tell me?
I will not apologize for this.
And for the record, it's not the first time I tried.
I offered her money.
Five years ago, I heard she was starting a non-profit
with all her dot-com money
and I wanted us to be a part of it.
You offered her my money to cover my guilt?!
It's our guilt!
And it's our money!
I never ever would have come to your child
without talking to you first.
I don't have a child, Richard.
The only child I've ever had is you!
That was your goddamn choice.
So don't blame it on me.
You okay?
I don't know.
What's wrong, Mommy?
I guess I'm...
I'm a little scared.
Did you bring the magic spray?
Okay, let's do this.
What do I call him?
I don't know.
Whoah!
Hey, Gogo.
Have you ever seen a silver Christmas tree before?
I thought we could put some ornaments on it together?
Yay!
Yeah?
What kind of name is that, Gogo?
It's short for Diego.
You know what, bud,
you are named after one of the greatest artists
that ever lived.
Is he yours?
Biologically?
Does it matter?
Well, not really, we'll just give him a set of paint
and find out if he's really my grandson.
Richard.
Please.
Oh my god.
Want a cookie?
Yes.
You believe in Santa Claus?
What are you doing?
I'm trying to make small talk.
I asked Santa for a big castle
but we have a small chimney, so.
Oh.
Santa's gonna get you your castle.
You know the great thing about Santa
is you can rely on him.
Santa Claus never lets anybody down.
He always comes through,
and you know why that is?
Stop!
Stop, please.
Just stop, sorry.
25 years of stop, please.
Who wants to put the first ornament on the tree?
Oh, let it be me.
I'll do it.
Oh, look who jumps up!
The Indian, more Christmas spirit
than any of the rest of us in here.
Thanks, Richard.
Angela, why don't you tell Richard
about what you do?
She started an organization
that teaches young women how to build computers.
Well, we teach them code.
Yeah.
Well, gender inequality in the tech world
is an epidemic,
so we go into public schools
and offer after-school programs.
We also do a summer camp in San Francisco.
Wow.
Wait a second.
You're trying to tell me that your kid
could not go to your camp
because he has a penis?
I just...
Mommy, can we go home?
I have to go to the bathroom.
Well they have a toilet here.
But the flush is loud and scary.
I know, sweety.
I'll flush it after you leave.
Oh, for Christ's sake.
I can take it, I can take it.
Diego.
Give me your hand, come here.
We're going outside.
Where is he going?
Richard?
Honey, what are you?
And just go to the bathroom.
Honey, what are you doing?
Richard!
What are you?
Jesus!
Are you insane?
I'm not the one teaching my kid
to be afraid of the toilet.
Richard.
At least I'm there for him.
What did you ever teach me?
Fuck you.
Fuck you!
- Richard. - Fuck you!
Richard!
Jesus, Richard.
Danny the manny to the rescue!
What's wrong with you?
I have problems.
She's your daughter.
He's your grandson.
Please.
Make an effort.
I don't know what to do.
Oooh!
Wow.
What have you got in there?
Keep on digging.
Whoah, it's a paint set!
Whoah!
What do you say, Gogo?
Thank you.
You're welcome.
What else can you say?
That's pretty good.
Isn't he incredible?
Is that for me?
Yeah.
No, you're kidding.
All right.
You can exchange them if they don't fit.
Jeans?
Oh, because of,
It's because he spilled syrup on your pants.
Oh right, right,
right, right, right.
The syrup, yeah, thank you.
I got something for you too, Angela.
I'll just go and get it.
Claire, no.
You said you didn't want it in the house.
If you sell it, we'll know.
Yeah?
Well, it's hers now, Richard.
If she chooses to sell it
to help fund the summer camp
for budding female computer whizzes, that's her choice.
Richard.
I'm done.
Richard?
Dad.
What?!
I don't wanna fight like this in front of my son.
Who?
My son.
He's sitting in your living room.
Your mother,
she messed with me.
You would come to visit,
and she made me think you hated me.
I was young.
I was angry.
You were never around.
I didn't know you.
You had pigtails when you were little
and they were always kinda screwed up.
One was longer than the other one, or you know.
Am I right?
Yeah.
Symmetry.
I love symmetry.
There's no symmetry anymore.
Mmm, hello.
Hi.
Sorry, am I in your way?
No.
Did you want this?
There's a gift receipt.
Yeah, I'll take it.
It was a silly idea for a gift.
I don't know what I was thinking.
No, no, honestly.
I don't buy a lot of new clothes for myself
so it's great, thanks.
I didn't get you and Richard anything.
What?
I know.
No, I feel bad,
so I have a demo of my music.
I'm a musician.
Ultimately, my goal in life
is not to raise other people's children, so.
I thought so.
A CD sounds great.
Great.
Did she ever talk about Richard?
I mean, before.
No, not really.
He was like more of a concept.
Him not being around was like
some sort of all purpose excuse for being unhappy.
We all have those, don't we?
I can relate.
I don't really talk to my parents much.
My father's thrilled with my career choices.
He said something to me that stuck with me.
He said that you cannot blame your roots
for all your broken branches.
Hmm.
Which sounds poetic, but then he cut me off.
My parents would brush away my problems
without really looking at them.
I feel that I've inherited that ability
to ignore reality, to remain composed.
I hate that.
Yeah, well look, if it's any consolation,
when I first met you I didn't think
that you were entirely composed, so.
I started painting again.
I used to be an artist, actually.
Really?
Mhmm.
See, artist, musician.
Yeah.
Manny.
Yep.
Don't even, no.
- No, let me just do one. - No, I'll do it
- in the morning. - Just the one cup.
I will do it in the morning.
- Really? - Yeah.
Okay, but you have to let me do
some of this in the morning.
Yeah.
Okay, I'm going to bed.
You should.
Even mannies have bedtimes.
Good night.
Is this okay?
You don't ever ask if anything's okay.
Why?
And you never ask why.
But it's good.
Go ahead.
Here, take your mom's fork, that's it.
Now use the prongs of the fork.
Draw me three lines real quick, straight lines.
Attaboy.
Railroad tracks.
Use a little of that.
That's good.
The man drew railroad tracks.
Bye.
I won't sell the painting.
Unless it's worth more than 500,000.
It is.
And I do know he's my grandson.
I love you.
Come on, you.
Thanks for having me.
Oh, oh, I have something for you.
Oh, thanks.
It's my music.
Give it a listen, let me know what you think.
Sure, thanks.
Thanks, Richard.
Hey.
Good morning.
Richard?
Richard.
Richard!
That's orange juice.
There is all kinds of ways to put things together, Claire.
Try it.
No.
Richard, please.
How about that?
Clean up your mess.
You are never happy
unless you have something to fix.
You're a narcissistic caretaker.
That's not even a thing.
It's embarrassing for Joyce to see the kitchen like this.
I'm going into town.
I'll leave her grocery money on the counter.
Please don't take it again.
It's about a lack of inhibition.
It's not always clear to Richard
what's appropriate behavior anymore.
He's frustrated and afraid.
Just getting through his day is 10 times harder for him
than for a healthy person.
Claire.
Listen.
Have you given any thought to our support groups?
I can't imagine sharing this with strangers.
I can't betray his trust like that.
This is not who he is.
Am I going to lose him?
I can't.
God damn it!
Ugh!
I don't even know why we moved out here.
Stick!
Richard.
I always loved you in that dress.
I guess I should have bought you more dresses.
I didn't want you to feel like
I was trying to turn you into some kind of a doll.
Shit!
The furniture.
You destroyed the living room.
I had a wife, Phyllis.
I'd buy her a dress
and she'd say "I'm not a canvas."
- Look at me. - "Do I look like a canvas
- "to you?" - Look at me.
Look at me.
Our living room.
- Don't you see it? - What were you thinking?
I am trying to capture an empty space.
So I painted it white again and again,
and then I look over and I see a chair
where all our friends sat.
I thought you'd understand what I'm doing.
Our friends never sat in those chairs.
Those chairs we got years after!
Why don't you put some clothes on?
What?
You see remnants of the living room here?
It's all remnants.
And I'm trying to put them on there
in little pieces,
- 'cause that's all that's left - Please.
Of our life!
I do wanna help you.
And I've always tried to help you.
It's just that you don't remember
a fucking thing anymore.
No, you don't remember.
Again and again and again, you're gone.
I don't know where you go.
But you keep disappearing on me.
I have errands to do.
I run on the beach.
I go to the grocery store.
You don't see anything different, huh?
I see something different, Richard,
and it's you.
You are different.
I know you're trying to help me.
And I wanna help you.
But I guess I really haven't.
Why didn't we ever have children?
What?
It was never the right time.
We loved our lives, didn't we?
Yeah.
We did.
So if you wanna leave, leave.
You don't understand what that means.
I want a divorce.
You want a divorce.
This is my work.
You wouldn't understand.
You never became a painter!
Because I was too busy supporting your career.
- My painting- - I don't give a god damn
about your paintings.
You can't paint.
You never really tried.
You okay?
I don't know.
If you're going to town,
we need more paper towels
and some of that brown wood cleaner.
Not the spray, the oil.
Joyce.
Could you stay here for a few nights?
You taking a sabbatical?
What?
That's what Richard would say
when you would have a quarrel,
that you should go take a sabbatical.
But you never did.
Maybe you should have.
I don't know.
Hi.
You found it.
Yeah I found it.
It's really out here.
I wasn't sure.
Yeah, I got you this.
Well I shouldn't say that I got it for you.
Angela gave it to me.
I gave this to her.
No way.
She doesn't like my presents very much.
Well, she is sober.
You didn't know that.
I shouldn't have told you.
Do you drink?
Me yeah, oh yeah.
I had two drinks on the train over here, actually.
Okay.
- So I'm ready. - Okay.
Just the homekeeping.
Just, I don't know anything about wine.
But it's very red.
I always thought Richard should stop drinking.
Yeah?
And when we talk about it,
he tells me it's part of his creative process.
That'll kill that conversation.
Please, stop me
from talking about Richard.
I've been talking about Richard for more than 20 years.
Yeah.
Richard thinks, and Richard says, and Richard likes.
I really like your songs.
Oh yeah?
Yeah.
Thank you.
I really do.
Thanks.
You know how it is showing your art.
It's not...
Did you do these?
Why are you making that face?
What's that face about?
No one has seen them yet.
Oh.
Yeah Claire, I really like these.
I worry that I'm making a big ass of myself.
I worry about so many things.
The problem with being constantly surrounded
by bright lights is that they make you feel
there's already enough light in the world.
No, it's okay.
I'm sorry, Danny.
I think you should go.
You can still catch the last train.
Yeah, yeah, no, of course.
You're probably right.
Where have you been?
I'm here now.
I'm here.
Let's get you to bed.
I'm sorry I didn't tell you.
Be honest.
I wanna know what you think.
Why would you ever have stopped?
I don't know what's going to happen.
Maybe one day you won't remember me.
You'll know that you know me
but you won't know how you know me.
I'll tell you that I'm your wife
and you'll think, oh my wife?
We must be in love.
And you won't remember how much we hurt each other.
We'll forget the fights and the spite.
And I suppose in a way none of it is worth remembering.
Just that I'm your wife.
The Art in America cover story
will be out on Tuesday
and the Times wants to do one of those
interactive things online.
When can Richard do an interview?
Let's not get ahead of ourselves.
The show's not for another three weeks.
Several of Richard's pieces
are already spoken for sight unseen.
The Pompadeau and the Tate are asking
to do his next retrospective,
and all the top critics are booked for the preview.
Claire?
Is everything okay?
Just been a lot of late nights recently
with Richard finishing the paintings.
Well, we've got a big run ahead of us.
This has been a long time coming.
Angela, what are you doing here?
You came to us.
You invited us back into your life.
Danny quit today.
What, why?
He said he wanted to work on his music
before it's too late.
He said you inspired him to make that decision.
Danny is the only constant thing in Gogo's life
and you've taken that away from him.
He came to visit me and we...
we talked about art.
Is this how you treat people?
You're hurting so you want everyone else
to hurt just the same?
That's hardly fair.
Angela.
Angela, I made an enormous mistake
and I'm so, so sorry.
Should I speak to him?
How are you gonna fix this?
You're the problem.
We were doing fine.
I wanted to help, and then,
I was lonely.
Are we driving?
Liza sent a car.
Can I ask you a question?
Are they good?
They're very good.
They always are.
What can I say?
It's incredible.
Thank you.
Ricardo.
Ricardo,
Your new work is darling.
Let's be honest, I always did.
Thank you.
I'm here to see Angela Smythson.
Just one moment.
Hey.
Your father's opening is tonight.
Why aren't you there?
I needed some space.
All this anger you have,
I understand it.
Believe me, I've had a lot of my own.
But at a certain point, I think we're,
we're only hurting ourselves.
You've already lost your father once.
And you're going to lose him again.
We both are.
But now,
we have to hold him.
That is the only thing we can do.
Did he paint it?
Danny said he saw a preview of the show online
and he said they were your paintings.
The ones he saw in your studio.
I was the one that chose to stop painting.
And then I chose to give him
one last chance to be the great Richard Smythson.
I wanted that for him, he needed that.
Maybe I needed it to.
They're your paintings.
It was enough for me this time.
To create again.
I can do this again.
I will do this again.
But tonight, it's enough.
Let's get you ready.
We're talking with the American painter
Richard Smythson and his wife Claire.
So what's next for you two?
Well I create the art.
She creates the rest of our life.
Do you know, where the hell are we going?
Talk about this.
So how about that for a smile?
Everything that we do is up to Claire.
The show is stunning.
Really?
Claire?
Oh my gosh.
Oh.