Based on a true story. Liz Murray is a young girl who is taken care of by her loving, but drug-addicted parents. Liz becomes homeless at 15 and after a tragedy comes upon her, she begins her work to finish high school.
Categories: 2003 television films2003 films2003 biographical drama films2000s American films2000s English-language filmsAmerican biographical drama filmsAmerican drama television filmsBiographical television filmsFilms about dysfunctional familiesFilms about homelessnessFilms about schizophreniaFilms directed by Peter LevinFilms scored by Louis FebreFilms set in the 1990sFilms set in Harvard UniversityFilms set in New York CityHIV/AIDS in American filmsHIV/AIDS in televisionLifetime (TV network) filmsHomelessness in the United States
Categories: 2003 television films2003 films2003 biographical drama films2000s American films2000s English-language filmsAmerican biographical drama filmsAmerican drama television filmsBiographical television filmsFilms about dysfunctional familiesFilms about homelessnessFilms about schizophreniaFilms directed by Peter LevinFilms scored by Louis FebreFilms set in the 1990sFilms set in Harvard UniversityFilms set in New York CityHIV/AIDS in American filmsHIV/AIDS in televisionLifetime (TV network) filmsHomelessness in the United States
Category
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Short filmTranscript
00:00:00So, what have they done to you?
00:00:13You're a good child, you used to see it through
00:00:25What have they done to you?
00:00:31What have they done to you?
00:00:38You used to smile, but you couldn't stand to cry
00:00:48They took you away, but you couldn't see through
00:00:58I loved my mother so much
00:01:02She was a drug addict
00:01:06She was an alcoholic
00:01:10She was legally blind
00:01:13She was a schizophrenic
00:01:16But I never forgot that she loved me
00:01:19Even if she did
00:01:22All the time
00:01:26All the time
00:01:30All the time
00:01:33All the time
00:01:38All the time
00:01:45All the time
00:02:02Where is it?
00:02:05Please, give it to me
00:02:08Where is it?
00:02:11What is that?
00:02:14What is the epidermis?
00:02:16I gave it to you
00:02:18Let go of her!
00:02:21I gave a hundred to you
00:02:24My checks came in, I gave a hundred to you, to one of you
00:02:27To Hope, one of you
00:02:29No, for us to live on
00:02:32Every month, it's the same damn thing
00:02:36What is genus?
00:02:37So you can put it in your arms, so we can starve
00:02:40It's mine
00:02:42I didn't take it, give it to me
00:02:52What is Denmark?
00:02:53Give it to me, it's mine
00:02:56It's mine
00:03:01We're hungry
00:03:02I can't, we need food, Mommy
00:03:04What the hell did you ever do for me, huh?
00:03:07I gave you life
00:03:09Do you want me to go out in the street and sell myself for it?
00:03:12Huh? Do you want me to do that?
00:03:14You know I do that sometimes, right?
00:03:16Come on, Jeannie, what are you saying?
00:03:18She doesn't need to hear that
00:03:19Oh, God!
00:03:21Where is King Farouk?
00:03:22Right
00:03:23Theater, 400
00:03:25Type of theatrical makeup
00:03:27His name is found in the title of an Anthony Muni musical
00:03:31Mark, what is Greece paying?
00:03:32Right
00:03:34I missed it
00:03:35Specific term for someone who claims to be Pope when there already is one
00:03:40I missed it
00:03:41Antipope, that's right, and our last clue for a thousand
00:03:45Mohammed's flight from Mecca ended at this city, considered Islam's second holiest
00:03:50What is Medina?
00:03:51Phil, what is Medina?
00:03:52Medina, that gives you 15,200 dollars
00:03:55At the end of the double jeopardy round, but Mark, very impressive also
00:04:00Theater, for 800
00:04:01That's right
00:04:02This director died just hours before the opening of his last hit musical, 40 Seconds
00:04:06Who is Gower Champion?
00:04:07Who is Bob Fosse?
00:04:08No
00:04:09Phil, who is Gower Champion?
00:04:10Correct
00:04:12I wanted that smile
00:04:15Oh, God, I wanted that smile so much
00:04:20I was pathetic, wasn't I?
00:04:26Mark, what is Yugoslavia?
00:04:28Right
00:04:29She'll take the aqueduct
00:04:31Mummy!
00:04:32The system of giving two scientific names to all organisms was devised by this Swedish naturalist
00:04:37Who is Carl Linnaeus?
00:04:38Carl Linnaeus is correct
00:04:40Rudolph's and Rudolph's for 200
00:04:42First clue there
00:04:43She's taking the aqueduct
00:04:45What the hell difference does it make?
00:04:47She'll get mugged
00:04:48Who cares?
00:04:51Phil, who is Rudolph Valentina?
00:04:53She can't see, she'll get mugged
00:04:56Always a big production
00:04:58The characters in his play, Hay Fever, were inspired by actors Lorette Taylor and her family
00:05:02Who is Noel Coward?
00:05:03Phil, who is Noel Coward?
00:05:06See, they fixed the lights for a change
00:05:08The muggers will break them again
00:05:10No, no
00:05:12No, you see, she's okay, see, water runs downhill
00:05:16There's no water
00:05:18No, no
00:05:19Don't you know what the aqueduct is?
00:05:21The aqueduct carried water to New York City
00:05:24For over a hundred years it did that
00:05:26And then they closed it down
00:05:28But now, the ghost water, right?
00:05:30It carries your mother along
00:05:34My father
00:05:35Hey Jerry
00:05:36You could sit down on a couch and talk to my father
00:05:40You just couldn't talk to him for long
00:05:42Hey Jane!
00:05:45He knew so much
00:05:46He got all the answers right on Jeopardy
00:05:50He was a genius
00:05:51Every answer, every time
00:06:07That's the thing
00:06:09Your parents are your gods
00:06:12I looked at them as an example of what I should find everywhere in the world
00:06:17They paid so little attention to my needs
00:06:21But then it felt like their need was so powerful that
00:06:24It didn't make me feel hurt or angry
00:06:27That they didn't look into me
00:06:32Because I felt, okay, this
00:06:34This just must be the human condition to be so
00:06:47And then the world came in
00:06:56You took my husband
00:06:57He wasn't bad
00:06:58I'm gonna kill you
00:06:59No mommy
00:07:00I'm not your mother
00:07:01I did you a favor
00:07:03You shouldn't have
00:07:04Don't tread on me
00:07:06Help me clean up Liz
00:07:07If they see this they're gonna take us too
00:07:11No, no
00:07:12Come on Jeannie
00:07:13Get out of my house
00:07:14You know
00:07:15You're taking me
00:07:16Get out
00:07:17No, no, no
00:07:18Don't take me
00:07:19I'm under you
00:07:20No fuss now
00:07:21What happened to the window?
00:07:22She threw the cat out
00:07:23I'll set you on fire
00:07:24Before you
00:07:25Take me
00:07:26No, no
00:07:27Take your hands down
00:07:28Leave me alone
00:07:29Leave me alone
00:07:30Come on Jeannie
00:07:31Leave me alone
00:07:32Why don't you take your medication like a good girl?
00:07:34She takes it
00:07:35She just takes too many other things on top of it
00:07:39Okay, hit her with the phone now
00:07:40Let's get her down
00:07:41No, no, no
00:07:43This place is a mess
00:07:44What happened here?
00:07:45I fell down
00:07:47She's got another one
00:07:48Jeannie, put the knife down
00:07:50No, no, no
00:07:51Jeannie
00:07:52Okay, okay
00:08:01All right, where's the phone?
00:08:02We don't have one
00:08:03This woman is unfit
00:08:04No kidding
00:08:05Look, you girls have a choice
00:08:07Clean this place up
00:08:08Help your mother
00:08:09How about my father?
00:08:10Ignore her
00:08:11She's a feminist
00:08:12I can sleep with any child I want
00:08:14Lizzie
00:08:15You kids keep skipping school
00:08:16You keep living like filthy animals
00:08:18Lizzie
00:08:19Lizzie
00:08:20Hey, hey, where are you going?
00:08:21Come back here
00:08:22Come back
00:08:23You're going to go to a home
00:08:24And do you know what those homes are like?
00:08:26They have girls in there that will beat you down
00:08:28Take everything you've got
00:08:30You can't have anything
00:08:31You'll have to clean bathrooms
00:08:33You'll work there if you don't work here
00:08:43Back off, back off
00:08:45It's not a show
00:08:47We've got nothing better to do, huh?
00:08:52Mommy
00:08:56Mommy
00:09:01Mommy
00:09:02Couldn't they see?
00:09:03Anyone could see
00:09:05She was in so much pain
00:09:07And her struggle was so much on the surface
00:09:09So there, if anyone cared to look
00:09:12It wasn't like she was running off
00:09:14And being a good mother to somebody else
00:09:16She just didn't have any more to give
00:09:18Mommy
00:09:20Let me go
00:09:23No, no, no, no
00:09:39Mommy
00:09:57All right, hey, hey, hey
00:10:00Oh, something stinks
00:10:02What is that?
00:10:03Puking
00:10:06I was always the smelly kid in class
00:10:09Mrs. stood on the bucket to shower
00:10:11But Daddy laughed at her and said she'd have to marry a doctor
00:10:13She had so many expectations
00:10:15I didn't have any expectations
00:10:17And so, therefore, I guess I stunk
00:10:23And I itched from lice
00:10:25And it burned between my legs
00:10:28My teachers were always telling me not to fidget
00:10:31But my underwear...
00:10:34I didn't know what to do about underwear
00:10:36I just worried until it fell apart
00:10:38All right, people, thank you
00:10:41Recess is over
00:10:47My teeth ached
00:10:49I was hungry
00:10:50Settle, thank you
00:10:52All right
00:10:53The teachers' words never seemed to reach me
00:10:55The words just seemed to...
00:10:58Fall on the floor
00:11:01Oh, give me the test list
00:11:02There's no point taking that
00:11:03No, I'll take it
00:11:04But you've been here, what, three times this month?
00:11:06I'll take it
00:11:07It doesn't look that hard
00:11:23Oh, Liz, stay here
00:11:29You do smell, you know
00:11:31Doesn't your mother tell you?
00:11:32No, no
00:11:33No, it's my fault
00:11:35I just forget
00:11:37Okay, well, when you're having a shower tonight,
00:11:39you want to wash back here?
00:11:43I've been saving some things for you
00:11:52Here
00:11:57And here
00:11:58How did you do that?
00:12:00You're never in school
00:12:04I read a lot
00:12:06Yeah? What do you read?
00:12:08The encyclopedia
00:12:10The lady upstairs, Eva,
00:12:13she found one in the dumpster
00:12:15The whole set
00:12:16Well, except for Ardass
00:12:19If you had asked me about Ardass,
00:12:21I would have gotten it wrong
00:12:23I was just lucky
00:12:24Oh, Liz, you have to come to school
00:12:26Okay
00:12:27No, I mean it
00:12:28Look, it's ridiculous
00:12:29You're way too smart not to be here
00:12:30I don't understand why you don't come
00:12:32I will
00:12:35How could I tell her that school made me sad?
00:12:39I didn't know how to talk to her
00:12:41I didn't know how to talk to anyone
00:12:43My house wasn't a place you could come out of
00:12:45and be normal
00:12:46Well, you have to come every day
00:12:48Okay?
00:12:49If you don't,
00:12:50then I have to call child welfare
00:12:52and that's not a threat
00:12:53It's a promise
00:13:05Eva, look what I got
00:13:08A hundred?
00:13:09Because of your encyclopedia
00:13:11Good
00:13:12You got to make good marks
00:13:14You don't want to be an idiot
00:13:16And you keep it up now, you hear me?
00:13:18Now your mother's back
00:13:21My mother's back?
00:13:23Well, we had a nice quiet couple of months
00:13:27Didn't we?
00:13:29The only good thing about my mother
00:13:30being taken away to the netherlands
00:13:32The only good thing about my mother
00:13:33being taken away to the nuthouse
00:13:35was that when she came back
00:13:36she was my mom again
00:13:38She cooked and she cleaned
00:13:40Once she even tried to learn
00:13:41how to be a quartz stenographer
00:13:43For me, that was the good quiet
00:13:45a couple of months
00:13:47before the drugs came back in
00:13:49Mommy?
00:13:56Mommy?
00:14:02Mommy?
00:14:04Lizzie
00:14:12Are you okay?
00:14:14I'm okay
00:14:18Pumpkin, you look real good
00:14:23I'm sorry
00:14:25I'm sorry
00:14:27I'm sorry
00:14:29I'm sorry
00:14:32I'm glad you're home, mommy
00:14:37Aren't you glad you're home?
00:14:40Well, this hospital
00:14:44wasn't too bad
00:14:46It's too green
00:14:48The walls and
00:14:50and there were bars on the windows
00:14:54I'm sorry
00:14:56You had to see that, you know
00:14:59You'll get used to it
00:15:01But now I'm glad you're home
00:15:11Look
00:15:13Look, I got a hundred
00:15:20No, no, a hundred is good
00:15:23A hundred is perfect
00:15:25Didn't you ever get a hundred?
00:15:30I didn't go to school
00:15:33I ran away too young
00:15:36Don't you ever run away from home
00:15:40I won't
00:15:47Liz, I'll always be here for you
00:15:51I know, mommy
00:15:54I'll always be here
00:15:58Always
00:16:01I know, mommy
00:16:07I'm sick
00:16:10I'm sick, I'm sick
00:16:14Liz, I
00:16:16I have AIDS
00:16:19No
00:16:22No
00:16:23No, no, no
00:16:25Baby, no
00:16:27They say
00:16:29Don't be afraid
00:16:31They say I might
00:16:33They say I could live forever, okay?
00:16:37But I can't live here
00:16:41I'm gonna go home
00:16:43This is home
00:16:45No, home to my pops
00:16:47I'm gonna take you and Lisa out of here
00:16:48No, no, no, no
00:16:49I have to stay here
00:16:51I gotta stop the drugs
00:16:54I can't do it with daddy around
00:16:57But he'll be alone
00:17:00Liz, Lisa's already gone over
00:17:03Just pack up your things and let's go
00:17:06No, because you said pops beat you
00:17:09You said he raped your sister
00:17:11This is the way it has to be now
00:17:13No, stay here
00:17:17I can't
00:17:19Stay, mommy
00:17:21Everything was falling apart
00:17:23I thought if I stayed I could stop it
00:17:26I thought if I stayed
00:17:28Everything would somehow stay the same
00:17:50Just open the door
00:17:52It's no use
00:17:54I know you're in there
00:18:11Where's your mother and sister?
00:18:12They're gone
00:18:14Where's your father?
00:18:16He's gone to get some food
00:18:17He'll be right back
00:18:20Your teacher called
00:18:22You're still not going to school
00:18:24You're never in school
00:18:26We gotta do something about this
00:18:28Miss Wanda warned you
00:18:30I warned you
00:18:31Every one of your case workers has warned you
00:18:33This has been going on for years
00:18:35They all said clean up this place and go to school
00:18:38Clean up and go to school
00:18:40And you haven't done either one of them, have you?
00:18:42Elizabeth, have you?
00:18:44No
00:18:46So what are we gonna do?
00:18:49I don't know
00:18:51I do
00:18:52You're going into the system
00:18:55I'm taking her
00:18:57But things are better now
00:18:59My daddy buys me baked potatoes every day
00:19:01You're not paying the rent
00:19:03You're not getting her to school
00:19:04I tell her to go
00:19:05I told you to go to school
00:19:06She's got a mind of her own
00:19:08She's a feminist
00:19:09This is not a joking matter
00:19:11Pack her a suitcase
00:19:13Now
00:19:16No, no
00:19:18No
00:19:19I'll go to school
00:19:20Please
00:19:21This isn't working
00:19:22We need an adult who's responsible
00:19:24My grandpa's responsible
00:19:25My grandpa will take me
00:19:26My sister's there
00:19:28Your sister goes to school
00:19:29I'll go to school
00:19:30I'll go to school
00:19:31Please
00:19:33Don't make a fuss
00:19:35I'll talk to him
00:19:37And if he'll take you
00:19:39You'll be out in 24 hours
00:19:41I'm sorry
00:19:44And if he won't?
00:19:50You'll have time to figure out
00:19:51How you want to live your life
00:20:15Figure out my life
00:20:18Do people really do that?
00:20:21Do they do that while they're
00:20:22Falling down a deep, dark hole?
00:20:26Figure out my life
00:20:29Do people really do that?
00:20:32Do they do that while they're
00:20:33Falling down a deep, dark hole?
00:20:48Buzzed in
00:20:50Locked in
00:20:52It was like visiting my mother
00:20:54Only I was in the crazy house now
00:21:08Get her
00:21:10Get her
00:21:24Get her
00:21:38And I didn't get out in 24 hours
00:21:41I didn't get out in 24 days
00:21:43No one wanted me
00:21:45They just left me there
00:21:55Why don't you go to school?
00:21:58That's the big problem we've got here
00:22:01Why don't you go?
00:22:14From what I can see
00:22:16You've got a discipline problem
00:22:24Humming
00:22:55Humming
00:23:06Screaming
00:23:24Screaming
00:23:44Liz?
00:23:45Hi, Pops
00:23:46I think it's your mother
00:23:47Jeanie, come out here
00:23:50She's here
00:23:55I'm late for school
00:23:57But I wanted to see you first
00:23:59Thanks, Liesl
00:24:00Don't screw this up
00:24:02We're doing okay
00:24:03And don't expect too much
00:24:06She's dying
00:24:16Lizzie
00:24:18Oh, God
00:24:21Oh
00:24:23Oh, God
00:24:34When I think of my life
00:24:36This is the time I like to think of
00:24:39When I got back
00:24:40When my mother's mind was clear
00:24:43There was no cocaine
00:24:44So her schizophrenia medicine kept on working
00:24:47And we'd go to the cafe
00:24:48And sit and talk
00:24:50And eat hamburgers
00:24:52We were together
00:24:54Even with her bad eyes
00:24:55I think she could see me
00:24:57Well, she could see my outline
00:25:00And for a while I had my mother again
00:25:02In what park?
00:25:04Yeah, I remember
00:25:05We used to slide down that hill
00:25:06Remember?
00:25:07You'd put down that old cardboard
00:25:08And we'd pretend it was a sled
00:25:10Well, you remember that
00:25:13How about the tickle monster?
00:25:15Well, we screamed and laughed about that one
00:25:18Yeah
00:25:19Hey, I was a good mom, wasn't I?
00:25:25Wasn't I?
00:25:27Yeah, Mom
00:25:29You were fine
00:25:30Yeah
00:25:33Well, I'm real glad we're all together
00:25:37You and me and Lisa
00:25:40What if Dad went off drugs, too?
00:25:42Wouldn't that be great?
00:25:43Maybe we could even go back to University Avenue
00:25:49Yeah
00:25:52Your dad, um
00:25:54He's in a shelter, you know, right now
00:25:57I'm afraid he lost the apartment
00:25:59He kind of ignored the rent, so
00:26:05Well, what about my stuff?
00:26:08Got thrown out
00:26:10All of it?
00:26:11Even my encyclopedias?
00:26:13Look, Pumpkin, I'm real sorry, you know
00:26:15They boarded up the whole place
00:26:17There was nothing we could do
00:26:19It just, you know, crap happens, I mean
00:26:23Look, you know, I gotta go around the corner
00:26:25And see a few friends
00:26:27Just for a minute, okay?
00:26:29You finish your burger
00:26:31And I'll be right back
00:26:33Just be a minute
00:26:35Just be a minute, baby
00:27:17Okay
00:27:40So that was that
00:27:42No going back
00:27:44I hadn't kept anything together
00:27:46I'd only made things worse
00:27:49If I'd only gone to school
00:27:51If I'd only
00:27:53If I'd only
00:27:55So, that part of my life was over
00:27:58I guess the new part had begun
00:28:06Elizabeth Murray?
00:28:08And you're her mother?
00:28:09Yeah
00:28:11I'll, uh, take you to your class now
00:28:16Bye, Mom
00:28:17Bye
00:28:18Are you gonna get home okay?
00:28:19Yeah, yeah, I'm just gonna go down and see my buddies
00:28:21You know, they'll take care of me
00:28:23Maybe I should just come with you
00:28:25You gotta stay in school
00:28:26Otherwise they'll take you away again
00:28:27Go, go, go
00:28:39So we have Nell
00:28:41Bert
00:28:42Chris
00:28:45Adjectives and prepositions
00:28:48Is that you?
00:28:50Yeah
00:28:57I wasn't the smelly kid anymore
00:29:00I'd learn to shower every day at the group home
00:29:03And my clothes, even if they came from the thrift shop, all fit
00:29:07But I still didn't know how to be in school
00:29:10I still didn't know how to be normal
00:29:13Oh, man
00:29:15People, can we try to settle down?
00:29:18Chris, would you like to try diagram number 12?
00:29:21No
00:29:23Bobby?
00:29:35You find him amusing, Miss...
00:29:37Elizabeth?
00:29:38Please don't call me that
00:29:40That's your name according to these forms
00:29:43Liz, or Lizzie
00:29:46Liz or Lizzie is a nickname
00:29:50Are nicknames
00:29:52No, I'm afraid not
00:29:54Jesus, call the girl she wants to be called
00:29:57Elizabeth's a fine name
00:29:59It's the name of a queen
00:30:00The Elizabethan age was the age of Shakespeare
00:30:02What's your problem with it?
00:30:06My mother calls me Elizabeth when she's going insane
00:30:11Wow, I don't remember that
00:30:16Elizabeth
00:30:17Bobby the sentence?
00:30:22So, where'd you go to school before this?
00:30:25I didn't
00:30:27How'd you pull that off?
00:30:29I was in a group home
00:30:32Is that freaky?
00:30:35Yeah
00:30:37But you're not a freak
00:30:39No
00:30:42It's too bad
00:30:44I am
00:30:47My birthday's coming up
00:30:49Yeah? When?
00:30:51Oh, you'll know
00:30:53I'm gonna wear my dad's trench coat
00:30:56I'm gonna come to school with nothing on but my trench coat and a pair of boots
00:31:02I'm gonna flash all the teachers
00:31:05Happy birthday
00:31:10You don't believe me?
00:31:14Yeah, I do
00:31:16No, you don't
00:31:40Let's go
00:31:59Okay, one more time
00:32:10Okay
00:32:15Who'd you throw mud at before me?
00:32:18No one
00:32:27This is a great place, I've never had a sofa before
00:32:29Oh, my pulse is kind of cranky
00:32:31We have to be out by six, by the way
00:32:33Where's the phone? We're doing another one of those contest things
00:32:36Follow the course
00:32:38You're never gonna win this
00:32:40Okay, you know what? Shut up
00:32:42Okay, I just gotta solve this number before I forget it
00:32:44Did anybody get the hypotenuse?
00:32:45Come on, Bobby, give it a rest
00:32:46The test is until like a week
00:32:47Hey, can I have a piece of that chicken in the fridge?
00:32:49Sure
00:32:52Is it six already?
00:32:54It's only 4.30
00:32:59Some drunk lady
00:33:01Oh, gross, Soch
00:33:03Puked right on the door
00:33:05Oh, I'm going out the window
00:33:09I don't feel very good
00:33:11Can you help me, please?
00:33:13Yeah, we'll have it. Come on, this way
00:33:15Yeah
00:33:17Oh, there she blows
00:33:21All right, up
00:33:25All right
00:33:27I'm gonna puke
00:33:29I'm gonna puke
00:33:31I'm a good mom
00:33:33I'm a good mom
00:33:35I just need a hug
00:33:37I just need a hug, okay?
00:33:39I need a hug
00:33:41Come on
00:33:43Oh, God
00:34:08There we go
00:34:10All clean, see?
00:34:12She couldn't take living straight
00:34:14Why should I expect her to take dying?
00:34:16Isn't dying the hardest thing anyone's ever done?
00:34:18Everyone's gone
00:34:20I don't know
00:34:22I don't know
00:34:24I don't know
00:34:26I don't know
00:34:28I don't know
00:34:30I don't know
00:34:32I don't know
00:34:34I don't know
00:34:37Except you
00:34:39Yeah
00:34:42So where's your grandpop sleep?
00:34:44Here
00:34:46When he's sleeping with his daughter?
00:34:48Mm-hmm
00:34:50Well, I don't think like that
00:34:52Yeah, but you don't know
00:34:54He did stuff to our sister when they were younger
00:34:57She told me that
00:35:01Why our sister, not her?
00:35:06I figure he did them both
00:35:08Is our sister crazy, too?
00:35:12Yeah
00:35:14And their mother, too
00:35:16That's why I didn't want to come here
00:35:21You know, my mom's getting back with my dad
00:35:28I wish my mom would
00:35:33He does stuff to my sister
00:35:37You don't have a sister
00:35:41Lucky for her
00:35:43Did you tell your mother?
00:35:45Yeah, I told her
00:35:47When she left him
00:35:49And she cursed him out
00:35:51Said she was gonna call the cops
00:35:53And now she's getting back with him
00:35:55You know, I asked her how she could do that
00:35:57And she said she missed him
00:36:00She missed him
00:36:06I was seven when he first stuck it in
00:36:08Ow! Chris!
00:36:10Chris, don't!
00:36:14Move in with me
00:36:16What, to stay here?
00:36:18Yeah
00:36:20Well, what will your grandfather say?
00:36:23He won't know
00:36:25We'll work it out so he'll never see you
00:36:27I mean, he won't get up until after he leaves for work
00:36:29I mean, he's like a robot anyway
00:36:31Out by eight
00:36:32And back at six
00:36:34Pops, she has no place to stay
00:36:36That's not my problem
00:36:38Get off me!
00:36:43Your mother's dying
00:36:45Your piece of trash father walked out
00:36:47And stuck me with a lot of you
00:36:49Did I ask for this in my old age?
00:36:51Did I?
00:36:53No
00:37:03What are you doing?
00:37:07Huh?
00:37:08That suits me
00:37:10You'll end up trash anyway
00:37:14Just like your parents
00:37:24So I left
00:37:30You want to go get your stuff?
00:37:32Or are you going to leave me out here alone?
00:37:39Do any of us bargain for our lives?
00:37:42It seems to me we just kind of fall into them
00:37:45And then we have to do the best we can
00:37:47I don't know
00:37:49I don't know
00:37:51And then we have to do the best we can
00:37:53Let's go
00:37:55My mother was dying
00:37:57My father was gone
00:38:00But I had to believe the road would rise up to meet me
00:38:06I was fifteen when I went out into the world
00:38:16What's a home anyway?
00:38:19A roof?
00:38:21A bed?
00:38:24A place where when you go there
00:38:26They have to take you?
00:38:29If so, then I was fifteen when I became homeless
00:38:34Person change?
00:38:35Get a job
00:38:41How you doing tonight?
00:38:46God bless you kid
00:38:49I love you
00:38:54Person change?
00:39:07But sometimes I felt like I'd never had a home in my life
00:39:19I love you
00:39:25I love you too
00:39:28I love you too
00:39:30Bring it on
00:39:50Let's go
00:39:58Let's go
00:40:20Where are you going?
00:40:22Get out of here
00:40:28And then other times I knew
00:40:31Wherever my mother was
00:40:33That's where my home was
00:40:49Come on
00:41:13Oh god
00:41:16Come on
00:41:18But month by month
00:41:20She was fading away
00:41:25Liz?
00:41:29Yeah
00:41:35Where did you go?
00:41:37I've been staying with friends
00:41:45I miss you
00:41:52Pop's uh
00:41:54He hit me and
00:41:58Like I couldn't stay here
00:42:00Why?
00:42:05Like Lisa said he stopped going to school
00:42:11I'm gonna go back
00:42:13When?
00:42:18When you get better
00:42:26They tease me
00:42:29They tease me at the bar
00:42:32Cause I shake
00:42:36I can't stop shaking
00:42:41I think that's uh
00:42:44That's cause of the drinking you know
00:42:46You should probably stop
00:42:49Oh okay
00:42:51Okay
00:43:01You're gonna get better
00:43:11Okay
00:43:18I love you mom
00:43:24Mom
00:43:27I love you
00:43:40I love you
00:43:55Get over there
00:44:06Sorry dad
00:44:11No
00:44:25Stop
00:44:29Hey guys wait up
00:44:32I'll catch you later alright
00:44:34I'm just gonna
00:44:37Bye
00:44:40Mom
00:44:47We took up a collection
00:44:53She doesn't come here anymore cause she thinks you're always laughing at her
00:44:58She's dead hun
00:45:01She died yesterday morning
00:45:10She's dead
00:45:41I love you
00:46:05Sometimes I feel like there's
00:46:07Skin on the world
00:46:10And those of us who are born under it
00:46:14Can see through it
00:46:17We just can't get through it
00:46:28My mother was being buried in section 51
00:46:31The charity plot
00:46:34My mother was in there
00:46:37Strangers had put her in there
00:46:40Was she naked? Was she frightened?
00:46:43No
00:46:45She was gone
00:46:47Come on let's go
00:46:49No wait a minute
00:46:51There should be a service
00:46:53There should be a priest
00:46:54What's supposed to happen?
00:46:55When you go we're gonna bury him
00:46:57That's all
00:46:58It's a she
00:47:01It's my mother
00:47:03There's no priest
00:47:05Not in these cases
00:47:07You didn't know that?
00:47:08She's dead
00:47:10Put her in the ground
00:47:15Priest or no priest
00:47:17What did it matter?
00:47:19She was gone
00:47:22She was already rotting
00:47:24Sorry
00:47:26Was I supposed to believe she'd found
00:47:28Eternal peace?
00:47:38Is he coming Liz?
00:47:43Hey just go
00:47:50Hey wait
00:47:56Hey
00:48:26Hey
00:48:56Hey
00:49:03Okay
00:49:10Look um
00:49:12Liz I'm getting out of here okay?
00:49:18Liz you know I just I can't
00:49:20I can't do this anymore
00:49:23You know so
00:49:25I'm going
00:49:27Where?
00:49:30Group home
00:49:32Crazy house
00:49:35No Liz it's this
00:49:36This
00:49:37This is crazy
00:49:43You should come with me
00:49:45Okay
00:49:51Yeah
00:49:54So see you around
00:50:08People die
00:50:10Things decay
00:50:13Everything that seems so solid
00:50:15Is meaningless
00:50:19All that's left is the gestures we make
00:50:23Gestures in air
00:50:26That's what we remember
00:50:28I remember riding with my mother through the leaves
00:50:31The year ending
00:50:33But her arms were warm around me
00:50:36When I was little
00:50:38And she was well
00:50:40That was long ago
00:50:42Maybe it only happened once
00:50:44Maybe she betrayed me a thousand times
00:50:46It didn't matter
00:50:48Math was always my weakest subject
00:50:51We remember what we choose
00:50:53Hey get out of there
00:50:56Where are you going to put the stone?
00:50:58There's no stones here
00:51:00There's no room
00:51:07In a week there would be no trace of her
00:51:10But what did it matter?
00:51:12This was her
00:51:13Her
00:51:14Her
00:51:15Her
00:51:16Her
00:51:17Her
00:51:18Her
00:51:19Her
00:51:20Her
00:51:21Her
00:51:22Her
00:51:23Her
00:51:24This wasn't the real world
00:51:27We only really live in each other's hearts
00:51:54I'll stay here with her
00:52:03Holding on
00:52:05To what I thought was true
00:52:21She lived in my heart
00:52:24But I lived nowhere
00:52:26I was all alone in the world
00:52:33You're sixteen years old
00:52:35With an eighth grade education
00:52:37And you're on a downward spiral
00:52:39That will end in a worse place than you ever dreamed
00:52:43You've burned every bridge
00:52:45You've worn out every welcome
00:52:47And everyone who's ever believed in you
00:52:50You've let down
00:52:55Eva?
00:53:06I don't want to be an idiot
00:53:08I want to go to school
00:53:54Hi, I'm Liz Marie, I have an appointment
00:53:57At 9.30
00:54:00It's 10.30
00:54:02I'm sorry, the subway got stuck
00:54:04I'm sorry too, but it's really too late
00:54:08School started three weeks ago
00:54:10We're just about full
00:54:11With kids who get here on time, honey
00:54:17I read the brochure
00:54:19Intensive student participation
00:54:21For the development of a just community
00:54:26I just need one chance
00:54:31You can wait and talk to David
00:54:34But he's got this meeting right after
00:54:42Boy's Humanity's prepped right for you
00:54:45Well, I've been thrown out of everything else
00:54:47You have, public school, private school
00:54:49Yes
00:54:52Now why would that be?
00:54:54Probably me
00:54:55Probably you, is that what they said?
00:54:57I'm sorry
00:54:58I knew at that moment I had to make a choice
00:55:01I could submit to everything that was happening
00:55:04And live a life of excuses
00:55:06Or I could push myself
00:55:09I could push myself and make my life good
00:55:17I could push myself and make my life good
00:55:33Okay, we'll get back to you by Friday
00:55:35Okay, thank you
00:55:36Oh, it was a pleasure, guys
00:55:41Elizabeth?
00:55:42Liz
00:55:43Liz, I'm sorry, we're making our last decisions now
00:55:45I'm already late
00:55:46Well, can't I just talk to you for a minute?
00:55:48Thirty seconds?
00:55:49Well, there's the application
00:55:51And there's the whole big essay question, too
00:55:53I've already done the essay
00:55:55I really want this
00:56:05I haven't had a lot of grown-ups
00:56:07That have proven to be trustworthy
00:56:09Or that they're in it for the long run
00:56:11So maybe I don't know how to talk to you
00:56:15My parents both use drugs
00:56:18A lot of them
00:56:19I won't go near them
00:56:21But I guess I've kind of lived the lifestyle
00:56:25I'm embarrassed now
00:56:27About how laid back I've been
00:56:28I mean, I've never even really been to school
00:56:30Except for the eighth grade
00:56:31But...
00:56:32Well, your grades are very good in elementary school
00:56:34I used to show up the last week and take the tests
00:56:37And that's how I got promoted
00:56:40I'm smart
00:56:41I know I can succeed
00:56:42I just...
00:56:43I just need the chance
00:56:46I need the chance to...
00:56:48Climb out of this place that I've been born in
00:56:51I mean...
00:56:52Everyone I know, they're just...
00:56:54They're angry and tired
00:56:56They're trying to survive
00:57:00But I know that...
00:57:02There's a world out there that's...
00:57:04Better
00:57:05That's better developed
00:57:07And...
00:57:09I want to live in it
00:57:12Why now?
00:57:17My mother died of AIDS
00:57:19She...
00:57:20She died a couple of months ago
00:57:21And...
00:57:23It was a real...
00:57:25Slap in the face
00:57:30I guess I always...
00:57:31Thought that she was gonna get better
00:57:33And take care of me
00:57:37It's pretty stupid, huh?
00:57:39She'd never taken care of me
00:57:42I took care of her
00:57:45She was my baby
00:57:49But now she's gone
00:57:51So...
00:57:54Now it's time to take care of yourself, right?
00:58:00Can you get here on time, Liz?
00:58:04I'll sleep here if I have to
00:58:07Okay, you're in
00:58:09But...
00:58:10You told the others you wouldn't know till Friday
00:58:12You're in
00:58:13David
00:58:14Thank you
00:58:15You just changed my life
00:58:17Best work, man
00:58:18We just have to file the paperwork
00:58:20We've got your transcripts
00:58:22That's just the easy stuff
00:58:24Address, phone number
00:58:26We have to have a meeting with a parent, legal guardian
00:58:29Get that in, we're good to go
00:58:40Dad
00:59:04Dad
00:59:06Dad
00:59:09Hey
00:59:10Lizzie
00:59:13I need your help
00:59:15Please
00:59:18Such a production
00:59:20Such a production
00:59:21Why don't you just stay in the Bronx and then just go to Kennedy?
00:59:24I don't know how to go to a normal school
00:59:27Why? This isn't a normal school?
00:59:30Well, it's public, but it's like private
00:59:32Yeah
00:59:33Dad
00:59:34Huh?
00:59:36Oh
00:59:38You know, I think I can do this
00:59:40Yeah? That's good
00:59:44I don't think I can
00:59:45Yeah, you can, you can
00:59:48Just say you're a long-haul truck driver
00:59:50That's why they'll never see you
00:59:53We're living with your girlfriend now, also
00:59:55Yeah, a long-haul truck...
00:59:57Oh, you gave me a girlfriend?
00:59:59Eva
01:00:00Eva?
01:00:01That's not good
01:00:02Eva's old enough to be my mother
01:00:03Dad, I just...
01:00:06I just need an address, you know?
01:00:08A phone number they can call
01:00:10Please
01:00:11Please
01:00:12I mean, they can't know I'm homeless
01:00:14I'll call the city and I'll get locked up again
01:00:19Okay
01:00:21Huh?
01:00:22Okay
01:00:27Mr. Murray, I'm...
01:00:28Yeah, I'm Peter
01:00:29Peter Finnerty
01:00:30Oh
01:00:31I never actually married Liz's mother
01:00:33Oh, okay, well, sit down, please
01:00:41I'm, uh...
01:00:43I'm grateful that you're taking my daughter in
01:00:45This is...
01:00:46This is a pretty nice place
01:00:48Well, we're still new
01:00:49We have big ambitions
01:00:50Yeah, so does Liz, I guess
01:00:52She's a feminist
01:00:53Well, I expect you knew that already
01:00:55Yeah, her mother...
01:00:56Her mother actually was beautiful, looked like a movie star
01:00:59Her mother was also a kind of a feminist, too, or something
01:01:02Anyway, I thought when I met her that she was just, you know...
01:01:05Hey, spirited, but actually she was completely insane
01:01:09We just need you to sign right here
01:01:11Yep
01:01:13And give us contact information, address and phone number
01:01:18Yeah, okay, um...
01:01:20University Avenue, 3458
01:01:23Is there an apartment?
01:01:24Yep, 2B
01:01:253B
01:01:263B, 3B
01:01:27Yeah, that's right
01:01:28We moved upstairs
01:01:30Phone number?
01:01:31Mm-hmm
01:01:35Oh, uh, 718
01:01:37Um...
01:01:39555
01:01:40555
01:01:415-7
01:01:425-5-7
01:01:437
01:01:4467
01:01:45555-57-67, yeah
01:01:47Yeah, sorry, my memory, my mind's totally shot
01:01:51So, that's it
01:01:52I got stuff I gotta do
01:01:53Yeah, that's it
01:01:55Thanks for coming
01:01:56Thank you
01:01:59Can I start now?
01:02:01It's refreshing to have someone who actually wants to come to school, yeah
01:02:04I'm gonna walk him out
01:02:11Oh, God
01:02:20Alright
01:02:22Oh, what, they gave you tokens here?
01:02:25No, I got a job
01:02:27Yeah, I remember when you were a kid
01:02:29You used to bag groceries down on Fordham Road
01:02:31Put food in the fridge
01:02:33How old were you?
01:02:34Eight
01:02:42I'm not a people person
01:02:44You understand that
01:02:46I'm just not a people person, Liz
01:02:48It's got nothing to do with you
01:02:49You know, it's not personal
01:02:52You came today, though
01:02:54Yeah
01:02:58I love you, Dad
01:03:00Oh, don't do that
01:03:01Don't love me
01:03:02It's a waste of energy
01:03:06You know, when
01:03:08When I was little
01:03:11You were the most interesting thing in my world
01:03:14Everyone was just
01:03:17Talking about
01:03:19Drugs or
01:03:21Sex or
01:03:23You know, just trying to survive the day
01:03:27But you always had ideas
01:03:32It's because of you I know
01:03:34That there's another way of
01:03:36Being
01:03:40Yeah
01:03:44Are you okay?
01:03:47Yeah, yeah, I'm fine
01:03:49They take care of me fine down at the shelter
01:03:51You know, actually I'm gonna get my own apartment
01:03:55You know, they like to do that
01:03:56And you can come stay with me, visit me anytime
01:03:59Your own apartment?
01:04:01Yeah
01:04:02No, they like to do that, you know
01:04:03Like to
01:04:04Keep the people like me out of the shelters
01:04:07You know, like the people, the patients
01:04:10You know, people with AIDS, so
01:04:15Hey, listen
01:04:16Hey, no, no, no
01:04:17A lot has changed since Gene
01:04:18They got all these medicines now
01:04:20And I'm clean
01:04:21So I'm gonna live forever
01:04:27Okay
01:04:28I'll be fine
01:04:31I'm gonna live forever
01:04:38Stay in school
01:04:41I blew this
01:04:43But you can do this
01:04:56You can do this
01:05:06Golf of Tonkin
01:05:07Remember the Maine
01:05:08Anybody? Franco-Prussian War?
01:05:10Yo, did you get Bismarck?
01:05:13You didn't get Bismarck
01:05:14I didn't get Bismarck either
01:05:15I thought Bismarck was a kind of roll
01:05:17It's a Kaiser roll
01:05:18So is Bismarck a Kaiser?
01:05:19Stop talking about food
01:05:20You're making me hungry
01:05:22Dave, are we gonna get textbooks next year?
01:05:24Because I keep losing these things
01:05:26Hmm, textbooks
01:05:28Why don't we use textbooks?
01:05:30Anyone?
01:05:31They're too heavy?
01:05:33They are, but no cigar
01:05:35They're too expensive
01:05:37The school's too poor
01:05:38I'm keeping my cigars today
01:05:40You, new girl
01:05:42Her name is Liz
01:05:43Yeah, geez, Dave
01:05:44She's been here a week
01:05:45Try and remember
01:05:46Liz, sue me
01:05:47Here
01:05:50Textbook
01:05:52Text
01:05:53Book
01:05:54Go ahead, open it up
01:05:58What do you see?
01:05:59Words
01:06:02What kind of words?
01:06:04The words of the author
01:06:07No, no, no
01:06:08This is important
01:06:10And what do we have here?
01:06:14A lot of other people's words
01:06:16Why do I want you to have them?
01:06:18Because one point of view gives you a one-dimensional world
01:06:24Cigars
01:06:26Cigars
01:06:28Bismarck
01:06:29Marx
01:06:30The guy who sold me the bubblegum cigars
01:06:33Why on earth would we want to confine ourselves
01:06:36To his story
01:06:38His story
01:06:39But isn't that the deal, Dave?
01:06:40I mean, is there an official history?
01:06:42No, Dave
01:06:43No, Dave
01:06:44But isn't that the deal, Dave?
01:06:45I mean, is there an official history?
01:06:47No, girl
01:06:48Tell them what history is
01:06:53History is all of us
01:06:56All our stories count
01:07:03That's it
01:07:04Grab your papers
01:07:06I'll be in the lounge
01:07:07If you want to talk about them
01:07:09Yes
01:07:15See you later
01:07:17Hey, Liz
01:07:19This one's yours
01:07:37Hey, new girl
01:07:39You let me in and you don't remember my name
01:07:41Oh, I remember your name
01:07:42I just like the others to gang up on your side
01:07:46You're pretty smart
01:07:47Ha, so are you
01:07:50You gave me an A-
01:07:51Yeah, I thought it was a very good paper
01:07:54How do I make it an A?
01:07:56Liz, an A- is an excellent mark
01:07:59This is your first school work in, what, forever?
01:08:03If my words count
01:08:06I want them to be right
01:08:13Okay
01:08:15Well
01:08:17Your premise is a good one
01:08:19But the proofs are unconvincing
01:08:38Whoa
01:08:40What are you still doing here?
01:08:43Algebra
01:08:44Yeah, well, it's after 11, I'm locking up
01:08:52How many classes are you taking?
01:08:54Um, the regular five
01:08:57And the, uh
01:08:58Saturday programming
01:09:01The night school French
01:09:03And the after school science thingies
01:09:09Ten
01:09:11Now you see why I need the before school math
01:09:13That's an awful lot
01:09:16Seventeen
01:09:17I don't want to be 21 before I finish high school
01:09:20So you're trying to do, what, four years of high school in three?
01:09:24Two
01:09:26You need the before school math too
01:09:28I can't
01:09:29You're gonna kill yourself, you know
01:09:31No
01:09:33Now I'm gonna live
01:09:39Yeah
01:10:06Hey
01:10:10Hey
01:10:16I had it down
01:10:18The B train took 70 minutes to do its entire run
01:10:22Up and back four times
01:10:24And I would be at school just a little early
01:10:27And David would let me in
01:10:30For the first time my life had some order I could count on
01:10:33Hey
01:10:37Hey
01:10:57Chris
01:11:00Chris
01:11:01Chris
01:11:02Chris
01:11:03I think you got the name down
01:11:05What are you doing here?
01:11:06Hanging out
01:11:07What about the home?
01:11:09Playing hooky
01:11:12So how come you didn't look for me?
01:11:14I did
01:11:16I've been looking for a long time
01:11:19You haven't been in any of our places, you know
01:11:23I'm here now
01:11:24And I'm going to a new school
01:11:25You'd like it
01:11:29Hey
01:11:31Hey, come on
01:11:33Come on, everything's great
01:11:34We're together
01:11:58Last one out, first one in
01:11:59No, that describes you, David
01:12:01How'd you get so dedicated?
01:12:03Well, I'm such a privileged jerk
01:12:06I wanted to give something back
01:12:08And this is?
01:12:10My friend, Chris
01:12:11My best friend
01:12:12Hi, Chris
01:12:15I want her to come here too
01:12:17Let's not party, you know
01:12:18It's a tough place
01:12:19But she's good enough for you
01:12:20She's good enough for me
01:12:21Come on in
01:12:23So, what were you putting on the board?
01:12:26We decided we would send our top ten students in the school
01:12:29On a trip to Boston
01:12:30Cool
01:12:31You ever been?
01:12:32I've never been out of New York
01:12:34We went to Queens once
01:12:36Well, you're going
01:12:38Come on
01:12:39No way am I one of the top ten students
01:12:42Well, you're not one of the top
01:12:44You're the top
01:12:46You've got the best grades in this whole place, Liz
01:12:48Yeah, so what?
01:12:49She's going to Boston
01:12:51All expenses paid
01:12:53How long?
01:12:54Five days
01:13:04You okay, Liz?
01:13:06Yeah
01:13:09I've just always been trash, you know
01:13:12You're not trash
01:13:14You're not trash
01:13:15You're not trash, you know
01:13:17You're not trash
01:13:21This is to get you thinking about college
01:13:25What's college like?
01:13:26It's all crap, shut up
01:13:29You can come too
01:13:31Can't she?
01:13:32Sure, if she does the work
01:13:34Yeah, not friggin' interested, thanks
01:13:36Come on, Chris, dream a little
01:13:38What do you want to be when you grow up?
01:13:40Boy, I haven't grown since I was seven
01:13:42Chris
01:13:43I mean after high school, it's okay
01:13:45No, it's not okay, I'll be a garbage man
01:13:48I'll be a prostitute
01:13:56Who cares what the hell I'm going to be
01:14:07Welcome to Harvard, guys
01:14:10Look at the great photo op
01:14:12Oh my gosh
01:14:37So, does it look like you thought it would?
01:14:40Better
01:14:43Unattainably better
01:14:45Liz, they're just people
01:14:49Not people like me
01:14:53Why not people like me?
01:14:55What made them so different?
01:14:58Because of where they were born?
01:15:04I was working as hard as I could so I didn't end up on food stamps or hustling
01:15:09What if I worked even more?
01:15:14I was so close to the skin now I can touch it
01:15:28It would be a reach
01:15:30It's not impossible
01:15:38Phone rings
01:15:44Donna, are there any other scholarships in there?
01:15:47That's quite a few
01:15:50Write fifteen hundred words on the importance of the free market and the free world
01:15:54And win five hundred dollars
01:15:57Yeah, I'd only need seventy of those every year
01:16:02There was something brand new in from the New York Times
01:16:04Maybe I didn't put it in yet
01:16:08Here
01:16:16Twelve thousand dollars
01:16:18Every year for four years
01:16:20What do you have to do?
01:16:22Attach a brief essay describing what you believe to be the most significant academic achievement
01:16:28And how you have overcome any challenges or obstacles
01:16:33Can I have a copy of this?
01:16:35I want to stand beside people on the sidewalk and not be so far beneath them
01:16:42I want to go to Harvard and become very developed
01:16:46Read all the best books
01:16:51Then I find myself thinking
01:16:53What if I just go crazy?
01:16:56And use every bit of my potential to do that
01:17:01I have to do it
01:17:04I have no choice
01:17:09Am I late?
01:17:11No, I'm early
01:17:14I made you some coffee
01:17:17One sweet and low, right?
01:17:19Right
01:17:26Thank you
01:17:30Can I have a stamp for this?
01:17:32That's the New York Times scholarship
01:17:34You haven't mailed that in yet?
01:17:36When's the deadline?
01:17:38Tomorrow
01:17:39I gave you that four months ago, Liz
01:17:41What were you waiting for?
01:17:43For today
01:17:45For me to turn eighteen
01:17:47It's your birthday
01:17:51Happy birthday
01:17:53But you know, I don't think there's an age requirement
01:17:56No
01:17:58Thank you
01:18:00But now I can tell the truth
01:18:02That I was homeless
01:18:04And no one could come and take me away
01:18:25Lisa?
01:18:29Liz?
01:18:31Yeah
01:18:33What are you doing here?
01:18:36I have this interview
01:18:39I'm a finalist for a big New York Times scholarship
01:18:45I don't have anything to wear
01:18:48You want my clothes?
01:18:50Nothing fancy, just
01:18:53Something I can put over this
01:19:00Here
01:19:08Thank you
01:19:12Mama sold my coat once
01:19:15Couldn't go to school
01:19:18I remember
01:19:20I cried
01:19:22I loved going to school so much
01:19:26You never went to school
01:19:29Why would they give you a scholarship?
01:19:35Because I'm homeless and I'm doing really well in school now
01:19:38You're not homeless, Liz
01:19:40You could stay here
01:19:44No, I couldn't
01:19:47You know that
01:19:50Pop hates you
01:19:52I'm going blind
01:19:56Like Mama
01:20:00I'm scared
01:20:21Liz?
01:20:39Liz!
01:20:41Liz, they kicked me out of the group home and
01:20:43You know, all my stuff
01:20:45They can't kick you out, you're not 18 yet
01:20:47They're gonna put me in Brooklyn
01:20:49I don't wanna go to Brooklyn
01:20:51I have an interview, alright?
01:20:53No, Liz, you can't leave me
01:20:55I have to
01:20:56You can't just leave me here
01:20:57I have to
01:20:58Chris! Chris!
01:21:00Just let me get through this one thing
01:21:02And then you can come back and go to school with me
01:21:04I don't wanna go to school, I don't belong there
01:21:06Neither do you
01:21:08Yes, I do
01:21:10You think they let people like us into Harvard?
01:21:21I don't know
01:21:52The world moves
01:21:55You're just a speck
01:21:57It can all happen without you
01:22:00Situations are not conducive
01:22:02To what you want for yourself
01:22:05Someone else's needs
01:22:07Someone else's plight
01:22:09Is going to be stronger than yours is
01:22:11I think people just get frustrated
01:22:13With how harsh life can be
01:22:15So they spend their time
01:22:17Dwelling on that frustration
01:22:18And calling it anger
01:22:20Keeping their eyes shut
01:22:22To the wholeness of the situation
01:22:24To all the little, tiny things
01:22:26That have come together
01:22:28To make it
01:22:30What it is
01:22:33Because I was turned so inward
01:22:35By my mom and dad
01:22:37I got a chance to see how
01:22:39All the little, tiny things
01:22:41Come together
01:22:43To make the final product
01:22:45So
01:22:46I was never inclined
01:22:48To wonder why this
01:22:50Or why that
01:22:52I knew why
01:22:54Not that I was happy about it
01:22:56In fact, I was really sad about it
01:22:58Most of the time
01:23:00But I was very accepting
01:23:03I was very accepting
01:23:06I just always knew
01:23:08That I needed to get out
01:23:13Is there anything else you'd like to say?
01:23:15Is there anything else you'd like to tell us?
01:23:21I loved my mother
01:23:23So much
01:23:25She was a drug addict
01:23:28She was an alcoholic
01:23:30She was legally blind
01:23:32She was schizophrenic
01:23:35But
01:23:38I never forgot
01:23:40That she did love me
01:23:45Even if
01:23:47She did
01:23:49All the time
01:23:53All the time, all
01:23:57All the time
01:24:07I hope you all know
01:24:09How much I really need this
01:24:11Oh
01:24:12Oh
01:24:14I can't go to college or anything
01:24:16Without it
01:24:42Without it
01:25:03applause
01:25:08She earned a 95 average
01:25:10And finished at the top
01:25:11She did it while completing four years of high school in two.
01:25:14She did it while homeless, her mother dead, her father
01:25:17a drug addict living in shelters.
01:25:19And any way I describe this can't do justice
01:25:22to her accomplishments.
01:25:23So I'll just introduce to you our sixth New York Times
01:25:26scholarship winner, Liz Murray.
01:25:29Thank you.
01:25:39Everything's changed.
01:25:42My life will never be the same.
01:25:44And I don't know what else to say except for thank you.
01:25:49Thank you very much.
01:25:52Liz.
01:25:53Liz.
01:25:55How'd you do this?
01:25:57How could I not do it?
01:25:59My parents showed me what the alternative was.
01:26:01Didn't you ever feel sorry for yourself?
01:26:04Sorry?
01:26:05Sleeping in subways, eating out of dumpsters.
01:26:09That had always been my life.
01:26:13And I really, I feel that I got lucky
01:26:16because any sense of security was pulled out from under me.
01:26:22So I was forced to look forward.
01:26:24I had to.
01:26:25There was no going back.
01:26:27And I reached a point where I just thought, all right,
01:26:31I'm going to work as hard as I possibly
01:26:33can and see what happens.
01:26:38And now I'm going to college.
01:26:40And the New York Times is going to pay.
01:26:43Oh.
01:26:44Oh.
01:26:45Oh.
01:26:47So you were lucky.
01:26:50But is there anything you'd change if you were able?
01:26:56Yeah.
01:27:01I'd give it back, all of it, if I could have my family back.
01:27:17I got into Harvard.
01:27:19I got a job at the New York Times.
01:27:22I got an apartment.
01:27:24I don't have to carry my whole life with me anymore.
01:27:28I don't have to carry my whole life with me, but I do.
01:27:35Everyone I've known, everything I've done, pieces chip off.
01:27:42I forget the little things.
01:27:43And it's still hard to carry alone.
01:27:51So that's why I've told you.
01:27:54That's why I've told you my story.
01:27:56And now I can lay that burden down, put it to rest,
01:28:01and I can go on.
01:28:05Hi, Mom.
01:28:07Don't close your eyes.
01:28:11They may not open.
01:28:15But if they open, would you be alive?
01:28:22They may not open.
01:28:25But if they open, would you be alive?
01:28:34Everyone falls, but not everyone rises.
01:28:42Why don't you get up and rise again for me?
01:28:51What if the world were a little more perfect?
01:28:55Would you stop crying?
01:28:58Would you take the leap?
01:29:00Now, what if the world were a little more perfect?
01:29:04Would you open your eyes and lay in the one here for me?
01:29:17Yeah, for me.
01:29:26What if the world were a little more perfect?
01:29:30Would you stop crying?
01:29:33Would you take the leap?
01:29:35Now, what if the world were a little more perfect?
01:29:39Would you open your eyes and lay in the one here for me?
01:29:48What if the world were a little more perfect?
01:29:53Would you open your eyes and lay in the one here for me?
01:30:00Yeah, for me.
01:30:02What if the world were a little more perfect?
01:30:06Would you open your eyes and lay in the one here for me?
01:30:13Yeah, for me.
01:30:15What if the world were a little more perfect?
01:30:19Would you open your eyes and lay in the one here for me?
01:30:25Yeah, for me.
01:30:27What if the world were a little more perfect?
01:30:31Would you open your eyes and lay in the one here for me?
01:30:37Yeah, for me.
01:30:39www.mooji.org