Would anyone like to elaborate, perhaps, with an example?
Yes, Sophie.
Aristotle seems to portray a reality based on what can be rather than what actually is at the moment.
For example, when one lacks, one can have.
Okay, so by talking about what one can achieve or is capable of achieving, this lack you refer to is known as privation.
That being, one can be denied a certain form, but not the capacity to achieve that form.
Consider this, a Greek can be described not simply as a Greek, but as a Greek without a restaurant.
Exactly.
To let my people go.
The spake the Lord of all Moses said,
Let my people go. If not I'll smite your firstborn dead.
Let my people go.
Go down Moses, wait down in Egypt's land,
Hello the Pharaoh to let my people go.
What's this? Take away the blues and make them black?
Oh, you mean skin color?
Yeah, yeah, you could be black, yeah.
But the idea never really got off the ground. There were a number of people opposed to the idea of blackness as a commodity.
I can understand why.
Race awareness groups were angry that it was limited to black only and felt that it should have been offered to people of all color.
But that involved a number of minority groups and that would have been very messy.
I guess consider the paperwork.
Exactly.
Listen, I've got to go see my mother, my father's dead.
She very upset?
Yeah, only because she had nothing to do with it.
I'm just wild about Airy. Airy's wild about me. The critical distance of his discourse fills me with ecstasy.
His words are sharper than Pindar. He's wittier than Aristophanie. That's why I'm just wild about Airy.
And Airy's wild about cannot do without. Airy's wild about me.
Sophie?
Sophie, aren't you ready yet?
Tell them I'm not going. I can't go.
What?
I can't go. I'm opposed to it.
What are you talking about? Let's go.
Hasseme, you go. I'm not going.
What's your problem? You look good.
Just tell her anything. Make up an excuse. You tell them yourself.
Coming!
Mom's going to kill you if you don't come. Tell them I'm going to be sick.
She's going to be sick. She can't come.
She's an idiot.
I don't know because she's an idiot.
Mom is giving me stress.
It won't make me very happy.
Happiness is one of my personal desires.
You don't know stress.
Why should I be unhappy?
Who said you had to be happy? It's just a wedding. It's on your turn to be happy. Just relax.
But everything that I do is in terms of the sake of my well-being and happiness.
If not, then why go on? Why continue going to hopeless weddings that don't stand a chance of happiness?
Look, she's our cousin. Don't be an idiot.
Listen, some marriages fail. All Greeks get married once.
Therefore, all Greek marriages fail.
I'm going to slap you. I don't need this.
Why don't you believe me?
Were you at school today?
What's the difference?
Just answer me. Were you at school today?
Yeah, so what?
Well, so was I.
What is your point?
My point is I was at school, so I don't need you talking to me like this.
I can't stand it when you talk like this. You sound like my English teacher.
Listen, I'm wearing the car before Mark freaks out.
Go, don't lose your mind. It's crazy.
Mom? Mom?
Well, I didn't think you'd be in mourning.
What's with the dress?
Glad to see you're taking it well.
What do you think?
Shame you couldn't attend the funeral.
I'm sure that dress comes with date.
You better watch it. Who's your friend?
This is Jim. Jim, my mother, Effie.
Hi, Jim.
You'll have to excuse our behavior. We're somewhat grief-stricken.
What are you looking for?
Nothing.
Don't make a mess.
That picture.
What picture?
Of Bruno's father when he was young.
What do you want for him?
Why are you upsetting me?
Especially today.
I'm gorgeous, and I'm faceless, or haven't you noticed?
I don't notice the surface details anymore.
Can't it wait? God damn it, I've got Chinese.
How come you never cooked for me?
Today is a special occasion.
You know, if you just gave me the picture, I'd stop.
You? You never stop.
Did you get the eggplant with the black bean sauce?
No. So, what do you do, Jim?
You knew that's what I wanted.
I'm, uh...
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I don't know.
So, what do you do, Jim?
You knew that's what I wanted.
I'm a musician, but I work at Deli Stand.
Yeah, he can get you a great deal on schnitzel.
That's nice.
Are you dating anyone?
Yes and no.
Yes, no. What does it mean?
It means none of your business.
No, I'm not.
At least I have.
Ignore him.
He's upset, or at least he thinks he ought to be, or something.
I am not upset.
So, uh, what are we celebrating here?
His biological father died yesterday.
My ex-husband.
We never liked him.
And now I think he's becoming a Baptist.
I haven't joined any church.
I just think it's sort of interesting that he's a Baptist.
I mean, I never knew him to me. He was always dead.
Did he tell you he wants to sing?
Singing helps me relax.
It soothes me.
You can't sing.
So what?
You get drowned up by the better singers.
That's why they call it a choir.
Why?
Why all of a sudden?
Are you so curious about the past?
I'm interested.
I'm just interested.
Why?
Are you threatened?
Did you really think he was a Baptist?
Are you threatened?
Did you really want the eggplant?
Maybe I should drop dead right now,
and you can look for my goddamn picture in the kitchen drawer.
Shall we read our fortunes?
Well, at least I'm moving in a certain direction.
I know what I want.
It's just that getting there may not be so easy.
Can I stay here for a while?
I don't think I can go home right now. I feel awful.
I've never done anything like this to my family.
Well, what did you expect?
Well, I expected to feel good about it,
but there was no inherent goodness in any of my actions.
I feel like the disloyal daughter about to be sacrificed.
That's ridiculous.
Anyway, they'd never find a priest to conduct the services.
You just chose an odd time to reject your family.
Well, okay. Admittedly, my timing was bad.
But at least I didn't have to sip aside some relative I've never met before,
telling me I'm next.
But now look at the consequences.
You have a dress you can never wear again?
Well, it's not a rematch.
It's last year's design.
Oh, we shut up about the dress already.
It's what they wear. They don't know any better.
It's the height of fashion.
So you're pissed off with them because they're comfortable with who they are?
Well, I just couldn't face another empty, overcrowded experience.
Why?
Why? All Greeks get married.
All Greeks have extravagant ceremonies.
All Greeks have bad taste.
That doesn't make any sense.
Tell me, how long does it take before you know how you feel?
As soon as the Greeks rediscover the modern world,
or as soon as my mother removes the plastic from her sofa, whichever comes first.
What are you running away from?
My family.
Why?
Because they're Greek.
But what are you afraid of?
Their greatness.
It's the height of fashion.
It's the height of fashion.
It's the height of fashion.
What are you wearing?
Fenecesa niftesa. You look like a gypsy.
Don't start. I told you. You can't talk to my sister. She's lost it.
I had to borrow from Lorraine. I didn't have anything else to wear.
Look, she's still wearing the dress.
What's the matter with you? Why'd you miss the wedding?
I was having a crisis. Okay?
Small crisis. Please, she reads too much.
She goes to her head and makes her fucking crazy.
Everybody was there. Right, Helen?
Remember Josie from that place she lived on a long time ago?
Yeah.
And Thing. Remember Thing from Greece?
Remember, she came.
You know her? She had the operation on her legs.
Yeah, I know. Tell her. I already know.
Did they throw money at the bride and groom?
And what do you think?
Were there any injuries?
Too late now. What do you care? You missed the wedding.
I was working out certain theories.
No, that's heavy.
What theories?
The connection between actuality and potentiality.
Although even Aristotle didn't quite explain the natural process of a bridesmaid.
Didn't lead to anything else.
Don't be an idiot.
I know you don't like me, Sula.
What is she talking about?
Think, Sadistilis. You don't know what you're saying.
You don't? It's because I'm not Greek enough.
Not Greek enough? What does that mean?
I'm sorry, Helen, but I think your sister is a little selfish.
Well, that may be so, Sula. You're right.
I didn't go to the wedding and that was bad.
But you know, not going had its advantages.
Ignore that contradiction for the moment,
because one choice was selfish for a short period,
but in the long run, not going builds character.
She's trying to change.
Not change. Improve.
Improve what?
Let me see if I can figure this out.
First of all, both your parents are Greek, so you are Greek.
Right.
Next, these theories you need to work out.
You need them to be more Greek or less Greek.
I mean, which do you want?
Sula, I want...
Every day just to live, you need food, water, whatever.
But you, you're not satisfied.
Okay, Sula, let's go beyond food and water and cosmetics
and gradually become aware of other needs, right?
I mean, you can't recognize what you don't know.
Well, if you don't know it, then what are you so worried about?
I mean, maybe you should consider your family first.
Anyway, Sof, Ma's not talking to you.
I'm going to give you shots.
Would you tell her not to?
Please!
Ma said, if you see her at church,
her and Seven Star don't even bother talking to her.
She's going to ignore you.
You have to see her.
She's like,
she was freaking out!
Do you have it?
I mean, I can return it.
No, I don't.
Reading black, reading feminist.
I'll put it right next to my answer.
Great, she don't have it.
I've read it.
No doubt.
How interested are you in feminist fiction?
Well, it's my independent study, my specialty.
Read the book and we can talk about it.
Look, Tom, thanks for the book,
but I don't think this is going to work.
No, no, go ahead, ask me anything.
Ask you what?
This is getting a little weird.
No, come on, ask me anything.
No, anyway, Tom,
all your theories are undeveloped.
Please, please,
I won't ask you anything else.
No, I mean,
you see a black person is interesting
when they're totally unlike you.
As far as I'm from you, it's possible.
Sure, I can be the noble revolutionary,
but not in my own neighborhood.
Great, can we go?
Look, I don't know.
I think we should wake up at the house.
What now?
Well, think about it, Lorraine.
There are so few films representing blacks.
It's unfair.
I think there are other people taking care of that.
Doesn't it bother you?
Doesn't it make you angry?
Well, yeah, but I don't think about it all the time.
I mean, do me a favor.
Try thinking of me as other than black.
Why can't I acknowledge it?
What's so wrong about noticing that?
It's okay, but not all the time.
You deal with me as a black person every minute.
Oh, okay, okay.
Maybe I have alluded to some things related to you.
I find it offensive, particularly the way you advertise it.
What is it that appeals to you anyway?
You.
So, what would you like me to be?
The militant feminist,
or the sister who's going to whip your ass into shape?
So I have a choice?
Okay, I'll take it.
You just...
You only want me around because I'm black.
No, no, no, not because you're black.
I'm not interested in that you're black, but...
Though I'm right.
Look, look, can we just forget it, all right?
I'm not interested in that you're black.
I didn't even notice it.
It's a total surprise to me.
So what is it then?
You want to be black?
That's it.
Listen, I'm going to stay at Lorraine's for a while.
Just mention I was here.
Now I'm going to move out.
Are you not going to bring out?
No.
Goodbye.
Goodbye.
Yeah, bye.
I don't know what a problem is.
She's your sister.
You tell me.
Sophie.
Sophie!
Sophie!
Sophie!
Sophie!
Sophie!
Sophie!
Sophie!
Sophie!
Sophie!
Sophie!
Sophie!
Sophie!
Sophie!
Sophie!
Sophie!
Sophie!
Lorraine.
Lorraine.
All right.
Hey, Tom! You're Tom, right?
Yeah, yeah, Sophie. Aristotle, right?
Yeah, yeah, yeah, but I'm having doubts.
He was a great thinker, but he has flaws.
Yeah, really? Like what?
Women. They were inferior.
Aristotle didn't even consider you less important.
Really? Why is that?
We're not Greek, right?
Yeah.
Well, listen, is Lorraine there?
No, she's out.
Oh, could you tell her I came by?
Sure.
Thanks. Okay, I'll see you later.
Tom, I think what you're doing is dangerous.
I'm only expressing what I feel.
Well, yeah, you want to come off as anti-racist,
but you just end up sounding patronizing and elitist.
People are so afraid. I'm not. Is that so wrong?
You're not afraid. You're trying to identify with me in the worst way.
I can't put up with it.
I mean, if you're trying to save yourself,
don't identify with me to raise your self-esteem.
My name is Tom.
Hello, Tom.
I'd like to sing.
Just sing? Is that all you're interested in?
Is there more?
Well, we hope so.
You know that the Lord's work is never done.
Can I audition or something?
Everyone else is gone, but I guess we can.
Well, if you're ready, please go right ahead.
Okay.
Look, I'm sorry. I'll be back or something.
I'll be back or something.
I'll be back or something.
I'll be back or something.
I'll be back or something.
I'll be back or something.
I'll be back.
