Juxta Credit Writer/Producer/Director$B!'(J Hiroko Yamazaki Camera$B!'(JIverson White, Claude Budin Music$B!'(JDaniel Sofer Cast$B!'(JMargot Tempereau, Diana Tanaka Lillian Gish Award, 1989 Los Angeles Women in Film Festival Distributed by Women Make Movies (NYC). www.wmm.com JUXTA - transcript $B!H(JJuxta$B!I(J 29min/black & white 16mm film Writer/Producer/Director: Hiroko Yamazaki A Film by Hiroko Yamazaki EXT. HARBOR/DOCK DAY KATE$B!G(JS FAMILY and TED$B!G(JS FAMILY walk away from a ship and take photos. KATE (V.O.) Since 1945, quite a few Asian women have come to the United States through marriage with American military service men. They were brought by the wars in Asia - World War $B-6(J, Korean War, and the Vietnam War. My mother was one of these women. In early spring of 1958, we arrived at Long Beach, California. It was the happiest time for us. I was almost five years old. My mother and Ted mother were the same age, they depended on each other. With Margot Tempereau Diana Tanaka It was during the Korean War that my parents met in Japan. My father was stationed at Yokohama, and my mother was working as a typist at the base. My father was proud of my mother. It was such a nice day in spring. It was such a great feeling to be away from Japan. Ted was seven years old, he was like my brother. When we finally landed, Ted told me that there would be nothing to be afraid of in the sates, and that we could have as many friends as we wanted. Original Music by Daniel Sofer I promised him that I would never cry in America. We were proud of becoming Americans. MAIN TITLE: $B!H(JJUXTA$B!I(J EXT. IN A CAR DAY KATE (31 years old) is driving. KATE (V.O.) I had a mother when I arrived, but she left for Japan and disappeared, never came back. Written, Produced and Directed by Hiroko Yamazaki (V.O.) Singing Japanese song. KATE (V.O.) After twenty-six years, finally I heard about my mother. She died in Japan, that$B!G(Js what the letter said. INT. TED$B!G(JHOUSE DAY TED (33 years old) walks to the door. KATE Hi, Ted TED Hi, Kate KATE Good to see you. TED Good to see you, too. Come in. KATE Hi, Cory. CORY Hi, Kate. TED Want some coffee ? KATE Sure$B!D(J (to Cory) How$B!G(Js school ? CORY It$B!G(Js all right. KATE Is that all ? CORY Well it could be better though. TED Sometimes he talks like an adult. Guess he$B!G(Js taking care of me. KATE Have you heard from Nancy ? TED Long time ago. She sounded fine. KATE Ted, can I use the telephone ? TED Sure. KATE Hello, Mrs. Baker. Hi, this is Kate Hamilton. Yes, I was just calling to confirm our appointment at one o$B!G(Jclock today$B!D!D(JRight, OK$B!D(J. Well, I$B!G(Jll meet you there then. Thank you good-bye. That lady is really interesting. You know, she$B!G(Js going back to Japan after forty years. I wonder if she can readjust to the Japanese society. TED Kate, I hope you$B!G(Jre not wasting your time. KETE Wasting my time ? Ted, this is an important issue. TED You know, I really think you$B!G(Jre hung up on your mother$B!G(Js ghost. KATE I am not. Ted, just because you can$B!G(Jt accept your Japanese side doesn$B!G(Jt mean that I can$B!G(Jt accept mine. TED The Japanese never accepted me. KATE Let$B!G(Js not get into this. I$B!G(Jm only going to be here for a couple of days. TED Well, what are you going to do after that ? KATE I hope to get it published. TED Well, I don$B!G(Jt think many people are gonna be interested in that kind of a story. KATE Ted, just because you$B!G(Jre not interested does not mean everybody else won$B!G(Jt be. TED Nothing happens with that kind of a story. 4. EXT. WOODS DAY KATE(V.O.) What$B!G(Js wrong with us ? Why do we always argue ? Why ? We both wanted to be accepted here just like our mothers. We wanted to belong here. But we found ourselves in different worlds. 5. EXT. TED$B!G(JS HOUSE DAY KATE Hey, Ted, did you tell your mom that I was staying here ? TED No, not yet. Why ? KATE Just wondering. I haven$B!G(Jt seen your mom in a long time. TED You know she asked about you. KATE Really ? TED You haven$B!G(Jt interviewed my mom yet, have you ? KATE No. TED Why don$B!G(Jt you give her a call ? I know she$B!G(Jd love to hear from you. KATE Maybe$B!D(J. TED See you late. KATE I$B!G(Jll give you a call. (to Cory) Bye, Cory. CORY Bye, Kate. $B#6!%(JINT.$B!!(JHOUSE DAY (FLASH BACK) AKIKO (Kate$B!G(Js mother) and SACHIKO (Ted$B!G(Js mother) look at magazines. KATE (V.O.) My mother and Ted$B!G(Js mother were best friends. They were isolated from their own families. 7. EXT. IN THE CAR DAY KATE (V.O.) How did your family react when you told them that you were going to marry an American man ? 8. EXT. GARDEN DAY 1ST Woman My father was very upset. 2nd Woman They were so furious. 3rd Woman My mother cried. 2nd WOMAN They told me they would lose a lot of respect from our relatives and neighbors. 1st WOMAN But after I introduced him, all my family liked him a lot. 2nd WOMAN When I got my son, they changed. 9. EXT. IN THE CAR DAY 2nd WOMAN (V.O.) They were happy to see$B!D!D!D(J KATE (V.O.) Sometimes I confuse their voices with my mother$B!G(Js. Their voices fade out and I realize that I$B!G(Jm thinking about my mother. EXT. GARDEN DAY 3rd WOMAM And she said whenever you want to come back home, you can come back. 11. EXT. IN THE CAR DAY KATE (V.O.) Like my mother, Mrs. Baker is one of the very few women who has decided to go back. Her husband died last fall. 12. INT. MRS. BAKER$B!G(JS HOUSE DAY MRS. BAKER We went to a Japanese restaurant in New York, and at the end of the dinner, the old waiter came to talk to me, and he mentioned that if I married him I would be very unhappy in the future, and perhaps I will have difficulty getting along with his parents and things like that, and my husband couldn$B!G(Jt speak Japanese, so he just kept thanking this old waiter, how nice he was, you know, how friendly he was, and I thought it was a very, very, funny moment. KATE Why did you decide now to go back to Japan after living in the United States for forty years ? Would you stay in the United States if you had a child ? MRS. BAKER Oh, it is a loaded question. I would stay in the States with a child, if I had one. 13. EXT. BACK YARD DAY (FLASH BACK) KATE and TED in childhood are playing with other children. MRS. BAKER (V.O.) Because the child would be American, and I like to bring him up as American. This country offer more liberal feeling of education. All my friends who have children, I think they really enjoy the way children grow up in the States. 14. EXT. AT PORCH DAY (FLASH BACK) Kate and Ted in childhood. TED If your mon didn$B!G(Jt marry your dad, and my mom didn$B!G(Jt marry my dad, we would be the same kind of people you know that ? KATE Aren$B!G(Jt we the same kind of people ? TED No. 15. EXT. GRANDMOTHER$B!G(JS GARDEN DAY (FLASHBACK) KATE Grandma ! Come on, let$B!G(Js go ! GRANDMOTHER That$B!G(Js it ! You really like this little doggie, don$B!G(Jt you, Kate ? That$B!G(Js a good pup, he$B!G(Js a real sweet little one, isn$B!G(Jt he, Kate ? Katie, you remember the other day when I was at your house and your little friend came over to play ? KATE Ah, ha. GRANDMOTHER You know, I really don$B!G(Jt think that$B!G(Js a good Idea. KATE Why not ? GRANDMOTHER You$B!G(Jve got lots of other little friends to play with. Next time he comes, I think it would be best if you just came in the house. Come on, let$B!G(Js take a little walk together, the three of us. Would you like to take a little walk ? 16. INT. KATE$B!G(JS HOUSE DAY (FLASH BACK) The telephone rings. AKIKO Hello, hello$B!D!D(J. who is this ? 17. EXT. IN THE CAR DAY KATE (V.O.) I remember that something was slowly changing but I didn$B!G(Jt know what it was. 18. EXT. BACKYARD DAY (FLASH BACK) AKIKO I$B!G(Jm sorry, Ted. She cannot play with you anymore. KATE Ted ! Ted ! 19. INT. TED$B!G(JS HOUSE DAY (FLASH BACK) MICHAEL (Ted$B!G(J Father) I$B!G(Jm sorry, my wife isn$B!G(Jt feeling well. She doesn$B!G(Jt want to see you. Please understand her. AKIKO Yes, I understand. MICHAEL My wife tells me, she borrowed a book from you. Thank you. She enjoyed it very much. AKIKO $B!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!(JMichael, can you ask her again ? $B!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!(JI really need to talk to her. MICHAEL I tried, Akiko. She$B!G(Js hurt. AKIKO Well, I didn$B!G(Jt mean to hurt her. I only tried to do what$B!G(Js best for my daughter. MICHAEL Don$B!G(Jt you realize you hurt my wife and son ? 20. EXT. GARDEN DAY (FLASH BACK) TED What$B!G(Js this ? KATE Japanese vitamin, take it. TED No. KATE We$B!G(Jll become Japanese, and then we can go back to Japan. TED I don$B!G(Jt want to go back there. INT. KATE$B!G(JS HOUSE NIGHT (FLASH BACK) KATE$B!G(JS FATHER OK, one for Katie and one for mom. So, what did you do today ? KATE Went to my friend$B!G(Js house. KATE$B!G(JS FATHER Yeah, Joyce$B!G(Js place or Barbara$B!G(Js ? KATE Joyce$B!G(Js. KATE$B!G(JS FATHER (to Kate$B!G(Js mother) How are you doing ? Come on, honey, have your vegetables. (to Kate) What did you do at Joyce$B!G(Js ? KATE Watch TV. KATE$B!G(JS FATHER Hum, what was on ? KATE Bugs Bunny. KATE$B!G(JS FATHER Bugs Bunny$B!D(J and what else ? KATE And we played. 22. INT. DOCTOR$B!G(JS OFFICE DAY (FLASH BACK) DOCTOR Don$B!G(Jt worry, talk to me. I don$B!G(Jt discuss this with anyone. I know you$B!G(Jve got something on your mind. I really want to help. Talk to me. 23. INT. KATE$B!G(JS HOUSE ? LIVING ROOM DAY (FLASH BACK) AKIKO I$B!G(Jm really sorry Michael. I didn$B!G(Jt mean to hurt anyone. My daughter is upsetting, too. Sachiko is my only friend. Please give it to her, and tell her I$B!G(Jm very sorry. INT. KATE$B!G(JS HOUSE ? KITCHEN (FLASH BACK) KATE$B!G(JS FATHER Akiko, it$B!G(Js OK. It$B!G(Js OK. Come on. I$B!G(Jll take you to bed. 25. EXT. PARK ? WATERFRONT DAY (FLASH BACK) KATE (V.O.) In the beginning of 1959, my mother was set back to Japan and never came back. She had been here only eleven months. 26. INT. HAIR SALOON DAY RECEPTIONIST (O.S) (on the phone) Wednesday won$B!G(Jt be good for you ? No ? KATE Hi ! $B!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!(J RECEPTIONIST (O.S.) Oh, hi ! (to the phone) OK, let me see, OK$B!D(J. Let me see about Thursday $B!D(J.. OK, Thursday at two, is that good for you ? OK$B!D(J. KATE Akiko. AKIKO Kate, I$B!G(Jm glad to see you. KATE I finally made it. 27. INT. TED$B!G(JS HOUSE EVENING CORY So, where$B!G(Js she going to sleep tonight ? TED She$B!G(Js going to sleep on the couch. CORY Really ? That would be very uncomfortable. 28. EXT. WATERFRONT EVENING Kate and Akiko walk along a canal. KATE (V.O.) Imagination and memory are tangled together. When Ted$B!G(Js mother said that she wished she could have done it all over again, I felt the same way. I realized that all these years I$B!G(Jve been talking to my mother in the back of my mind. 29. INT. TED$B!G(JS HOUSE NIGHT TED So, how was the interview ? KATE I thought you weren$B!G(Jt interested. TED When did you get that idea ? KATE Oh, I don$B!G(Jt know. Could be a long time ago. (tasting the dish) That$B!G(Js pretty good. TED Thank you. KATE (V.O.) Now, for the first time in my life, I really miss my mother. I wish I could really talk to her. I really miss my mother. The End

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