Imagine if, out of the blue, someone popped up in your life and told you that she was your cousin. And in so doing disclosed a side of the family that you had not even known existed.
For starters, why on earth would this have been kept secret from you? And is this deep dark secret more on her side of the family or on your side?
Obviously, there are only so many “deep dark secrets” that this can be. And you have almost certainly come across it in another film. So, you can choose to spend time trying to spoil the movie by figuring it all out in advance or can allow the filmmaker to lead you to it.
Of course much of this will revolve around your frame of mind regarding “family”. For some the family becomes the center of the universe. What you do or do not do is predicated almost entirely on whether it will hurt or help it. Here though both the love and the hate are on auto-pilot. An automatic reaction almost every time. Provided of course that you are in on the secret.
Still, for others, the family is either a source of pain and conflict or is something that, at some point in your life, you stopped giving a second thought to. Or [as with me] it all becomes a murky combination of both.
And then the part about incest. Sure, sleeping with your mommy or your daddy, your brother or your sister is almost universally frowned upon. But: How much further out does it go?
Certainly to cousins.
Look for Tawney from Rectify.
at wiki: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Automatic_Hate
trailer: youtu.be/W3NqUUG6geU
THE AUTOMATIC HATE [2015]
Written in part and directed by Justin Lerner
[b]Davis: Can I help you?
Alexis: Hi. Do you know…you know who I am?
Davis: No.
Alexis: No idea at all?
Davis: Should I?
Alexis: Sorry. It’s kinda weird. I-I’m not a crazy person. I’m…
Davis: Okay. Who are you?
Alexis: Can I have a hug first?
Davis [startled]: What?
Alexis: I’m sorry. I’m really exhausted and nervous, and I…I really…I need a hug.
[she rushes over and hugs him]
Alexis: Thank you. Thank you.
Davis: So?
Alexis: You’re Davis Green. And I’m Alexis Green. And we’re cousins.
…
Davis: No, you have the wrong person.
Alexis: No. No, your dad is Ronald Green. He’s a developmental psychologist. Yeah?
Davis: Yeah. And he doesn’t have any siblings.
Alexis: No, no. No, he does. He has an older brother, my dad.
…
Cassie [to Davis…ominously]: I have to tell you something…
…
Professor Ronald Green [to his class]: Human development…
[a woman brings out a baby]
Ronald: Ladies and gentlemen, this is a baby. One of the great mysteries of life. Who is she? What will she become? Will she be a painter? A head of state? A murderer? By the way she is looking at me right now, I’m guessing the last.
[the woman takes the baby and leaves the stage]
Ronald: And is it inevitable what she will become? Is it predetermined? Or is someone, something out there going to be transformative? Nature, nurture? That is the question. This class will bring us to a closer understanding that the question is bullshit. The answer is far more complex, subtle than any black or white conclusion. It is much more…gray.[/b]
That’s my line too, isn’t it?
[b]Davis [holding out a painting to his Grandfather]: Is that my dad?
Grandfather: Yep. Your mother painted it.
Davis: And who’s that?
Grandfather: That’s Joshua.
Davis: What?
Grandfather: Why, that’s Joshua.
Davis: Who’s Joshua?
Grandfather [suddenly realizing he spilled the beans]: We do not talk about Joshua.
Daivds: Why not? Who is he?
Grandfather [becoming agitated]: No, no, no, no.
Davis: Easy. Okay. Okay, okay.
Grandfather [frantically]: Ronnie!
Davis: I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Grandpa.
Grandfather: Ronnie! Ronnie!
Davis: Okay, easy. It’s okay.
Grandfather: Ronnie! No, no, no, no. Ronnie!
…
Davis [to his father]: Who is he?
[his father just stares out into space and says nothing]
…
Ronald: What did you say to him?
Davis: All I did was ask him to explain the painting. Do you want to? You have a brother?
Ronald: No, I don’t. Not anymore.
Davis: What happened?
Ronald: I can’t even begin to explain it, nor is it any of your goddamn business. There’s a reason this has been kept from you. Leave it alone! You don’t know what you’re about to do. Trust me.
…
Davis [leaving a message on the phone]: Hey, Cass, it’s me. I’m in a tiny town called Dustin, New York, driving to my uncle’s farm. That girl who came to visit me, Alexis…She wasn’t lying. She’s my fucking cousin.
…
Alexis: Davis Green, this is Amanda Green and this is Annie Green. What? Are you mad I didn’t tell you about them before?
Davis: No. This is fuckin’ awesome.
…
Davis: So, do you guys have any idea what happened?
Annie: You mean with our dads?
Davis: Yeah.
Amanda: Alexis tried to bring it up once, but…
Alexis: Yeah, that didn’t go too well. We got threatened. So we dropped it. Dad said that if we tried to make contact with you or your dad, then…
Davis: Then what?
Amanda: Bad things.
…
Davis: So, how did you find me?
Alexis: Well, I…I saw your dad in one of my psych textbooks, and then, I googled him, and I saw that you went to Yale, and then I…Well, I found your restaurant online, and so…
Amanda: She is a stalker.
…
Joshua: I’m stuck out here in the woods with four women. First time a guy’s been around in a while.
Davis [as "Jonathan]: I don’t know how much help I would be.
Joshua: Well, you’re fucking my daughter. The least you can do is keep me some company while I kill a pig.
…
Davis [as "Jonathan]: Just so you know, sir, I would never even think about sleeping with your daughter.
Joshua: Now, that sounds like an insult.
Davis: No. I mean, I would. I’m just not.[/b]
But then…
[b]Davis: What now? We just go in there and zap one?
Joshua: I’ll tell you what now. Stop fucking with me! He send you here to spy on me?
Davis: Who?
Joshua: Don’t insult my intelligence, man. I know you’re my brother’s son.
Davis: Actually, your daughters said I look a bit like you when you were younger.
Joshua: I don’t see it.
…
Davis: So did you go to college?
Joshua: Yeah. Why do you ask?
Davis: Just curious if maybe you’d also studied psychology.
Joshua: I studied philosophy.
Davis: Did you go to Yale too?
Joshua: No way. Fuck that place. I went to Harvard.
…
Davis: So, what now?
Joshua: Nothing. Have a good life.
Davis: That’s it? You don’t want to see him?
Joshua: Nope.
Davis: Why not?
Joshua: Plenty of reasons.
Davis: Give me one.
Joshua: Because he doesn’t want to see me.
Davis: You guys are brothers. What could have possibly happened?
Joshua: Why the fuck do you think I’d tell you that? What we have between us, it’s unresolvable.
Davis: If I knew what happened, would I hate you?
Joshua: It was nice to meet you, Davis.
…
Alexis: Davis, wait, please.
Davis: Your dad asked me to leave.
Alexis: So what? I have to do this all by myself?
Davis: Do what?
Alexis: Find a way to get our families back together.
Davis: That’s what you want to do?
…
Alexis: Promise me something else: That if you do leave now, it’s not because you’re afraid of what’s going on.
Davis: I’m not afraid of what’s going on.
Alexis: Not with our dads. With us.
…
Davis [to Alexis]: What is this place?
…
Davis: What’s up here?
Alexis: I have no idea.
…
Davis [to Alexis]: Could this all be over a girl?
…
Alexis [to her sisters and Cassie and Davis]: We’re going to the funeral.
…
Joshua: No. Absolutely not. If they wanted me there, I’d have gotten a call.
Amanda: Yeah, but he’s your dad too.
Joshua: I am not going to his house.
Cassie: You wouldn’t have to go to Ronald’s, if that makes a difference. They’re burying him at the family cabin in the mountains tonight.
…
Davis: He’s down there?
Joshua: Yeah.
Davis: How’d you pull that off?
Joshua: It’s easy to despise someone from a distance. Put them across a table, though, most men won’t pursue a conflict if they can help it. Your dad’s a great example.
Davis: Of what?
Joshua: A coward.
…
Joshua: So, who’s gonna lose it tonight?
Ronald: You are.
Joshua: No, not me.
Amanda: What are you guys talking about?
Joshua [looking over at Ronald]: May I?
…
Ronald: We threw the biggest party of the summer. And we probably drank a little bit more than we should’ve. So in the morning, the vomit was either red or white. And then we’d know whose it was.
Anne: So…what color was it?
Ronald: It was pink.
…
Joshua [staring at Rebecca’s bracelet on her wrist[: Alexis, where did you get that?
Alexis: You know where I got it.
Ronald: May I see that, please?
Joshua: Sweetie, take that off and hand it to me now. NOW!!
Ronald: What else have ya got, Josh?
Joshua: I didn’t think you’d want any of her stuff. At the end, you wanted nothing to do with Rebecca.
Ronald: Don’t you dare mention her name. And you shouldn’t assume anything.
Joshua: Let’s see if I’m in the will, then maybe we can negotiate.
Ronald: That’s the reason why you’re here.
Joshua: Well, what if it is? What are you gonna do, disown me again?
…
Davis: Alexis, give the bracelet to me. Let’s bring it upstairs, then we can all figure out what we want to do with it.
Cassie: Please…
Alexis: Shut up, Cassie! This is not your family. You need to fucking leave!
Cassie: Why? So you can have your cousin all to yourself?
…
Ronald: There’s something wrong with you, Josh. You’re sick. And you passed it along to your kids.
Joshua: Don’t you dare!
Ronald: You fucking pervert! You took advantage of her, Josh. You took advantage of her. You killed Rebecca and you know goddamn well that you did![/b]
Then all hell breaks loose. The past and the present here could not possibly be more combustible.
[b]Alexis: Mind your business, you jealous cunt!
Cassie: Why the fuck should I be jealous of you?
Alexis: Because Davis hasn’t been able to keep his eyes off me since he got here. And I think he’s happy you had that abortion so that he doesn’t have to be stuck with you. And in case you haven’t realized, your boyfriend and I…
[Davis punches her in the face and she’s knocked out cold]
…
Davis: How’s your face?
Joshua: We should see your dad before we declare a winner.
…
Davis: So are you a murderer, Josh?
Joshua: If I am, then your dad is too.
Davis: What did you do?
…
Joshua: You know, you and I are more alike than you might think.
Davis: How’s that?
Joshua: Well, your dad’s a man of careful words and thoughts. But when I saw you punch Alexis, it clicked.
Davis: I don’t follow.
Joshua: If you’d thought about it, you would’ve never done it. But you did. There are lots of things that are out of our control, Davis. Almost everything is, actually.
Davis: So you stole his girl? This… Rebecca. And he never forgave you.
Joshua: Rebecca was our sister.[/b]
I didn’t see that coming.
[b]Joshua [to Davis]: Your dad found out about us and he told the entire family. They shunned us and it ruined her life. He shamed her into killing herself.
[Davis seems stunned]
Joshua: Come on, Davis. From what we heard last night, are you in any place to judge? I know how you feel about her. Your dad will never forgive you for it. But I will.
…
Davis: I guess I thought that getting our families together would’ve been a good thing.
Ronald: And what do you think now?
Davis: I think they’re assholes.
…
Davis: Are you sure you want me to do this? And if I do, that’s it? Game on? You promise? Even if you don’t like some of what you hear?
Cassie: I told you It’s not about whether I like the answers. It’s that I get to know them. I get to know everything from now on. Are you pussying out?
Davis: No.
Cassie: Okay. We’ll start easy.
…
Cassie: Are you sexually attracted to her?
[Davis fidgets]
Cassie: One lie, this game is done. Are you sexually attracted to your cousin?
Davis: Yes.
Cassie: Have you thought about what it would be like to sleep with her?
[he nods]
Cassie: A lot? Okay. That one stung a bit. Is it more than physical attraction?
Davis: Maybe? I guess so, yeah.
Cassie: Do you think you’d make a good couple?
Davis: No.
Cassie: Given the chance, if there were no consequences, would you do anything with her?
Davis: At one point I guess so, yeah. But now, no. No way.
Cassie: Are you sure you want to be with me?
Davis: Yes.
Cassie: You have no doubts?
Davis: No.
Cassie: Okay. Last question. Did you actually do anything at all with her?
Davis: No. No. Nothing.
Cassie [after a long, long pause]: Okay. Unpack your shit.[/b]
Of course we know better, don’t we?