Being Flynn

Nicholas Flynn never knew his father, an ex-con who always described himself as an excellent writer.

In the midst of being lost in his own life, Nicholas takes a job at a homeless shelter.  One night, his father, Johnathon Flynn, checks in.

Johnathon is there for weeks and doesn’t get any better, he just gets worse… drinking when he’s not in the shelter.

One night, Johnathon checks in with a bottle in his pocket, and gets caught during the pat-down.  That’s one strike.

Nicholas’ job is to check on the men when they’re in their bunks, ready for sleep.

Here he’s checking on them that night:

Father, Johnathon Flynn: Did you read my last letter?


Son, Nicholas Flynn: Yes.


Father: Beautifully written, wasn’t it?


Son: Don’t write to be about my fucking mother.


Father: You’re fucking mother?  How dare you refer to your mother that way.


Son: How dare you say how dare you to me?  But let me rephrase it, don’t fucking write to me about my mother.


Father: That only makes you sound childish, using profanity like that.


Son: Sorry, you don’t get to patronize me, you don’t get to pretend to be my father, and you don’t get to write about my mother.  In fact, stop writing me at all, stop writing me letters.


Father: You should save them, they’ll be worth money some day.


Son: I have saved them, actually.  I have over a hundred, that’s enough.


Father: You saved them, I heard.


Son: You bring liquor in here again and you’re barred.  End of story.


Father: Eno the Beano tells me you’re into drugs.


Son: Who the fuck is Eno the Beano?  How would be know that?


Father: Everyone knows – word’s out.  If so, good luck to you, but don’t waste your talent.


Son: I don’t have any talent.


Father: I find that hard to believe.


Son: Why?  Because you’re so incredibly talented?


Father: Yes.


Son: Okay, so where is it, uh the masterpiece?  Uh.  Where ya hiding it?  Can I read it?  Does it even exist?


Father: Do you exist, Nicholas Flynn?  Do you even know?  I Johnathon Flynn exist.  I know that much.  Johnathon Flynn exists.


Someone else: Shut the fuck up!!


Father: You shut the fuck up or my son will evict you!


Son: I want you to leave here.  Find some fucking place, some old drinking buddy who’s suicidal enough to take you in.


Father: I’m a sought after house guest!


Son: Yeh!  Because you’re an excellent raconteur, right?


Father: Yes!


Son: Good night!


Father: Remember something, Nicholas – you are me!  You are me!  I made you!  You are me!


Son: I am not you!  I am not you!


Father: Yes you are!


Son: Go to Florida!


Father: You are me!


Others: Yelling…


Father: Night!

Nicholas decides to transfer to the outreach program, going out into the streets at night to bring food to the homeless and offer them shelter.

A few night later, Johnathon gets into a fight in the shower room when someone asks to borrow his deodorant.  He won’t calm down.  He’s gone crazy.

When Nicholas returns that night:

Son (narrating): The SPO, Chris, Gabriel, and Brian escorted Mr. Flynn to the Brown Lobby wrapped in a sheet as he had refused to dress himself.


Father: I have written I have written I have made my vision: The Confessions of Christopher Cobb


Son (narrating): My father rants…


Father: Salinger! Twain!


Son (narraring):  …piss on the floor…


Father: Johnathon Robinson Flynn!

Son (narrating): …unnoticed…


Father: I was brought into this world to help other people!


Son (narrating): …ignored…


Father: I was brought into this world to write my masterpiece, and IT IS WRITTEN!


Son (narrating): We all need to create the story that will make sense of our lives…


Father: …lined up and stood behind the priest and disrobed and stood behind (unintelligible)


Son (narrating): …make sense of our daily tasks… 


Father: …as he puts the hose on each tongue, the little girls lined up with their tongues out…


Son (narrating): Yet each night the doubts returned, howling through him…


Father: (Latin) protende sanctum domino sucko my cocko!

Father (pointing at his son): YOU!  You, where’s your faith?!  WHERE IS YOUR FAITH!? WITHOUT FAITH YOU ARE NOTHING!!! YOU   ARE    NOTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  NOTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!! 


Son walks out.


Father: NOTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!  NOTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!  YOU ARE NOTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sometime later, the committee votes to kick Johnathon out of the shelter because he’s so much worse. It’s cold outside.

Nicholas has been building up a drinking and cocaine problem.

The night they kick his father out, he goes to a dance club.

His girlfriend shoes up and asks him to leave with her, but he declines.  She tells him he needs help.

There are flashback scenes of his mother deciding to kill herself and taking some pills.

Nicholas walks out the back door of the club, and sees his roommate, the drug dealer, sitting on the steps with two guys.

Nick sits down and smokes his first hit of crack.

In the flashback his mother is writing her note:

I went to the beach, but I was unable to throw myself into the ocean.  I did the best I could.  I tried to hold it all together.  I love you and I love my dad.  

Then she pulls her gun out from its hiding place.

Of course, Nicholas finds the note and her body.