5 to 7

Some of the best writing in New York won't be found

in books, or movies, or plays..

...but on the benches of Central Park.

Read the benches and you understand.

Enormous things happen in every life.

On the other hand, some of the worst writing in New York

could be found at 222 East 30th Street, Apartment 3C.

The walls of which were decorated

with rejection letters from magazines

located in 12 countries, 47 states

and the District of Columbia.

When I think about those stories

and how I didn't realize what was missing from them

not even tears, rivers of shame

come out of my eyes.

I wasn't interested in friends or girlfriends.

All I did was write and read and mumble to myself.

It's a form of mental illness really.

Now, in New York, you're never more than 20 feet away

from someone you know, or someone you're meant to know.

But in my whole life, I only crossed the street once.

I might never have thought of anything to say

but then I smelled the smoke from her cigarette.

It was heavy, I recognized it from outside

a restaurant one time, it was either French or Spanish.

And I didn't speak Spanish.

Shall we continue in English? Please.

My name is Brian. May I ask your name?

Arielle. Arielle.

Like "The Little Mermaid."

What?

"The Little Mermaid," it's a Disney film.

The little mermaid's name was Arielle.

Yes, I'm familiar. Tha... That's where your mind goes?

She was actually a very interesting character.

Really? Yes.

A beautiful woman who lived in the sea and..

...had the tail of a fish, and yet she..

Somehow for her, it all worked.

Did you see it yesterday or something?

No. When I was 8.

The day before yesterday.

What's the French word for..

Sirene. Sirene, nice.

Well, enchante, Brian.

Enchante. Will we meet again?

I would like it very much if that would happen.

Well, I'm here every Friday

at the close of lunch in my exile.

You would simply have to be here as well.

I will be then.

Good. Until next Friday then.

Until next Friday.

Hi, Jim. How are you today?

Good.

Work is going very well, dad.

Well, it's gonna sound stupid, but the fiction editor

from the "Atlantic" added the word "Sorry"

to the bottom of my latest rejection.

What the hell does that mean?

It means I got close. It's code.

Can we talk about law school?

No, thank you. No law school.

Any job worth having requires a second interview.

I thought perhaps you wouldn't come.

It never occurred to me.

I mean, because of the rain.

Is it raining?

It was a good test.

A woman has to know what sort of man she's dealing with.

What sort of man am I dealing with?

Damp.

A damp sort of man..

...but happy in his dampness.

What sort of woman am I dealing with?

Une sirene.

Thank you.

So, Brian, what is it you do in your life

that leaves you free to wander about the streets

in the afternoons, and smoke in nooks, and talk to strangers?

I write.

I'm a writer.

Have you published?

No, not yet.

How old are you?

24.

What are your stories about?

Various things.

One is about..

...baseball.

One is about..

...dogs.

Dogs?

Yes.

Uh-huh. So, do you have any questions for me?

May I ask your profession?

Are you asking me if I'm a prostitute?

No. No. No. No. No. No.

Are you... a prostitute?

Certainly not. How dare you?

You brought it up. I would have never...

I was a model. I stopped 8 years ago.

Are you wondering how old I am?

Yes.

I'm 33.

Back to coffee with your friends?

Yes.

Until next Friday?

Hmm, if you wish, well, I'm free any weeknight from 5 to 7.

Ah, those are very specific hours.

Yes, they are.

Alright. Well... shall we say Monday at 5?

Do you like museums?

Would you meet me at the Guggenheim?

I'd be delighted.

Good.

Till then, then.

Till then.

No, he... he didn't write, "We will publish your next story."

Is that what dad told you?

So then, what did he write? He just wrote, "Sorry."

And were they sorry today?

No, they didn't write sorry on today's rejections.

Well, that's a step backward.

It's not a step backwards, mom.

Progress is not linear.

It's about death.

I beg your pardon?

And menace.

It's about death and menace.

It's a... boat. A nice boat.

It's near a beautiful beach and it's... sunny.

Is there any life on that boat?

No. And what is the opposite of life?

Death, but... It's like a neutron bomb went off.

Maybe they're just below decks.

And it's not just this painting.

Look at this one. Ha!

This one has people in it. Dead people.

They're alive.

Not really. Look at that man.

Is he alive?

And the soda jerk? Is that any kind of life?

And the prostitute?

Okay, she's not a prostitute.

What is it with you and prostitutes?

What is she then?

She's..

I don't know, she's a beautician.

They're all dead.

And the store across the street is out of business.

And no one lives in the apartment upstairs.

The tenants have been evicted and the building condemned.

This Hopper is supposed to be the quintessential

American painter.

Well, if that's true, then America is not alive.

America is alive, okay?

And you have a somewhat downbeat world view.

No, I don't.

And prove it.

Prove what?

That America is still alive.

Look around.

They don't seem particularly alive to me. Prove it.

Alright.

You may be right, I don't know.

Your accent is beautiful.

Thank you, but you're a man infatuated

and so nothing you say can be believed.

What made you settle in New York?

I married a diplomat who was assigned here.

I mean, I wondered if you'd been married.

What happened to him? What do you mean?

The person you were married to.

Were married to? Well, I'm married to.

Well, nothing happened to him.

He works at the French Consulate.

It's a few blocks from here.

So... so, you're married?

Of course, what did you think?

I thought you were... not married.

Why would you think that?

Why would I not think that?

For one thing, you don't wear a wedding ring.

So American, you need a signpost for everything

or you'll completely lose your way.

It's not just Americans.

Many cultures have indicators of marriage.

Rings, piercings, dots..

...designed to keep people out of exactly this sort of..

...awkward situation.

Do you wish you were not in that situation?

Oh, so we seem to be mutually pursuing one another.

Yes, so?

Well, I, uh..

I would have thought you'd mention...

Well, must everything be mentioned?

Can nothing be culled from the subtext? Well...

Do you not understand the meaning of 5 to 7?

Was my confusion about 5 to 7 somehow unclear