Daily Dialogue — June 25, 2013
INT. LITTLE CONFERENCE ROOM — DAY
Tracy is seated in a chair. JIM hovers above her, alternately leaning on a desk and pacing.
JIM : I guess you know why you’re here
TRACY : If it’s about the posters, I think it’s so awful. It’s a travesty.
JIM : A travesty. Huh. That’s interesting, because I think you did it.
TRACY : Wait — are you accusing me? You’re not serious. (indignant) I can’t… Mr. McAllister, we have worked together on SGA for three solid years and… I mean, I can’t believe it. I’m… I’m shocked!
JIM stares at her.
TRACY: Mr. M., I am running on my qualifications. I would never need to resort to, you know, to vandalism like a, you know… Plus, my own best banner was torn down. Did I do that too?
JIM : Were you or were you not working in the Watchdog office over the weekend?
TRACY : I was. So? Mr. Pecharda let me in. As you know, with all my responsibilities I often come in on the weekend and have permission to do so. But I left very early, around 6:30.
JIM : 6:30. How do you know what time the posters were torn down?
TRACY : I don’t. I just know they were there when I left. I’m giving you helpful information is all. You know, instead of wasting time interrogating me, we should be out there trying to find out who did this.
JIM : Okay, Tracy, so who do you think did it? Whom should we “interrogate?”
TRACY : Well, I don’t know. It could have been anybody. There are a lot of, you know, subversive elements around Millard. You know, like Rick Thieson and Kevin Speck and those burn-outs. Or Doug Schenken — what about him? Or what about Tammy Metzier? Her whole thing is being anti-this and anti-that.
JIM shifts gears.
JIM : You’re a very intelligent girl, Tracy. You have many admirable qualities. But someday maybe you’ll learn that being smart and always being on top and doing whatever you need to do to get ahead, and yes, stepping on people to get there, well, there’s a lot more to life than that. And in the end, you’re only cheating yourself.
TRACY : Why are you lecturing me?
JIM : This isn’t the time or the place to get into it, but there is, for just one example, a certain former colleague of mine, who made a very big mistake, a life mistake. I think the lesson there is that, old and young, we ail make mistakes, and we have to learn that our actions, all of them, can carry serious consequences. You’re very young, Tracy underage, in fact — but maybe one day you’ll understand.
TRACY : I don’t know what you’re referring to, but I do know that if certain older and wiser people hadn’t acted like such little babies and gotten all mushy, everything would be okay.
JIM : I agree. But I also think certain young and naive people need to thank their lucky stars and be very, very grateful the whole school didn’t find out about certain indiscretions which could have ruined their reputations, and chances to win certain elections.
TRACY : And I think certain older persons like you and your “colleague” shouldn’t be leaching after their students, especially when some of them can’t even get their own wives pregnant. And they certainly shouldn’t be running around making slanderous accusations. Especially when certain young, naive people’s mothers are para-legal secretaries at the city’s biggest law firm and have won many successful lawsuits. And if you want to keep questioning me like this, I won’t continue without my attorney present.
JIM draws a long breath as he tries to control himself.
— Election (1999), screenplay Alexander Payne & Jim Taylor, novel by Tom Perrotta
The Daily Dialogue theme for the week is interrogation, suggested by Def Earz. Today’s suggestion by Illimani.
Trivia: Apples are featured prominently in the movie, usually before trouble arrives for a character. They are used as an analogy to entice Paul Metzler to enter the election, an apple tree is shown before Mr. McAllister is stung by a bee, apples hang above the doorway to Mr. McAllister’s living room right before he discovers his wife knows he cheated on her, and Mr. McAllister wins the Apple Teacher of The Year Award at the beginning of the movie.
Dialogue On Dialogue: Commentary from Illimani: “This particular scene casts nicely the general plot of the movie: a condescending school teacher bullying a ruthless and ambitious student. I like how this scene shows the interrogator being cornered by the interrogated character.”