The Man Who Wasn't There
written by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
Ed: (voice-over) He wasn't buying any of that Modern Man stuff, or the uncertainty stuff, or any of the mercy stuff either. No, he was going by the book, and the book said I got the chair... ... so here I am. At first I didn't know how I got here, I knew step by step of course, which is what I've told you, step by step; but I couldn't see any pattern... ...Now that I'm near the end, I'm glad that this men's magazine paid me to tell my story. Writing it has helped me sort it all out. They're paying five cents a word, so you'll pardon me if sometimes I've told you more than you wanted to know... ...But now, all the disconnected things seem to hook up. ...That's the funny thing about going away, knowing the date that you're gonna die -- and the men's magazine wanted me to tell how that felt... ...Well, it's like pulling away from the maze. While you're in the maze you go through willy-nilly, turning where you think you have to turn, banging into the dead ends, one thing after another... ...But get some distance on it, and all those twists and turns, why, they're the shape of your life. It's hard to explain... ...But seeing it whole gives you some peace. ... The men's magazine also asked about remorse. Yeah, I guess I'm sorry about the pain I caused other people... ...but I don't regret anything. Not a thing. I used to. I used to regret being a barber. ...I don't know where I'm being taken. ...I don't know what waits for me, beyond the earth and sky. But I'm not afraid to go. ...Maybe the things I don't understand will be clearer there, like when a fog blows away... ...Maybe Doris will be there. ...And maybe there I can tell her...all those things...they don't have words for here.