phone someone
Okay. It's your turn. You call your friend.Before Sunrise · 1995 — Chapter 17 of 20 · 2'25" · B1
Man Pretends to Call a Friend, Explained: be a ghost
A man plays a game and pretends to phone a friend, reporting a breakup and then a meeting. "I met somebody on my last night in Europe" lands like the real news, while the talk of wanting to be "a ghost, completely anonymous" says how badly the breakup hit him.
What happens
A man takes his turn in a game and pretends to call his friend Frank. He reports that Madrid sucked, that he and Lisa had a "long-overdue meltdown," and that long-distance never works. He admits he didn't want to see anyone he knew, then says he met someone on his last night in Europe.
Listen for
long-overdue meltdownbe a ghostrapturousBotticelli angel
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Phrase of the scene
be a ghost
to disappear from everyone
After a breakup, someone says they want to be a ghost, meaning they want to vanish from everyone they know.
After the breakup, he wanted to be a ghost for a week.
Also in this scene
- long-overdue meltdown
a breakdown that was bound to happen
- rapturous
extremely delighted
- Botticelli angel
a comforting angel; a painting-like beauty
- unsure of myself
to lack confidence in yourself
- That's the thing
here's the key point
Everything marked in this scene
25 notes across 42 lines
reach someone's voicemail
Um — Uh — Bring, bring, bring. I usually get this guy's answering machine. Brrring!guy or mate — Friendly address between peers, not in formal settings.
Hi, dude. What's up?In fast speech, how ya been can blur into one chunk; don't split each word.
- Uh — Hey, Frank, how ya been? - (laughing) Glad you're home.was terrible — Casual complaining only; avoid in formal writing.
Uh, Madrid sucked.a breakdown that was bound to happen
In a pretend phone call, someone says Lisa and he had a long-overdue meltdown, half confessing and half joking that the relationship was bound to blow.
Uh, you know, Lisa and I had our long-overdue meltdown.the whole long-distance relationship thing refers to the relationship, not an object
Yeah, yeah, yeah. The long-distance thing just never works.explain the reason to someone
And I'll tell you why.embedded clause: The how-clause introduces a saying, not a question about method.
And you know how they say we're all each other's demons and angels?Keep the ending of tellin' light and slide straight into me.
Well, she was literally a Botticelli angel, just tellin' me that everything was gonna be okay.relative clause: The relative clause tells us which couple began arguing.
She was sittin' next to this very weird couple that started fighting, so she had to move.not be very fond of someone
And, uh, she didn't like me much at first.extremely smart — Spoken praise among friends; avoid in interviews or documents.
She's super-smart, very passionate, um, and beautiful.to lack confidence in yourself
Recalling the conversation with the woman, he says he was "so unsure of myself" and thought everything he said sounded stupid.
And I was so unsure of myself.come across as foolish
I thought everything I said sounded so stupid.omitted that-clause: A that-clause is dropped after thought; everything I said is its subject.
I thought everything I said sounded so stupid.would not stress over that
Aw, man, I wouldn't worry about that.form an opinion about someone
- Nah. - Nah, I'm sure she was not judging you.no — A casual no between friends; too loose for formal talk.
- Nah. - Nah, I'm sure she was not judging you.take the seat beside someone
No. And by the way, she sat next to you, no?deliberately, not by accident the line uses in purpose; the standard phrase is on purpose
- I'm sure she did it in purpose. - Oh, yeah?know nothing about a group
Us men are so stupid. We don't understand anything about women.Link us men are as one unit, without a gap before are.
Us men are so stupid. We don't understand anything about women.behave a little oddly
They act kind of strange, the little I know of them.as far as I know; from my limited knowledge
He ends on a self-deprecating note: the little I know of them refers to women, so the broad claim comes with a disclaimer.
They act kind of strange, the little I know of them.Man Pretends to Call a Friend, explained
What's really going on
The game lets him say things he might not say straight. He lists the breakup in flat, almost comic terms — "Lisa and I had our long-overdue meltdown" — then insists he is great, twice, before the real news: "I met somebody on my last night in Europe." The order matters. First comes the cheap flight out of Vienna and the wish to be "a ghost, completely anonymous," the voice of someone who wanted to disappear; only then comes the girl. The reply that she "did it in purpose" turns the confession into teasing about how little men understand women, and the pretend call ends on that joke.
Theme
HeartbreakHe reports a breakup and a new meeting in the same pretend call, so hurt and hope sit side by side.
Loneliness"I just wanted to be a ghost" says it plainly: after the split he wanted to vanish, not be seen.
Listen for
- how ya been — In fast speech, how ya been can blur into one chunk; don't split each word.
- tellin' me — Keep the ending of tellin' light and slide straight into me.
- Us men are — Link us men are as one unit, without a gap before are.
I just wanted to be a ghost, completely anonymous.After the breakup he wanted to disappear from everyone who knew him, not be seen or recognized.
I met somebody on my last night in Europe. Can you believe that?The headline of the pretend call: on his final night abroad he met someone, and he still sounds surprised by it.
Well, she was literally a Botticelli angel, just tellin' me that everything was gonna be okay.He describes the woman as a painting-like angel whose reassurance made him feel everything would be fine.
Us men are so stupid. We don't understand anything about women.A self-mocking line about men being clueless around women, after the teasing about where she sat.
Questions about this scene
Why is he pretending to call Frank?
It's a game: one line sets it up with "It's your turn. You call your friend." He then plays the caller, even imitating an answering machine before saying hello.
Why didn't he want to go home?
He says he didn't want to see anybody he knew and "just wanted to be a ghost, completely anonymous."
How did he meet the woman?
On the train. She was sitting next to a couple that started fighting, had to move, and ended up across the aisle from him; then they started talking.
Was he confident when they first talked?
No. He says she "didn't like me much at first," he was "so unsure of myself," and thought everything he said "sounded so stupid."
What do the last lines say about men and women?
Lines near the end joke that men "don't understand anything about women" and that women "act kind of strange."
Before Sunrise · 20 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 18fizzle outTwo People Agree to One Night Only
Chapter 1weeks on endStrangers Trade Stories on a Train
Chapter 2the poetry of day-to-day lifePitching a Year-Long TV Show
Chapter 3passive-aggressiveTwo Passengers Talk Childhood and Death
Chapter 4a bad liarTwo Travelers Claim a Honeymoon
Chapter 5scare the hell out of someoneTwo People Play a Q&A Game
Chapter 6piss someone offStrangers Trade Pet Peeves on a Train
Chapter 7romantic projectionsTwo People Talk About Parents and Love
Chapter 8resign yourself toPalm Reading in Vienna
Chapter 9dress rehearsalChurch Talk on Death and Quakers
Chapter 10blank canvasWhat Would Drive You Mad
Chapter 11make a deal withPoet Writes a Poem for a Word
Chapter 12a real prizewinnerAsking About an Ex-Boyfriend
Chapter 13let it sink inA Man Recounts His Madrid Heartbreak
Chapter 14fool aroundTwo People Debate Men, Women and Monkeys
Chapter 15fear of commitmentBirth Dance Talk Turns to Love
Chapter 16fall for someoneThe Fake Phone Call in Vienna
Watching · Chapter 17be a ghostMan Pretends to Call a Friend
Chapter 18fizzle outTwo People Agree to One Night Only
Chapter 19sleep togetherThey Agree Not to Sleep Together
Chapter 20have a great lifeTwo Lovers Say Goodbye at Track NineChapter 17 of 20 · about 7 min to go