The Vigil (2019)

Dave Davis: Yakov Ronen

Photos 

Quotes 

• Yakov Ronen : So, Shulem, who is the deceased?

  Reb Shulem : He's Rubin Litvak, did you know him?

  Yakov Ronen : No.

  Reb Shulem : He was a good man, a little weird. He was a Holocaust survivor who made it through the war, but lost his entire family there. After the war, he started a family here, but then he became a recluse, estranged from his kids and grandchildren. He hadn't left his home in years, it's a really sad story.

  Yakov Ronen : I never saw him out.

  Reb Shulem : He used to say that whenever he stepped out of his house it was like he was in absolute agony.

  Yakov Ronen : And the other Shomer, why was he leaving?

  Reb Shulem : The other Shomer just ran out, I trusted him, he's family, but he left the job because he was afraid.

  Yakov Ronen : Afraid?

  Reb Shulem : That's what he said.

  Yakov Ronen : What was he afraid of?

• Mrs. Litvak : Why did you come here?

  Yakov Ronen : I'm Yakov, Mrs. Litvak, I'm the Shomer, I'm here to protect and comfort your husband's soul.

  Mrs. Litvak : Protect it from what?

• Dr. Marvin Kohlberg : [on phone]  Yakov, it's Dr. Kohlberg.

  Yakov Ronen : Doctor Kohlberg! Baruch Hashem, I'm uh, I'm not doing so great.

  Dr. Marvin Kohlberg : Why? What's wrong?

  Yakov Ronen : I'm seeing things and hearing things, it's a lot. And I took a tablet, one of the Ativan a little while ago, but I...

  Dr. Marvin Kohlberg : Seeing who, Yakov? Who are you seeing?

  Yakov Ronen : I don't know.

  Dr. Marvin Kohlberg : Where are you, right now?

  Yakov Ronen : I'm in Boro Park, I took a job as a Shomer for the night, Reb Shulem is paying me, so...

  Dr. Marvin Kohlberg : Are you safe?

  Yakov Ronen : I don't know. I think so.

  Dr. Marvin Kohlberg : These things you're seeing, do you think that they're real?

  Yakov Ronen : No, they can't be. Dr. Kohlberg, the man who was living here and his wife, I think that they went crazy together, living in the house. She's got very bad dementia, it's very sad, and he was obsessed with demons.

  Dr. Marvin Kohlberg : Demons?

  Yakov Ronen : Something called a Mazzik.

  Dr. Marvin Kohlberg : And is this what you think you've been seeing? A demon?

  Yakov Ronen : Shadows, shadows.

  Dr. Marvin Kohlberg : Yakov, we talked about what happened to your little brother, about post traumatic stress, and your fears.

  Yakov Ronen : I know, I know.

  Dr. Marvin Kohlberg : Tell me, Yakov, is your heart racing? Ferocious? Like it's gonna break your ribs?

  Yakov Ronen : Yes.

  Dr. Marvin Kohlberg : And you're sweating?

  Yakov Ronen : Uh huh.

  Dr. Marvin Kohlberg : Are you shaking?

  Yakov Ronen : I'm trying to calm down.

  Dr. Marvin Kohlberg : Yakov, tell me what it is that you're seeing. You said that it's a person.

  Yakov Ronen : It's shadows, like someone in the shadows.

  Dr. Marvin Kohlberg : That person that you see, the one that's in the shadows, do you think that he's really there watching you?

  Yakov Ronen : No, of course not, I know he's not.

  Dr. Marvin Kohlberg : Excellent, excellent, that's good. Now, Yakov, I want you to take your time and think about this. Can you describe this person?

  Yakov Ronen : Blurry, it's always, I don't, I d-, it's blurry.

  Dr. Marvin Kohlberg : I understand. That's fine.

  [pause] 

  Dr. Marvin Kohlberg : Is his head turned backwards? Can you tell me?

  Yakov Ronen : What?

  Dr. Marvin Kohlberg : Is his head turned around, Yakov?

  [sound of bones crunching, Yakov sees Mr. Litvak's head moving under the sheet] 

  Dr. Marvin Kohlberg : What do you see? Yakov?

  Yakov Ronen : [gets another call]  Dr. Kohlberg, can you hang on for just a second?

  [switches call] 

  Yakov Ronen : Hello?

  Dr. Marvin Kohlberg : [different voice]  Yakov, hi, it's Dr. Kohlberg, I just got your message and I'm sorry it's taken me a little bit to call you back. I hope everything's alright, Yakov?

  Yakov Ronen : Dr. Kohlberg, can you hang on for one second, please?

  [switches call] 

  Yakov Ronen : Hello?

  Burech : Yakov.

  Yakov Ronen : Who is this? You need to leave me alone.

  Burech : Why did you let me die?

  [screams into the phone] 

• Yakov Ronen : You said you had a question.

  Reb Shulem : I need you to be a Shomer, tonight.

  Yakov Ronen : Ah, no.

  Reb Shulem : I will pay you.

  Yakov Ronen : No.

  Reb Shulem : No? I know you could use the money, I know you have trouble with the rent.

  Yakov Ronen : How do you know that?

  Reb Shulem : [shrugs]  Why's it matter? I will give you $200 cash, right now.

  Yakov Ronen : For how long?

  Reb Shulem : 5 hours. From now until the morning, that's all. We had someone, but he changed his mind and left suddenly.

  Yakov Ronen : 200? I'll do it for five.

  Reb Shulem : 300.

  Yakov Ronen : You came to me, right?

  Reb Shulem : Yeah.

  Yakov Ronen : You're desperate, right? You need me, right? Okay, so $500.

  [in English] 

  Yakov Ronen : I used to do this all the time. People in the community that don't have any family, and no friends, it's me, okay? I'm watching the body.

  Reb Shulem : I'll give you $400, not a dollar more.

• Yakov Ronen : I'm going crazy.

  [dials phone] 

  Dr. Marvin Kohlberg : Hello, you're reached the voicemail of Dr. Marvin Kohlberg, I can't take your call at the moment, but please leave a message including your name and phone number, and I'll call you back as soon as possible. If this is a medical emergency, please hang up and dial 911, thank you.

  Yakov Ronen : Hey, Dr. Kohlberg, this is Yakov Ronen and, I'm sorry to call you in the middle of the night, I don't want to bother you, but I'm having a little bit of trouble right now. Um, I'm seeing things and I'm hearing things. Um, it's worse than it's ever been before, and um, I uh, I'm almost out of the pills, so I was really hoping to talk to you. I don't think that I need to go back to the hospital, um, but I would like to talk to you as soon as possible. So if you please could just get back to me, I'd really appreciate it. Thank you.

  [hangs up] 

  Yakov Ronen : '

• Yakov Ronen : Hello, Mrs. Litvak, I'm extremely sorry for your loss.

  Mrs. Litvak : Who is this man? I thought you were getting a shomer.

  Reb Shulem : He will be the shomer tonight.

  Mrs. Litvak : No.

  Reb Shulem : He's an experienced shomer, he sat the vigil for Moshe Kellner, Chaim Sturman.

  Mrs. Litvak : He won't work.

  Reb Shulem : I know that you had a very difficult and upsetting day, but this will be good, it'll be good.

  Mrs. Litvak : He needs to leave now! You have to leave now.

• Mrs. Litvak : It won't let you leave.

  Yakov Ronen : We have to go now.

  Mrs. Litvak : I've left many times, but where is there for me to go? My obligation is to my home, my Rubin. I can suffer, my pain was not his.

  Yakov Ronen : Mrs. Litvak, what won't let me leave?

  Mrs. Litvak : The Massik. He's playing with you, the way a cat plays with a mouse. It wants your pain, and it will make you see things, terrible things. Me, I am not enough for it, but your agony...

  Yakov Ronen : We're leaving, we have to go now. There is something very, very wrong here.

  Mrs. Litvak : If you run out, the Mazzik will make you crawl right back.