Chris Nielsen When I was young, I met this beautiful girl by a lake.
Most-quoted character in What Dreams May Come (1998): in 31 of its 42 quotes
Most scenes with: The Tracker (12), Albert Lewis (5), Leona (3)
If I was going through **** HELL, I'd only want one person in the whole goddamn world by my side.
More lines from Chris Nielsen
15 quotes Chris Nielsen Chris Nielsen [After meeting his dog in the afterlife]
Boy, I screwed up. I'm in dog Heaven!
Chris Nielsen [to his dog]
A place where we all go can't be bad, can it girl?
Chris Nielsen Annie, I'm here. I still exist.
Chris Nielsen Is that a kind of occupational hazard of soul mates- one's not much without the other?
Chris Nielsen What some folks call impossible, is just stuff they haven't seen before.
Chris Nielsen A whole human life is just a heartbeat here in Heaven. Then we'll all be together forever.
Chris Nielsen I found you in hell. Don't you think I could find you in Jersey?
Chris Nielsen That's when I realized I'm part of the problem. Not because I remind you. But because I couldn't join you. So I left you alone. Don't give up, okay?
Chris Nielsen Thank you for every kindness. Thank you for our children. For the first time I saw them. Thank you for being someone I was always proud to be with. For your guts, for your sweetness. For how you always looked, for how I always wanted to touch you. God, you were my life. I apologize for everytime I ever failed you. Especially this one...
Chris Nielsen There's a man Ian never got to know, the man he was growing up to be. He's a good-looking clear-eyed fella... about 25. I can see him. He's the type of guy men want to be around, because he has integrity, you know ? He has character. You can't fake that. And he's a guy women want to be around, too. Because there's tenderness in him... respect... and loyalty, and courage. And women respond to that. Makes him a terrific husband, this guy. I see him as a father. That's where he really shines. See, when he looks in his kid's eyes and that kid knows that his dad really, really sees him... he sees who he is. Then that child knows that he is an amazing person. He's quite a guy... that I'll never get to meet. I wish I had.
Chris Nielsen What's true in our minds is true, whether some people know it or not.
Chris Nielsen Good people end up in Hell because they can't forgive themselves. I know I can't. But I can forgive you.
Chris Nielsen He was a coward! Being strong, not giving up, it was just his place to hide. He pushed away the pain so hard, disconnected himself from the person he loved the most... Sometimes, when you win, you lose.
Chris Nielsen I'm sorry, babe, but there's some things I have to say. I've only got a few moments left. I'm sorry for all the things I'll never give you. I'll never buy you another meatball sub with extra sauce — that was a big one! I'll never make you smile. I just wanted us to be old together, just two old farts laughin' at each other as our bodies fell apart, together at the end by that lake in your painting. That was our Heaven, see? There's lots of things to miss: books, naps, kisses, and fights! God, we had some great ones. Thank you for those. Thank you for every kindness. Thank you for our children. For the first time I saw them. Thank you for being someone I was always proud to be with. For your guts. For your sweetness. For how you always looked, for how I always wanted to touch you. You were my life. I apologize for every time I failed you. Especially this one.
Scenes with Chris Nielsen
15 scenes
Can I sit here?
Chris Actually, no. Two years ago, I reserved this specific area.
What if I say please?
Chris That's the one exception.
Marie [looks at a cardboard cutout of Heaven]
Is this where we go when we die?
Chris It's a dream baby, it's a beautiful one, but you know dreams...
Marie I know, aren't real. I know.
Where were you just now? You're mind's been wondering all afternoon.
Chris Thinking of someone.
Do you wanna see others? Perhaps the city?
Chris I would, but travel makes me nauseous.
So what is the "me"?
Chris My brain I suppose.
Your brain? Your brain is a body part. Like your fingernail or your heart. Why is that the part that's you?
Chris Because I have sort of a voice in my head, the part of me that thinks, that feels, that is aware that I exist at all.
So if you're aware you exist, then you do. That's why you're still here.
Chris I need Annie.
That'll change in time.
Chris Oh, come on Einstein! Time's not on my watch anymore. Time does not exist here. And wherever it went, it's not going to make me need Annie any less.
You don't understand.
Chris It's not about understanding- it's about not giving up!
Chris Where is God in all of this?
Oh, He's up there. Somewhere... shouting down that He loves us. Wondering why we can't hear Him. You think?
You called your son Albert. Who is that?
Chris First doctor I interned under. He was like a father to me.
Ah. His words were gold. A brilliant mind. Do you recall what he practiced before he turned to pediactrics?
Chris Child psychia-...
...psychiatry. Yeah. And he always was a slow reader. But these... [indicating his glasses] used to be rimless, and the rest of me... used to be black. I also used to read too slow. I don't need these glasses [taking off his glasses] ...my eyes being a figment of my imagination.
Where were you just now? Your mind's been wondering all afternoon.
Chris Thinking of someone.
Your wife must have loved her children very much.
Chris Very much. But you don't have to break in half to love somebody.
Each of us has an instinct that there is a natural order to our journey. And Annie's violated that. She won't face it. She won't realize, accept, what she's done. And she will spend eternity playing that out.
Chris You're still saying she's in Hell...
Everyone's Hell is different. It's not all fire and pain. The real Hell is your life gone wrong.
Anyone ever tell you too much persistence can get kind of stupid?
Chris Constantly.
I hear the same thing.
We'll find her. But when you find her, nothing will make her recognize you. Nothing will break her denial. It's stronger than her love. In fact, reinforced by her love. You can say everything you long to say, including goodbye, even if she can't understand it, and you'll have the satisfaction that you didn't give up. That has to be enough.
Chris You just get me there, I'll decide what's enough.
You called your son Albert. Who is that?
Chris First doctor I interned under. He was like a father to me.
Ah. His words were gold. A brilliant mind. Do you recall what he practiced before he turned to pediactrics?
Chris Child psychia-...
...psychiatry. Yeah. And he always was a slow reader. But these... [indicating his glasses] used to be rimless, and the rest of me... used to be black. Do you know why we choose to look so different, me and the children?
Chris Package doesn't count? One's as good as the other?
Oh, no. The old baggage, old roles of authority, who's the teacher, who's the father, gets in the way of who we really are to each other.
So you reconciled. That's very romantic. But she still killed herself. In the end she gave up.
Chris There's nothing wrong with that.
Her husband didn't think so.
Chris He was a coward! Being strong, not giving up, it was just his place to hide. He pushed away the pain so hard he disconnected himself from the person he loved most. [pause] Sometimes when you win, you lose.
