The Royal Tenenbaums · written by Wes Anderson & Owen Wilson · 2001

The family gathers around Richie in hospital; he answers their questions but will not share his suicide note.

Scene 102 of 143 · ≈ 1 min on screen · First scene of act three

Doctor
Margot
Richie
Etheline
Chas

Find another scene in The Royal Tenenbaums

Act oneAct twoAct three

Begins 1:28 into a 1:59 film

The story so farBefore scene 102

After losing his hotel room, Royal claims he has only weeks to live so he can move back in with his estranged family; as the truth unravels, he must find a way to be useful and earn a place in their lives.

Scenes 1–39
Royal is absent from the children’s adult lives, and their family remains shaped by his betrayals and abandonment.
Scenes 40–47
Royal wants a path back to Etheline and the children, and claims impending death will give him one.
Scenes 48–50
He returns to the house and openly asks his children for a chance to make things right.
Scenes 51–90
Royal tries to reconnect through schemes, misjudgments and genuine care, learning that affection alone cannot erase old injuries.
Scenes 91–92
Royal admits to Etheline that he hoped to win her back and remove Henry, revealing the motive behind his return.
Just before
Scene 99
Royal negotiates with the hotel manager about the return of his possessions, seeking a favorable decision.
Scene 100
Raleigh lies withdrawn in his laboratory while Dudley tries to draw him into games and experiments.
Scene 101
Richie shaves, then cuts his wrists in the bathroom; Dudley finds him and raises the alarm.
Scene 102
This scene

102INT. HOSPITAL ROOM. DAY.

Everyone is gathered around Richie in his hospital bed. His arms are covered with bandages. A doctor gives him an injection and says to Etheline:

DOCTOR

He’ll probably sleep for several hours,

and then I’ll come back to check on him.

Etheline nods. She has tears all over her face. The doctor leaves the room. Margot holds Richie’s hand.

MARGOT

How do you feel?

RICHIE

Fine, thanks.

ETHELINE

Are you in any pain?

RICHIE

Not really.

CHAS

Why’d you try to kill yourself?

ETHELINE

Don’t press him right now.

RICHIE

I wrote a suicide note.

MARGOT

You did?

RICHIE

Yeah. Right after I regained

consciousness.

Everyone looks slightly confused.

CHAS

Can we read it?

RICHIE

No.

CHAS

Could you paraphrase it for us?

RICHIE

I don’t think so.

CHAS

Is it dark?

RICHIE

Of course it’s dark. It’s a suicide

note.

ETHELINE

All right. That’s enough. The doctor

said to let him sleep.