Ironweed (1987)

Meryl Streep: Helen

Photos 

Quotes 

• Helen : [talking to herself in the mirror]  What if I did drink too much wine? Whose business is that anyway? Who knows how much I *didn't* drink, huh?

• Helen : Everything ails me.

  Francis Phelan : Oh, come on. At least you got to sing a song.

  Helen : Yeah, I did. I sang while Sandra was dying over there.

  Francis Phelan : Oh, come one. She was gonna die anyway. Her time was up.

  Helen : Oh, well, I don't believe that. I believe you die when you can't stand it any more. Take as much as you can, then you... You die when you can.

• Francis Phelan : [following her into an alley]  You are you kidding. You got nowheres to go. You wanna get knocked over the head?

  Helen : It wouldn't be the worst that ever happened to me. Are you gonna hit me now?

  Francis Phelan : [shaking her by the head]  I'm not gonna hit ya. Shh. I love you, soul mate.

• Helen : [kneeing in the church]  Forgive me, for I have sinned. If you must call them sins, you know, I call them decisions. I'm not a drunk, and I'm not a whore, and I never let a man use me for money. You know, I went Dutch lots of times, and I... well, I would let them buy the drinks. But that's because it's a man's place to buy the drinks. But I never, ever betrayed anybody. And that's what counts with me. Of course, I know living with Francis was sinful in the eyes of some people, and I took a certain amount of liberty with the Commandments of the Church. But nobody's gonna compel me ever - I couldn't declare to anybody, not even you, St. Joseph - that loving Francis was sinful. Because it was probably... *the* greatest thing in my life.