Back Roads (2018) Movie Script

Subtitles by explosiveskull

So my question to you is,

why didn't you shoot her

from a distance?

You got a nice scope

on that rifle.

You could have climbed up

those hills behind her house

and shot her

in the front yard

and said it was

a hunting accident,

and no one would have

suspected anything,

because no one knew

there was anything going on

between you two, right?

Why did you kill her?

Did you get my egg roll?

Yeah.

- Where's Amber?

- She's got a date.

She said you'd be mad,

but I can watch Jody.

I'm old enough.

You're supposed to be watching

the kids tonight.

Misty's 12.

She can babysit

a six-year-old.

They shouldn't be left alone

in the house at night.

What is your problem?

Admit it,

you just hate the idea

that I have a life

and you don't.

You're just mad

because you have to work.

Well, you'd have to work

anyways, Harley.

I fucking promise you,

you're not going to college

or doing anything meaningful

with your life.

Meaningful.

Like fucking guys

in the back of pick-up trucks?

You'd give anything

to fuck someone.

Why aren't you eating?

I'm making my list

of things to do.

I don't like

hot dogs anyway.

You always eat hot dogs.

Not like that.

I like them long now.

Esme says cut-up hot dogs

are the number one cause

of choking deaths among children

in the United States.

She told me

on the bus today.

Live dangerously.

- I won't eat it.

- You have to.

I do not.

Harley, tell her

she has to eat it.

I don't care

if she eats it.

I'll eat it if you fix it.

And how am I going

to fix it?

With glue.

Eating glue would kill you.

Then make me another one.

- I don't want to.

- Make me another one.

You can have my last one.

There's mustard on it.

Wipe it off.

Fine.

Do you want to hear

my fortune?

I have to go to work.

Can you tell me tomorrow?

No, you got to hear it now.

"You are the master

of every situation."

It's for you.

Thank you.

Hey, Harley.

Hey.

How are you?

I'm okay.

The girls?

They're fine.

Jody told Esme

that you won't let Amber

get her driver's permit.

She can get it

when she gets a job

and she can pay

for her own insurance.

Oh.

It's, like,

a thousand bucks.

You've really become

the full-fledged

head of the household.

Esme's been bugging me to have

Jody over for dinner again.

I was thinking Monday.

Monday's Jody's night to cook,

but I guess we can all pour

our own bowls of cereal.

This is nice.

What do you mean?

No kids.

I left them at home with Brad.

This is nice,

shopping by myself.

It's the most relaxing thing

I've done in weeks.

It's kind of pathetic,

coming to a grocery store

for fun.

It's not as pathetic

as working in one.

It's a lot more pathetic.

I should finish up.

Okay.

Well, remember to send Jody

with a note on the bus

so that she can get off

with Esme on Monday, okay?

Okay.

What the fuck?

Harley, you fucking shit!

I fucking hate you!

Please, don't go.

Go back to bed.

Wait.

Harley, listen to me!

I fucking hate you,

Harley!

I hate you.

Get off me!

Go over there!

What's a lethal injection?

Where'd you hear that?

Tyler at school.

He says Mom's going to get one.

Mom's not going to get one.

Esme says it's what the vet

gives old dogs

when they're having trouble

dying.

She said people don't get them,

because they don't need them.

They die on their own.

She's right.

Mom's not going to die, is she?

No.

I don't want her to die,

even if she killed Daddy.

I can't talk about this shit

while I'm driving, okay?

Do you want

to hear a joke?

Sure.

What does a vampire say

when you do him a favor?

I don't know.

"Fangs a lot."

Mommy, I missed you.

Harley, I thought...

I thought I wouldn't

see you again.

Oh, my baby.

Hi.

You look...

different.

Where do we keep

the extra light bulbs?

I think they're in

the bathroom,

under the sink,

to the right.

Do we have any?

Well, I don't know.

It's...

it's been a long time.

Mommy, look at the picture

I brought you.

Is that your father's coat?

He wears it all the time.

Look at my picture.

Yay. Yippee.

That's so pretty.

Where's Misty?

She didn't want to come.

Harley wouldn't

let her come.

Why not?

They fight in the truck

and it drives me crazy.

Do you want to know

where Amber is?

Amber's a big girl,

so she probably has plans.

She's started dating.

Define dating.

Harley, what's wrong with you?

You want to be here.

That's ridiculous.

No.

You want to be here.

Harley. Harley!

If you don't trust Amber

to watch your sisters at night,

what about someone else?

How about a relative?

I told you before,

Mom doesn't have any family.

And Dad's family won't have

anything to do with us.

- Oh, why do you think that is?

- Because we're related to Mom.

You're related

to your father too.

Not as closely.

What about Uncle Mike?

I thought you said

he was helping out lately.

He's been bringing me

cases of Pabst.

I guess that's helpful.

Cash would be more helpful,

in my opinion.

Alcohol is not a solution

to your problems.

I didn't say anything

about alcohol.

I was talking about beer.

Let's get back

to your mother.

This was a big step for you.

When do you think

you'll see her again?

I don't know.

You are planning

on seeing her again, aren't you?

You made an interesting comment

about your mother

being more concerned

about the girls

than she is about you.

Why do you think

that's true?

Because they're girls.

Why should that matter?

Girls can get pregnant.

A guy can walk away

from it.

Hmm.

What about you?

What if you got

a girl pregnant?

Would you just

walk away from it?

I'd marry her.

Interesting.

Why?

Because you answered

so quickly.

What if you didn't

love the girl?

I had sex with her, right?

Yes.

So you're saying you wouldn't

have sex with a girl

unless you love her.

If she would have sex with me,

then I would love her.

What if a wife and child

would interfere

with your future plans?

If I got her pregnant,

it would mean

I was being stupid.

So, you'd marry her

out of responsibility?

I guess so.

You'd commit yourself

to another human being

for the rest of your life

as a form of punishment.

Did you like your father,

Harley?

Did you respect him?

He did everything

he was supposed to.

Including beating his children?

Was he supposed to do that?

He thought he was.

Good.

Why do you think that?

I don't want to talk about him

anymore.

I have to go.

We haven't finished

your session yet.

My apologies

to the taxpayers.

Slow down, little man.

- How are you?

- Okay.

I was just on the phone

with Misty.

I told her I'd drive Jody home

for you.

That's okay.

Well, have you had dinner?

Yeah, I ate in town.

Well, I have something

for you anyway.

You want to come in

for a minute?

In?

In the house.

Sure.

Do me a favor, Harley.

Have the last pork chop.

Oh, that's okay.

Big guy like you can't finish

off that little pork chop?

What about your husband?

He won't want it.

He's eating out tonight.

Do you want a beer?

Sure.

You are old enough to drink,

right?

- This is great.

- Thanks.

Jody liked them too.

Can we have

something to eat?

Baby, you just had dinner. No.

That's it, no more.

Did you eat

these pork chops?

I loved them.

But you hate pork chops.

I hate your pork chops.

They taste like napkins.

It's probably just the marinade.

I'll give you the recipe.

Esme Jane,

where are your shoes?

- Outside.

- It's not summer yet.

Go put them back on.

Right now. Go, go, go.

Esme's kind of a weird name.

Where'd you get it?

It was the name of a model

and a mistress

of one of my favorite artists,

a French Impressionist.

He paints like

Pierre Bonnard.

You know who

Pierre Bonnard is?

Yeah.

My mom had these note cards

she got from

the Art Institute of Chicago.

Had one of his paintings

on the front.

Table Set in a Garden.

So you're familiar

with his work.

I'm familiar

with his note cards.

I like Impressionists.

They don't care about what

something really looks like.

They only care about

how looking at something

makes a person feel.

It's the definition

of Impressionism.

You're wearing my shirt.

I told you to stop doing that.

Take it off.

- What are you doing?

- You said take it off.

Put it back on right now.

There you go.

A purple one.

I needed another purple one.

You're late tonight.

I was hoping

you finally decided to split,

and then I could

get my license.

You're so stupid, Amber.

You just don't get it,

do you?

- What don't I get?

- I can't afford it.

Which word don't you

understand?

I understand all of them.

I don't make enough money

to come up with an extra

thousand bucks so you can drive.

How did Daddy do it?

Dad made good money.

- Driving a cement mixer?

- Yeah.

So why you can't you drive

a cement mixer?

I can drive

a cement mixer.

I just can't get a job

driving a cement mixer.

Did you lose another tooth?

Yeah.

I suppose you can't afford

a quarter.

Harley doesn't pay for my teeth.

The tooth fairy does.

Except I don't understand

why the tooth fairy

only gives me a quarter

and gives Esme a dollar.

Esme's mom brought you

a present.

I wouldn't call it

a present.

What are you talking about?

Well, she stopped by

this afternoon

and she brought you

some recipes and an art book.

Are you turning into a fag

or something?

What's a fag?

I mean, I guess you

might as well be a faggot,

because you can't get a girl

to make it with you.

- What book?

- A giant book.

It's a book from

the Art Institute of Chicago.

Miss Mercer put a Post-it

on the front of it

with all of the pages of photos

she thought you might like.

It's too weird

and gross, okay?

That woman needs

to get a life.

You should have seen what she

was wearing for someone her age.

What was she wearing?

Pink denim shorts

that were way too fucking tight

for her.

You are so jealous of her

because she has the exact shorts

you want.

Shut up.

Women like that

are pathetic.

They think men want to look

at them after they hit 30.

I can't wait to see you

in your 30s.

Oh, you won't know me

in my 30s.

I will be so out of here.

You'll be living down the road

in a trailer with five kids

and no husband.

You know what, Harley?

I was going

to do you a favor,

and now you can go

fuck yourself.

The only favor you can do me

is get a job.

What if I knew someone who

wanted to go out with you?

I'm not interested.

You don't even know

who it is.

If it's someone you know,

I'm not interested.

What if she wanted to...

Harley, look at me.

Look at me.

What if she wanted to fuck you?

I'm serious.

Ashlee Breckway.

She has a thing for you.

How old is she?

She's 16.

- Sixteen?

- Mm-hmm.

Forget it.

Looking for something?

I was just

putting it back.

I came by the house

last week.

Did Amber tell you?

Yeah.

Thanks for the stuff

you brought.

Did you look at the book?

I like the Pierre Bonnard

painting,

Earthly Paradise.

It's supposed to be

Adam and Eve, right?

Yeah, right.

What'd you think?

It's pretty accurate.

Eve all relaxed,

laying in the woods.

Adam trying to figure out

where to build a house.

Why would you say

that was accurate?

I don't know.

I guess women are better

at accepting things

the way they are,

while men are always trying

to figure out ways

to change things.

You're very insightful.

Has anyone ever

told you that?

I'll let you

get back to work.

See you around.

- Uncle Mike.

- Hey, Harley.

- Uncle Mike.

- There's my favorite girl.

Hey, sweetheart.

Oh, you're getting heavy.

How are you?

- Good.

- You want a candy bar?

You know where it is?

You're adorable.

All right,

get out of here.

You look like you're going

to kiss me, for Christ's sakes.

You... you get a new couch?

Yeah, thinking about it.

Most people wait

till they have the new one

before they burn the old one,

but...

Yeah, all right.

Yeah, you...

you're going

to have to get

to that soffit and fascia

this year, hmm?

And that window trim?

You're going to need a new coat

of paint on that,

or that wood's just going

to rot right out of there.

You need to fix

your roof.

Tomorrow.

- Hey, Uncle Mike.

- Hey there, baby girl.

How are you?

Good.

- How's Aunt Jan?

- She's doing great.

- How about Mike Junior?

- He's doing fantastic.

He's just tearing it up there

in Ardendale University.

You got a minute?

Do you want to...?

He can run

and catch a ball.

What's so funny?

Kill...

have intercourse.

Yeah, I'm going to leave you two

to your private joke.

Come on, Uncle Mike.

We're just kidding.

You know, a lot of people

are jealous of Mike's success,

and that's how they handle it,

they make fun of him.

I don't come here for me.

Who needs him?

I need him.

Callie. Callie!

Please, help me.

Harley, is that you?

Are you okay?

What's going on?

What happened to your face?

Help me. I can't breathe.

Are you okay?

- Harley. Hey.

- I can't breathe.

Where are you going?

Harley.

Not too hard.

You're going to pull me so hard.

It's okay.

Shit!

- Why'd you do that?

- What the hell are you doing?

I was trying to shoot a rabbit.

I figured you'd be happy.

You're not allowed

to use my gun.

- Why not?

- Because you're just a kid.

So what? I started hunting

with Dad when I was eight.

Besides, I'm not a kid anymore.

I started my period.

Fuck. Don't tell me that.

Tell Amber.

I did. She threw a box

of tampons at me.

Oh, my God.

Jody?

What is that?

It was Misty's.

I found it in the woods.

Okay, let's go find the car.

Hey, look, it's Harley!

- Hey.

Come on, guys.

Can I help you

with your groceries?

Oh, that's okay.

You don't have to do that.

- Well, it's kind of my job.

- Oh, yeah. Okay, great.

Sorry. Thanks.

Come on,

let's go to the car.

Brad's out of town

on business,

and I didn't have anyone

to watch the kids,

so I had them

with me tonight.

Sorry, you don't care

about any of that.

All right, come on.

Get in the car.

Scoot through.

Right, there you go.

All right.

Here, help me with that.

Thank you, buddy.

Thank you.

There you go.

Better get them home.

I'm sorry for the way

that I left.

Sorry for everything,

really.

I'm not saying

it wasn't great,

just maybe it shouldn't

have happened.

You were so upset.

I just wanted to help.

I guess there's better ways

to help a person.

Or maybe not.

It's okay.

It's not okay.

I'm married.

I have two little kids.

I'm ten years older

than you.

When I think about you,

I don't think about you being

married or how old you are.

What do you think about?

- Honestly?

- Honestly.

Your ass, mostly.

My ass?

Yeah.

You think about

my ass a lot?

Define "a lot".

Once a day.

Yeah.

- Hey!

Guys, all right,

I hear you.

We're going to go

in just a second.

It's obviously not a great time

to talk about this.

If you want to come by

after work,

Brad's out of town,

like I said.

Okay.

I'll see you tonight.

Okay, okay, I hear you.

Please, I beg you,

please, be nice to each other.

You have to be firm.

If a little girl steals a grape,

don't yell at her.

Let her have it.

Altmyer.

What's the deal

with your shirttail?

You look like hell.

Is that it?

No, that's not it.

You were late today.

Am I fired?

Jesus Christ, Altmyer.

You're not fired.

Just don't do it again, okay?

Can you do that?

One other thing.

I got a complaint.

I had a customer call.

She said you put

hair-care product

in the same bag

with lettuce.

What's going on

with you, son?

Get it together.

Don't let it happen again, okay?

Now, tuck your shirt in.

Be proud.

Be Robinson proud.

Can I take your coat?

Want a beer?

Sure.

You never told me

what happened last night.

Is everything okay at home?

Yeah.

No.

Everything's not okay.

Is there anything

I can do to help?

You can fuck me again.

Shit.

I'm sorry.

Harley?

You got to go.

I'm sorry.

Sorry to rush you off

like this,

but Zack's already awake.

I don't know when

I can see you again,

between the kids,

Brad and your two jobs.

I can quit one.

Harley, what are you doing?

Where were you?

Where were you all night?

We had a crisis.

Is Jody okay?

Yes.

Misty?

Yes, they're fine.

Where's my gun?

I don't fucking know.

It's nothing bad like that.

You called it a crisis.

Maybe it's not a crisis,

but it's a big fucking deal,

okay?

I found a thousand dollars

in Misty's room last night.

What?

She's probably still sitting

on her bed guarding the money.

It's mine.

I'm the one who found it.

Give me the money.

You can't hurt me.

You're my legal guardian.

You have to take care of me.

I had to take it.

She was saving up to take us

and leave Daddy.

It's not yours, it's Mom's.

And she doesn't even know

you have it.

Now give it to me.

Okay.

Let's ask her and see

what she wants us to do with it.

She can't have any visitors.

You flipped out.

She can have calls.

Now give me the money.

You know I can take

that money from you.

I might have to hurt you

to do it, but I can do it.

Now give it to me.

Now I can get my license.

Are you crazy?

Hmm?

You said we need

a thousand bucks.

Yeah. I need that money

for the taxes on the house.

What are you talking about?

The taxes.

They're due in two weeks,

and we don't have any of it.

Okay, and whose fault

is that?

Give me the money.

I hate you, Harley!

You're such a fucking prick!

I hate you!

Harley, what are you doing here?

Shouldn't you be at work?

You said you were going

to call me.

Why haven't you called me?

- I didn't get a chance.

- Bullshit.

You could have called me

anytime.

You could have said you wanted

to speak to me about Jody.

Don't you have two jobs?

Yeah, so?

So, the problem isn't

when can I call you,

it's when are you home

for me to talk to you?

- I usually come home for dinner.

- Oh, dinnertime, that's great.

That's when I'm cooking

and feeding two hungry kids

while my husband bitches

about his day and has a drink.

Should I interrupt him and say,

"Hey, babe, I need to call

the neighbor kid and see

if he wants to come over

so I can fuck his brains out"?

Is that what I should do?

Yeah, that's exactly

what you should do.

Zack is right here.

- Let's go inside.

- I can't.

I ca...

Here you go, bud.

I found this

in Esme's backpack.

She and Jody send notes

back and forth all the time.

But this one

kind of concerned me.

I thought you should have it.

I asked Esme about it.

She said Jody was just trying

to gross her out.

But if this is true,

it's disturbing.

You might want to talk

to Misty about it.

When can I see you again?

I don't know.

Do you know the abandoned

mining office

by the railroad tracks?

I thought we could

go there.

Okay.

How about...

Wednesday?

I think that's the first time

I can get away.

Sure.

I want to ask you something.

And I want you to be honest.

Okay.

Was I your first?

First what?

Woman.

Was I the first woman

you've ever had sex with?

Harley, I'm sorry.

I'm sorry I didn't know

at the time.

I hope it was memorable.

I remember it.

This was a good idea.

We could do it

every Wednesday night.

- Yeah.

- Would that make you happy?

Callie?

I have something

I want to talk to you about.

It's a hypothetical question.

Go on.

Can a kid think it's okay

to get hit?

Did you think it was okay

for your father to hit you?

This isn't about me.

You can still answer

the question.

I didn't think it was okay,

but...

I thought it was normal.

What about sexually abused kids?

Can they think it's okay?

You talking about Misty?

What do you know

about Misty?

I don't know much about her.

We only had a few sessions

together.

But in the few we did,

I had the feeling she was in

a very unhealthy relationship

with your father.

Who was sexually abused, Harley?

No one.

What about Amber?

Amber.

She was never alone with Dad.

She hated him.

Yeah? How do you know?

I was there.

I saw.

How did you feel

toward Amber

when you saw her being hit

by your father?

What do you mean?

Did you want to help her?

I wanted to make her

feel better.

And how do you think she felt

when she saw your father

hit you?

I don't know.

I guess she didn't like it.

Did she want to make you

feel better?

It's okay, Harley.

Harley, please do not walk away.

We need to talk about this.

Harley.

- Who the fuck are you?

Amber's running away.

I asked you

who you were.

I'm a friend of Amber's.

You must be her brother.

The bag boy.

Don't hurt him, Harley.

- Hurt him.

- Hurt me?

Just make him go away.

I think you should leave.

Come on, let's go.

I'm leaving you!

Don't touch me!

You're disgusting!

I don't want to live with you

anymore.

Don't go, please.

I'm sorry, Jody.

I don't want to,

but I have to, okay?

So be mad at Harley

because it's Harley's fault!

What did I do?

You know exactly

what you did.

Now can you get

out of the fucking way?

Why did you let her go?

- She'll be back.

- No, she won't.

Yes, she will.

That boy only wants one thing

from her, okay?

And when he gets it,

he's going to dump her

in a parking lot somewhere.

Does he want her pillow?

Yeah, he wants

her pillow.

Will you get her

in the parking lot?

I will, I promise you.

Promise?

I promise.

This is all Misty's fault.

Why do you say that?

She told Amber something today,

and it made her really mad.

What did she tell her?

I don't know.

They went in her room

and closed the door.

It was about you, though.

I heard your name

a bunch of times.

I asked Misty to tell me,

but she said it was a secret.

Misty keeps secrets

better than anybody.

She said I won't be able

to keep it,

but I keep lots of secrets

for her.

Like what?

I can't tell you.

They're secrets.

You know, when Misty tells you

you can't tell anyone,

she's not talking about me.

Yes, she is.

Did Misty ask you

to keep a secret

about that shirt of hers

you found?

No.

But you know something about it

and you won't tell me.

Why?

Mm...

Where did all that blood

come from?

From Daddy, I guess.

But Misty was at the mall

when Daddy got shot.

You were the only one home

that night

with Mommy and Daddy,

remember?

Misty was at the mall.

I know.

Mommy drove her there.

When did Mommy

drive her there?

After she shot Daddy.

- Who shot Daddy?

- Mommy.

Everybody knows that.

Did you see it happen?

You know I didn't.

I was in my room,

I heard a bang,

and I went out

and I saw Daddy on the floor,

and I went and hid

in the woods.

But Misty was there?

She was hugging Daddy.

And then you saw Mommy

drive away with Misty.

Yeah.

What did Mommy do

when she got back?

She got a shovel

and went in the woods.

I thought she was going

to bury Daddy.

But she buried Misty's shirt

instead.

Yeah.

Why didn't you tell the police

Misty was home that night?

They didn't ask me.

They just asked me if I saw

Mommy shoot Daddy, and I didn't.

Hi, Betty.

This is Harley Altmyer.

I'm sorry to call you

on a Saturday,

but I really need

to see my mom.

The problem is I'm not allowed

to see her anymore.

I thought maybe

you could get me in.

Maybe you could tell them

it would be good for me.

How is everything at home?

Nobody's shot anybody,

if that's what you're asking.

That supposed

to be funny?

It wasn't.

What's wrong?

Hmm?

You look sick, baby.

I'm fine.

You're not taking care

of yourself.

When was the last time you slept

or changed your clothes?

Did you know

Misty took your money?

The thousand dollars

you had saved up.

Did you know she took it?

Amber found it

last week.

Did you know about it?

I thought your dad

had taken that money.

He didn't.

Mom.

Mom, the money.

Well, I guess

it'll come in handy.

Fine.

Don't talk to me,

but then I'm done.

What do you mean?

I'm done. Done taking care

of your fucking kids.

I'm packing up my shit

and I'm leaving.

You would never.

You'd never leave the girls.

Why not?

You did.

What are you talking about?

I didn't leave anyone

on purpose.

Look around you.

I'm in prison!

You fucking like it here.

Hmm?

You're talking stupid, okay?

I don't love them.

I don't feel any obligation

to them.

It's not my job.

Okay.

Okay, Harley.

Okay.

Misty took the money.

What do you want me

to tell you?

I was...

I was saving it up

and I was going to leave

your dad, okay?

I was.

What was going on

between Dad and Misty?

I don't know

what you mean.

Please, tell me the truth.

You owe me.

I don't...

I don't.

I don't owe you anything.

Fucking tell me.

I never saw anything.

Did you ask Dad?

- Hmm?

- I don't...

How do you ask?

How do you ask

a question like that?

You asked Misty.

What? If he what?

How do you ask anybody

a question like that?

So, you never knew anything

for sure?

I found her shirt.

- I know she was there.

- What?

I know she did it.

I know Misty killed Dad.

I don't get it.

You didn't have

to take the blame.

Nothing would have

happened to you.

- You don't understand.

- She's just a kid.

You don't understand,

Harley.

She wouldn't have

gotten in trouble.

She would have gotten help.

- She needs help.

- You don't understand.

Were you embarrassed?

You didn't want

anyone to know?

Misty didn't want

your dad dead!

Is that why you said

you fucking did it?

She...

She was aiming it at me!

She was jealous of me!

She was trying to kill me

and he got in the way!

You're fucking crazy.

You're crazy.

I'm not the crazy one!

I'm not!

You're fucking

hiding in here.

You're fucking hiding in here.

Why did you leave me?

- That's it.

- I'm not hiding!

Come on.

I just want my mom.

I want my fucking mom!

Hi, Harley.

Amber came back.

This is temporary.

I'm not going to live with you

anymore.

I'm moving in with Dylan.

Did he do that

to your face?

Hmm?

Why do you give yourself

to assholes like that?

You don't even make them

work for it.

They want me.

Let's get something straight,

Harley.

You don't ever come to my house

when Brad's around.

I came to pick up Jody.

You didn't come to pick up Jody.

Brad took Jody home hours ago.

You came to make a scene.

And what do you want me

to tell Brad

when he asks

why I had to come out here,

why you had to talk to me,

why I had to sit here

in your truck?

And don't tell me

to tell him the truth.

- Where'd you go today?

- I went shopping.

- Where'd you go Thursday?

- To the fucking library.

What is this?

Why are you asking me

where I've been?

Where I go is none

of your business!

I wanted to make sure

you weren't mad at me.

Mad at you for what?

You left.

When? Wednesday?

You knew I had to leave.

Do you think we could

do it sometime

when you didn't

have to leave?

Why did you really

come here?

Did you really think

I was going to come out here

and give you what you wanted

while my husband and kids

were sitting inside?

I'm not going

to fuck up my family.

I'm not going to do it.

Do you understand?

But I love you.

Let's just...

stick to the mining office

like we planned.

Okay.

I'll see you Wednesday.

Altmyer.

Man, do not come back here

until you take a bath.

Oh, God, Jesus.

Whoo.

I was going

to leave you a note,

but I thought it was

a big enough deal

that I should say bye to you

in person.

Who's watching Jody?

Fuck you. I'm standing here

telling you

I'm never going

to see you again,

and all you care about

is who's watching Jody.

Misty's watching her.

I don't like Misty

watching Jody.

Well, that's too fucking bad,

because that's all you got

anymore.

Where are you going?

I'm moving in

with Dylan.

I'm serious.

He's way different

from all the other guys.

Why?

Because he hits you?

Is that what you want?

Someone to hit you?

I don't get it.

You didn't like it

when Dad hit you.

Or did you?

You're sick.

Would you stay if I hit you?

Well, do you want me to stay?

If you want.

Well, are you

asking me to stay?

Till you figure things out,

sure.

Well, Dylan will be really mad

if I stay.

For Christ's sakes, Amber.

Tell him I won't let you.

Really? You want me

to tell him that?

Yeah.

Okay.

Fuck.

- Fuck.

- What's wrong?

Fuck. Put some fucking

clothes on.

You were liking it.

Put some clothes on.

You said you wanted me to stay.

Get off me. Get off me.

Fucking get off me!

What's wrong with you?

You thought it was her.

You thought you were

fucking her.

I know all about it!

I know all about you and her

in that fucking shed!

She doesn't love you.

She doesn't love you!

She could never love you.

Amber used to touch me

when we were kids.

I remember.

She used to come into bed

with me and touch me.

Where did she touch you?

You need to say it,

Harley.

You need to say it in order

to confront it

so it can go away.

It's not ever

going to go away.

It can fade

to almost nothing.

It can, I promise.

She touched you where?

My penis.

Did you touch her?

No.

She was behind me.

She came into my bed.

Why do you think

she came into your bed?

Hmm?

Think about it.

She was afraid of Dad.

And you let her stay?

- Why?

- I was afraid of him too.

I want you to listen to me

very carefully, Harley.

You are not a bad person.

There is nothing wrong

with you or Amber.

You were children

reacting to abuse

the only way you knew how:

by turning to each other

for comfort.

What made you remember?

Do you know?

Did something happen?

- I can't.

- Yes, you can.

- You can.

- No, I can't.

You can.

What happened?

She was in bed with me

and I was sleeping.

When?

Last night.

Did she touch you?

I don't know.

I was sleeping,

and she...

she didn't have

any clothes on.

How did you react?

What do you mean?

What kind of question is that?

I'm not...

I'm not sick.

I am not implying you are.

I'm thinking

about Amber now.

I'm concerned about

how she might be feeling.

This was all her fault.

She was the one

who wanted to do it.

No, she didn't want to do it.

- She did.

- Harley, try to understand.

Your sister

isn't the villain here.

She is suffering

just as much as you are.

Where's Amber right now?

I don't know.

It doesn't matter.

She can take care

of herself.

Right now, you're feeling

shame and guilt.

Amber is feeling all that,

but she's also

feeling rejected.

I want you to lie down

on the couch here

and get some rest.

My jobs.

Don't worry.

I'll take care

of everything.

I heard your fight

with Amber.

What did you hear?

I heard you

screaming at her

and telling her

to put her clothes back on.

Look, I don't care

what you and Amber do.

We're not that different,

you know.

The way we think.

We're both sort of weird.

I'm not really the way

a girl's supposed to be,

and you're not really the way

a guy's supposed to be.

What do you mean?

I mean, you hate sports

and you keep that art book

in your truck.

There's nothing wrong

with a guy liking art.

And there's nothing wrong

with a girl liking to hunt.

Nobody said there was.

Dad thought there was.

Dad loved taking you hunting.

No, he didn't.

He took me

because I wanted to go.

But he always wished

that I was you.

He loved you.

No, he didn't.

He didn't love me

like he loved Mom.

That's a different

kind of love.

He never hit her.

Did you ever

think about that?

He never touched her.

That's probably why

she didn't care that he hit us.

She cared.

Then why didn't she try

to stop him?

I know what you did.

I know the truth.

Don't you have

anything to say?

You're the one

that should have done it.

Hi, this is Dr. Parks.

It's Wednesday, 7:00 p.m.

I'm at my home office.

Amber. Amber?

If you're there,

please, call me back.

I didn't know

what else to do.

What about me?

Who's going to take care of me?

So, this woman.

How do you know her?

She's a neighbor.

Jody plays with her kid.

Is Jody the little one

we found hiding in the woods

the night your daddy was shot?

Yeah.

She's the little one.

I want to make a call.

We're not done yet.

I get one phone call,

and I want to make it now.

All right.

Go ahead.

Make your phone call.

Hello?

Uncle Mike?

It's me, Harley.

I want to talk to Jody.

Jody?

Jody's in bed asleep.

What are you doing

calling here?

I get one call.

This is your

one phone call?

Yeah.

Jesus, Harley.

They might give you

the death penalty for this.

Right.

I know.

You get one phone call,

and you call a six-year-old

little girl.

Uncle Mike.

I'm sorry.

I can't wake her.

You know much

about guns, Harley?

Some.

Enough to know how powerful

that rifle of yours is,

and the damage it can cause

at close range?

So, my question to you is,

why didn't you shoot her

from a distance?

You got a nice scope

on that rifle.

You could have climbed up

those hills behind her house

and shot her

in the front yard

and said it was

a hunting accident,

and no one would have

suspected anything,

because no one knew

there was anything going on

between you two,

right?

Her husband didn't know.

Did you tell him?

No.

But I did talk with him

when we retrieved the body.

And he said you liked her,

and she was fond of you.

I want to go to jail.

Fair enough.

I just have one more question

for you.

- Okay.

- Why did you kill her?

What do you mean?

You loved her, right?

Yeah.

Well, I'm not saying

people that love each other

don't kill each other,

but they usually think

they have a pretty good reason

for doing it.

I wanted her to leave

her husband

and she said

she wouldn't.

So you killed her?

Okay, let me see if I can

get this straight here.

You...

you're going to meet with her

to have sex with her,

and you decide to kill her.

Then you throw up

next to her body,

and you fold her hands

peacefully across her chest,

you drive yourself

to the police station

and give us a nice,

neat confession.

And then you call your baby

sister to see how she's doing.

Is that about right?

The only problem

with that is,

is you're talking about

two people.

One is a cold-blooded

psychopath

and the other is a decent kid

that's just had a shitty life.

Can you explain to me

how you could be both?

I have a split personality.

And that's why

you see the shrink.

I want to go to jail now.

Are you ready, ma'am?

Hi, Harley.

How are you doing?

Good.

Are you sleeping?

I'm fine.

How are the girls?

They're adjusting.

Did you get

Jody's letter?

I came to see

how you were doing.

I hope that's okay?

Is it still

part of your job?

No.

No, I guess it isn't.

Then why are you here?

Because, Harley,

truthfully,

what you are doing

is sacrificing yourself

for someone.

Am I correct?

Because I have reason

to doubt the account

that you gave

in your statement.

And because I believe

that even though you have

been through more than most,

you are not a murderer.

Is there anything

you want to tell me, Harley?

Anything at all?

I thought you came to see me

because you cared about me.

That's the truth.

I do care about you.

But I can't help you

if you won't let me.

Then I'm sorry

I've wasted your time.

I know who you are.

You don't belong here.

Yes, I do.

No!

Harley! Harley!

Dear Harley,

how are you?

I am fine.

Amber and Misty

are fine too.

Uncle Mike let me bring

all my dinosaurs to his house.

Amber has her own room.

I still have to share

with Misty.

I hope you will

come back soon.

I miss my life.

Your sister, Jody.

Subtitles by explosiveskull

Back Roads (2018) - full transcript