Papaw Land (2021) - full transcript
A troubled teenager spends the summer with his grandfather in the Ozarks, where he's free from his mother, but not her painful past.
Okay, well do what you want,
because you're going to anyway.
He only cares about himself,
I wonder
where he gets that from.
Okay, well, you can come
and talk to him about this.
What I'm doing wrong.
You know, I'm over here
trying to deal with chaos.
As if that's gonna help him.
He's a punk!
He blames everybody else.
No responsibility.
You know,
you're just like me.
I know you don't want to
hear that, but you are.
I know how angry you are.
I just don't want it
to be like it was
with me and Daddy, you know?
We didn't see each other much
after I left the house.
I know that I--
I told you about, you know,
about him being mean, but...
it was a whole
lot more than that.
When my mom got sick...
she would just
go through these phases
where she would lay there
in that bed.
For weeks, sometimes.
And Papaw got to where...
he treated me more like
a wife than a daughter.
So when I was about 16,
and I met your daddy...
he told me that he loved me,
or he cared about me.
I don't even know
if I believed him,
but I wanted to.
So...
The truth is...
I got myself pregnant
just as quick as I could.
And I just wanted to
throw it in Papaw's face
and get the hell out of there.
And it worked.
He pretty much disowned me.
And I pretty much disowned him.
I'm not carrying everything!
I said I'll get mine!
Daddy?
I think he's in there.
- You need the bathroom?
- Yeah.
Try not to flush.
The well's low.
All right, I won't.
- Good night.
- Good night.
Good night, Christy.
Come here,
you bastards, come on.
Yeah, come on.
Come here.
Get it. Come on.
Come here, get it.
That's right, little fucker.
Not as if
I'm trying to ask you...
Okay.
...What your
opinion is on my parenting.
I'm telling you because
he's probably gonna
bring it up this summer,
and I need to know
what's goin' on.
He's out, he's out partying',
he's sneaking' out at night, I--
the truth is, I don't even
really know what he's doing.
Ah,
he isn't really a bad kid--
Now, I didn't say
he's a bad kid,
I said he's headed
down a bad path,
and I have
one more year with him.
You're not around him
all the time,
you don't see him at home,
you're not seeing
the side of him that I've seen.
Uh, you-- you've--
you've always worried
a little bit about him.
- He's 17 years old!
- That--
He's barely
holding' it together right now!
I don't even feel like
I know who he is.
How am I supposed to help a kid
that I don't even know
who he is?
Hey.
Packin' up?
Listen, Matthew,
I don't know what you heard.
I'm just tryin'
to ask for his help.
I'm not your father.
I've tried.
He's the only option we got.
You can stay longer,
you know it.
Mmm, I know it.
I'll be back.
I have to be, don't I?
Ah, he wants to stay
forever, he ain't leavin'.
Mmm. Mm-hmm.
I love you, you know it.
I love you too, Daddy.
-Love you.
-Love you, too.
Remember, Matthew, no drinkin',
and stay out of trouble.
You're here to help Papaw
and get your head clear.
-Okay?
-I know.
Promise me?
- Promise.
- Okay.
- Hey, what's up?
- Eh, nothin' much.
Just hangin' out.
I just heard
Mom talkin' shit about me.
- Oh, really?
- Yeah.
Heard you can't drive.
That sucks, dude.
Yeah, it does.
I'm stuck at home just to her.
Fuck that, dude.
I don't even want her.
God dammit, my fuckin' ear!
- You all right there?
- Jesus!
You good?
There's this girl
that lives up here, um,
- right down.
- Yeah, sure.
Who is she?
Just this freshman up the road.
She said she wanted to hang out.
She was a freshman,
or will be a freshman?
Uh, she will be.
How'd you guys meet?
Uh, I met her
at church, actually.
On her knees.
All right.
I didn't
mean it like that I just, um,
didn't really expect
to see you here.
Yes, good job.
We're gonna check on that, soon.
Yeah?
Um, I heard you had a game.
I've had a few,
but it's just, like,
some running,
so it doesn't matter.
Like, please,
don't take offense to this.
Um, I don't really
understand baseball.
Like, at all, so,
when you said that, I got--
- Mm, really hurts.
- Um, I'm sorry, I just--
but, I mean,
you can explain it to me.
Um, so basically
with baseball, you have, well--
you got two teams, right?
Um, got the pitcher,
you got, uh,
a few basemen, all those guys.
Um, pitcher throws
the ball at them, and--
Wait, at 'em?
Like, right at 'em?
Isn't that kind of,
like, dangerous?
Um, okay, so.
The pitcher's supposed
to throw the ball, like,
next to the batter,
so he can hit the ball.
- Oh.
- Sometimes he does
- hit the batter, and so--
- Oh.
- Yeah, it sucks.
- Oh, yeah.
But you get a free
base, you get a head start.
-Yeah, sure.
-Hey, um.
You guys mind if
I play video games?
Oh, uh, yeah, on my--
the controller's on that thing.
- All right.
- What were you saying?
That's basically--
that's, like,
all the important stuff,
I guess.
Hmm. Okay.
Yep. Good. Good.
I'll tell you somethin'.
They'll call somebody...
And they...
Well, we'll be back.
Where's Robbie off to?
Said he had practice.
- You had a good time?
- Yeah.
You're awful quiet over there.
You homesick?
Nah. I'm just tired.
The truth is...
I got myself pregnant
just as quick as I could.
And I just wanted to
throw it in Papaw's face
and get the hell out of there.
He treated me
more like a wife...
than his daughter.
-Mornin'.
-Mornin'.
Felt like cookin' some eggs.
Yeah.
You know how to cook eggs,
don't you?
-Yeah.
-Okay, get over here. Do it.
We have a mess here.
We have a mess.
Hey! Grandpa!
Where do I put the trash?
I'll take it.
And don't forget, there's trash
- in the Fellowship Hall, too.
- All right.
For Jesus since
You came here as our Savior,
well, all we know, all things
are possible through You, Lord.
Hallelujah. Hallelujah.
Lo, and we believe
Your mighty touch, Lord.
We believe in this touch.
Faith itself in Jesus Christ.
Hallelujah.
Why don't you go?
At least let me go.
No, you can stay right there.
-Never tell him that.
-How old.
-Come on, now.
-Oh, the bo--
the word gonna get out.
She's talking
about acting, you know--
We thank You for...
supplying our every need,
Father God.
Bless us in good times
and times of trouble,
Father God.
We know that
you will never leave us
or forsake us, Father God.
I ask you to bless this food.
Bless our family.
In Jesus' name, amen.
Mmm.
Well?
How's school goin'?
- It's pretty boring.
- Pretty boring?
Yeah, I know, as I recall,
it was pretty boring
when I was in school.
Ah...
thought anything more
about what you gonna do
once you-- when you finish?
Well, you must,
so you might wanna
start thinkin' about it.
Gonna get here pretty quick.
Have you ever thought
about, uh-- about the Army?
Army? Navy?
I found some pictures of you
in the chest.
Oh, yeah? Which ones?
A couple
when you're pretty little,
and some other a bit later on.
Mmm.
Well, that might be
all there is.
We didn't ever take very many.
I found one of you
when you were pregnant.
Oh, really?
I bet that's the one
I sent to Meemaw.
You looked really young in it.
Well, I was, Matthew. I was 16.
Are you doin' okay?
Yeah, I'm fine.
Well, your Papaw's
concerned about you.
He said he thinks you're tired
of bein' around him.
If he's concerned,
it's cause you told him to be.
Hello?
Hey, man.
- Hey, what's going on?
- Uh, not much.
We got a request.
For what?
Uh, Emily said
she's havin' a friend over.
And she wants us
to come hang out.
Oh, yeah?
Yeah, I'm not sure.
What do you think?
You wanna go?
Okay.
She should be asleep.
How 'bout her dad?
I've never seen him.
Uh, I don't think he's around.
We're not gonna
get you in trouble, are we?
Uh, no, my mom's
sleeping in her room, so.
- You sure?
- No, you're fine. Yeah.
All right, um, get a snack.
Um, do you have anything
to mix this with?
Uh, yeah.
Um,
I'll just get the orange soda.
Here, try that.
Ugh. I don't think so.
Um, okay,
do you want to put
-some more soda in that?
-Yeah.
Hey, Robbie.
Can we hurry this up, man?
Yeah,
I'm going as fast as I can.
Right, okay, God, it just
looks like we're drinking soda.
Oh, um, by the way,
I don't think Nicole's coming.
Why?
Well, I'm guessing
she's too afraid to sneak out.
So when are we gonna
go to Nicole's?
We're not.
Phew, wait,
you're trying to keep us
both for yourself, huh?
- No.
- Uh-huh. Yeah.
I'm not.
It's warm.
Oh, my gosh.
Stop!
Get away!
What was that for?
For-- for my cake.
You ate it!
Oh, you know what?
It was good, too.
What? Oh, it was?
I don't know.
Should I pray?
You know,
- I don't know.
- I see.
Um, where would I go?
I might go to-- to Yale.
Ah, that one's probably good.
Cause
that could be the last one.
Hey, uh, wait here.
Just-- just gotta
grab somethin' real quick.
Emily?
Is that you?
Emily?
Little middle school girl.
That's--
that's sick.
Emily Stanton.
You like takin' advantage
of little girls, Robbie?
No. I won't see her again.
You don't have to
worry about that.
You sure as hell better not!
Better not see her, talk to her,
even look in her direction,
you hear me?
Fuck off, mate!
Yeah?
What are you gonna do about it?
Why you little fucking--
It's your fuckin' fault, dude.
Couldn't stay the fuck outside.
It's probably Matthew.
That jerk.
You know he's a jerk.
Not like Robbie.
- Oh.
- So...
- Not good.
- No. It's not good.
And I-- I-- I don't know
what she was thinkin',
lettin' him
into her house like that.
But I know
what they were thinkin'.
I mean, what'd they think...
You okay this mornin'?
Yeah, I'm fine.
Did y'all camp?
Ah, just hung out,
played some video games.
Yeah.
Paula told me more than that,
you know it.
You gonna sleep
the day away, know it?
There's yard work need doin'.
Rise and shine, rise and shine.
- All right. All right.
- I'm the rooster.
Get out of there.
Come on. Let's go!
Is your mama doin' okay?
Yeah, I guess.
Good.
You're not makin' it
too hard on her, are you?
No. Did she tell you that?
Mm, I reckon not.
She said that...
she said you weren't acting
like yourself.
How am I supposed to act?
The Matthew I know
is a-- is a happy fella.
It's hard to get him down.
I know it's been a tough year.
What do you mean, Daddy?
What did he do?
He was drinkin', he-- what?
You don't know?
Uh, Matthew didn't have
a whole lot to--
uh, he didn't have a whole lo--
a whole lot
to say for himself, but--
Well,
what did Paula tell you?
What were they doin'
with this girl, Daddy?
Uh,
I don't know exactly, uh--
-Well, what do you know?
-I dunno.
- My God, I told you, didn't I?
- Yeah.
Told you you had
to keep an eye on him.
- All right.
- Put me on the phone with him.
- Let me talk to him.
- Well--
Well, hold on,
just a second.
Matthew!
Telephone.
- Hello?
- I thought you two
might do somethin' stupid.
But I told myself
to trust you again.
What do you have to say
for yourself, Matthew?
Did you hear me?
I know what you did.
Go on, Matthew. Talk!
I'm not doing this.
I'm comin' for you on Saturday.
So be ready.
I hope you make these
last few days count, Matthew.
He may not be around
much longer.
They got old grudges
that go back 50 years,
family feuds, and wonder,
"Why we don't have
a move of God,"
and they're always
lookin' to blame the pulpit.
You will never have
a move of God
until you forgive!
Unfortunately,
the hatred we carry around...
till all
of our enemies are dead,
will kill us first.
Revenge makes
about as much sense
as biting a dog,
because he bit you!
And we sit around judgmentally,
keepin' score on one another!
It's too late to keep score!
Nothing can provide...
the transforming,
cleansing of God as experienced
when a soul gives
and receives forgiveness.
Powering new life,
new hope, new joy,
and the river of God...
...flowing again into the cold,
bitter heart-- vanished!
Jesus said, "Into Thy hands
I commend my spirit,"
but He could not commend
His spirit until he said,
"Forgive,"
because God does not touch
spirits of unforgiveness.
Somebody
ought to make some phone calls.
Hello?
Hey, it's Matthew,
Robbie's cousin.
Can you talk for a minute?
Oh, hey.
I can't talk right now,
my mom's here.
Are you going tonight?
Yeah. Yeah. I'll be there.
You ready to go?
Yeah.
Okay, let's go.
Good evening, folks.
How are you doing?
- How are you doin'?
- Oh, I'm awful good.
Well,
it's a good evening there.
Hey, good evening, good evening!
Good to see you.
- Okay.
- Good to see you.
- Doin' well?
- Doin' good.
How are you?
Good to see you.
With that, um--
I think it doesn't really matter
where we are in life,
or where we think it's going,
we still need the prayers
of our-- of our church family.
- Amen?
- Amen!
Come forward to the altar,
if you have that need.
Amen, amen.
Praise the Lord.
Lift up,
and with the Lord--
just put Your
healing touch on Matthew.
Lord, just
us to...
Praise the Lord.
I know that You're gonna
lead our-- our support,
and You're gonna
help them.
Hallelujah!
Amen.
Praise the Lord.
Up, down, and bless...
Praise You, Lord.
He's gonna be with us,
right now and always,
be with him.
Death and...
Hey, um, I just wanna say
I'm sorry for getting us caught
the other day.
It's not your fault.
I'm pretty sure my mom heard me
coming in before you, so--
No, it-- it was-- I got
way too crazy and out of hand.
Have you heard
anything from Robbie?
Um, no,
I haven't heard anything,
I'm-- I know
he's in trouble with his mom,
but that's about it.
Then, um,
why won't he message me?
Did he say anything?
Um, he-- he's not really
supposed to talk to you.
Okay.
But, you know, it's just, like,
his mom's saying that, right?
So--
Um, a-- a little bit.
What do you mean?
I don't...
He just
doesn't like you in that way.
Listen, you really like him,
don't you?
- Yeah.
- Yeah, he--
he doesn't like you
in the way that you like him.
Look, now-- he thinks
you're his good friend and all,
but that's it.
Why didn't he just tell me that?
Um...
to be honest, I don't think
he really cares about...
about it.
But if it makes you
feel any better,
I really like you.
Why?
I think you're really cute
and funny, and...
I just really like
talking to you.
His heart unto his soul,
his spirit, to whatever
You have for him, Father.
Be with him,
as he makes amends with his--
with his family,
for love and work of him...
Hey, have you-- have
you ever seen what's back there?
Uh, no.
Come here, I'll show you.
Wonder why this is in here.
Um, I think a family
stayed here a while ago.
-In Jesus' name, in Jesus' name.
-I'm here to take care of him.
- Hallelujah.
- Amen.
Hallelujah with the spirit.
Be with my kids,
with my grandkid...
How long have
you been coming here for?
Um, about a year ago.
It's when I started, um--
started coming with my Meemaw.
And so your mom didn't come?
No.
Now,
is it just the two of you,
or do you have
any brothers and sisters?
Well, I have some half-brothers,
but I don't really
see them that much,
because they live
in another town.
Are they your dad's?
Uh, yeah.
So you don't see them?
Um, really only on holidays.
Other than that,
that's pretty much it.
Yes, Lord.
Pray for
uh, take the smiting burden
-from Jane for the Lord...
-Lord God, I pray for--
I pray for Matthew, he's got a--
he's got some challenges
in his own life.
A lot of mistakes,
the way You...
It-- it should be over soon.
It'll be fine,
we'll leave when they end.
Um, my Meemaw's probably
looking for me anyways.
Just say
you're talking to a friend.
I'm-- it's true, isn't it?
It's true, but I gotta go.
I'm sorry.
Amen, amen and amen, Lord God.
Amen, and thank you, thank you.
Stop it!
No! Matthew, I've gotta go.
Oh, yeah, go on then.
Stupid bitch.
You're just a fucking slut.
You wanna tell me
what was goin' on?
Church was goin' on too long,
so I just decided to go
sit down there for a little bit.
Sit for a little bit?
Yeah.
What about that young girl
that left the church?
I don't know, I saw her
when I was walking down there,
and she said hi, but that's it.
She said hi?
That's it, huh?
Yeah.
You weren't in the back room
with that girl?
No.
You lie,
you lie through your teeth.
I know what you were doing.
You weren't back there
sittin' down, either.
Is this
the same girl as before,
or a different one?
So the same one, I guess?
Matthew, she is young!
She will follow
whatever you say.
Nothing happened.
Nothing happened?
- No.
- Really?
Look, I didn't do
anything wrong,
and the only reason
I even talked to her
is frickin' Robbie, okay?
Matthew, how dare you!
-You got caught!
-I didn't get caught.
You got caught drinking
three days ago,
and then you turn around
and do it again,
only this time
you do it at the church,
which is awesome, by the way.
I didn't do anything
at the church,
I just got bored.
That's it.
How can you treat me
like I'm stupid?
I'm not treating you any way.
I didn't break your trust,
I didn't do anything wrong.
So you didn't make any
of those choices on your own?
No!
Matthew,
what is goin' on with you?
Nothing.
What's goin' on with you?
What do you mean,
what's goin' on with me?
This isn't about me!
I can't even stand to be
in the room with you right now.
- Then go.
- You know what?
You know, I'm done with you.
Just leave!
No one wants you here anyway.
Dammit!
I don't even know
what I was thinkin',
bringin' him here.
As if you were
gonna be able to help him.
I've had him here a few days,
and look at
what he's chosen to do.
I'm gonna miss you,
you know it.
I'm gonna miss you, too.
You'll be all right.
The Lord answers prayers,
he'll answer mine.
Long time ago,
people were prayin' for me.
He answered their prayers.
I really don't wanna go.
Oh, when, uh...
When I was your age...
I wanted to leave home, too.
That's the reason
I went into the army early.
But, uh,
it was because my daddy
threatened my life, you know it.
One evening,
I came in and he had a...
he had a knife
to my mama's throat.
I-- I stopped him
from doin' something
he would've regretted.
But the old drunk
didn't see it that way.
So my mama got me out of there.
She was-- she was protecting me.
And that's what
your mama's doin' for you.
Yeah, she--
she acts tough, but, uh,
without you?
She'd fall to pieces.
She wouldn't put
one foot in front of the other.
You're the reason
she keeps goin'.
You're a--
you're a blessed young man.
You just don't know it yet.
Matthew, can I-- can I pray
for you before you go?
Yeah.
Father God...
I just thank You for bringing
this boy into my life.
I ask for Your love
and Your protection for him
during his life.
Watch over him,
as he goes along.
We ask that
you keep him from makin'
some of the mistakes
that I made in my life.
Help him to find his way.
Help him to know what to do.
Bless him, keep him...
and bring him home.
In Jesus' name.
Amen.
- Love you, know it.
- I love you, too.
I love you.
We'll be okay.
I'm gonna forgive him.
I'm workin' on it.
I just need you
to understand that--
I'm not okay.
I know I'm not.
And I know you're not, either.
I have passed all my--
resentment and anger
down to you.
And I want to ask
for your forgiveness.