The Woodcarver (2012) - full transcript

Our security cameras caught

Matthew vandalizing the church.

Security cameras?

The insurance

company requires them.

We're extremely

disappointed in you, Matthew.

This is very serious.

Sit up, Matthew! The

pastor's talking to you!

Would you stop

yelling at him, please?

Yelling at him?

I haven't started

yelling at him!

Maybe if you paid

more attention to him

and just tried talking to him...

Oh, please! You're one to talk.

You're never home,

Miss "I wanna get a job".

Well, I had to get a job

because somebody... Mr. and

Mrs. Stevenson. Please.

Now I've spoken with

the church deacons.

We won't bring criminal charges

under the condition the

windows are replaced

and Matthew helps to

fix what he destroyed.

You better believe Matthew

will help fix the church.

I'll make sure of that.

Oh, so now you want to play Dad?

Would you get off

my back, please?

Why are you always

blaming everything on me?

I'm getting sick and tired

of hearing it! Jack!

Jack! Rita. Please.

Matthew, would you

mind stepping outside?

I'd like a word

with your parents.

Don't you go far!

Well, it appears the separation

is taking its toll on everyone,

especially Matthew.

It's been really hard.

Hard or not, vandalizing

the church is unacceptable.

Well, this is true. But

you have to understand,

Matthew sees his world

as crumbling all around him.

I think he's having

real trouble coping.

A lot of kids'

parents get divorced.

It's not an excuse

to break the law.

Mr. and Mrs. Stevenson,

I didn't ask Matthew to

step out to talk about him.

What do you mean?

I wanted to talk about

what's going on in your lives.

You know, with the divorce.

I thought we were

here to talk about

what my son did to the church.

I took time off

of work for this.

Well, once again,

Jack, it is all about you.

Yeah, maybe it... Jack,

I do want to talk about that.

But have you both

thought about this divorce?

Have you prayed about it?

I don't think that prayer can

save this marriage, Pastor.

Oh, never underestimate

the power of prayer, Jack.

But I meant, have

you prayed together?

We don't go to church

anymore, Pastor.

Well, couples need more than

just going to church together.

They need to work

on building a marriage

that's based on a foundation

of equally turning

themselves over to the Lord.

Pastor, I am not here

for a counseling session.

All right? So if you don't

want to talk to Matthew,

I need to get back to work.

You know how busy we are.

Well, how are plans on the

new Sunday school coming?

Great. We should go

over them later today.

Sure. Sure.

Oh, I'll make sure Matthew

comes by every day

to help out with the repairs.

He cares more about

his job than his own son.

I'm going to pray

for your family, Rita.

I know.

Thanks.

Hello, gentlemen.

Pastor, we've been

doing some calculations

and if you want the Sunday

school finished by winter,

we need to get the

carved beams and trim

no later than October 30.

And that only gives us four

weeks to complete construction.

We're concerned

Mr. Otto won't be able

to deliver the wood on time.

Well, Ernest

carved the original,

so I think we're lucky

to still have him around.

I know since his wife

passed away last year

he's been a little

reclusive, but as long

as I've known Ernest, he's

never missed a deadline.

Well, look, I know

the man is a legend

and I know you want the

Sunday school and the church

to look the same.

But if we don't get

that wood on time,

we're not gonna finish

this project until next spring.

We do have a backup

plan. What is that?

Well, we replace the carved

beams with standard beams

and all the molding and

trim with new plastic trim.

Now, that's all termite-proof,

weather-proof and

comes prefabricated.

Prefabricated.

That just doesn't seem right.

We've already

started the foundation.

Can we just say that if

the wood isn't here on time,

we'll have the prefab

stuff ready to go?

Well, let's hope old Ernest

can come through with it.

I'll get him on it.

Thank you, sir.

Ernest.

Pastor.

I haven't seen you

in town for a while.

Well, I haven't been

in town for a while.

What happened to my

wood? Oh! Vandalism.

Can you imagine?

No.

So what do you think?

Can you replace it?

I don't think so.

Ah, no one else

can match that detail.

That "no one else" includes me.

We all miss Christine.

I just don't care anymore.

Have you prayed about

it? Prayed for guidance?

Never underestimate

the power of prayer.

You sound just like her, Pastor.

She was truly a

woman of great faith.

Even in her final days, when...

her body was

riddled with cancer...

she still believed the

Lord would save her.

I even bought into it myself.

I prayed with her every day.

I begged the Lord not to

take her, but he didn't listen.

He took her anyway.

She prayed for the

Lord to save her.

And I believe,

with all my heart,

the Lord answered her prayer.

Answered?

Have you taken a look into

the cemetery lately, Pastor?

Well, Christine understood

that eternal salvation's

of far greater importance

than that of simply

healing one's body.

The Lord answered

her prayer, Ernest.

He brought her home.

What was the first piece

of wood you ever carved?

Do you remember?

It was a plaque

for Sunday school.

I was about eight

or nine years old.

Do you remember what it said?

I do: "WWJD".

"What would Jesus do?"

Sounds like pretty good advice.

Oh, by the way, that plaque...

still hangs at the

Sunday school.

Well, this is the knife

I used to carve it.

Good day, sir.

What can I do for

you? Jack Stevenson.

I'm building the Sunday

school over there at the church.

Oh, so I heard. Yeah.

I got some good news for

you... A letter of assignment.

A letter of, uh... What is that?

It releases you from

your contract and assigns

all obligations and liabilities

over to my boss and I.

Oh, you're talking

about the wood.

Yeah, if you sign it,

you're not liable for

holding up the project.

You said "not liable for the..."

We're bailing you out.

No one carves wood for

construction anymore, Mr. Otto.

It's all done by machines.

It's called prefabrication.

Oh, that's what

they're calling it, huh?

Yeah, I got a pen

right here for you.

I'm gonna read it

first, if you don't mind.

Yeah, sure, go ahead.

I'll be doing that later.

Fair enough.

You know, Mr. Otto,

you shouldn't look a

gift horse in the mouth.

I'll come back tomorrow.

Matty, get down here!

Oh. Yuck.

What's this?

I'm getting a tattoo.

I'm trying the design out.

No way.

What's the big

deal? It's just a tattoo.

Well, you're having dinner

with your father tonight.

You can ask him

about a tattoo... then.

Matthew. Oh, yeah.

Dad called yesterday.

You didn't tell me

that. What did he say?

Said he can't make

it tonight. What?

Big surprise, Mom...

He blew us off again.

Well, did he say why?

I mean, why didn't he call me?

I don't now. He made

plans or something.

Matty, I gotta

work late tonight.

I'm not gonna be

home until after 7:30.

Um... Well, remember...

You have to work

at the church today

and there are hot

dogs in the freezer.

And no tattoos.

That's awesome.

It's called wood.

It's not just wood; it's maple.

Some foolish person

broke it to pieces.

What are you looking at? I

just discovered something.

Here, come here.

You see this grain,

and how beautiful it is?

It's called flame and quilt.

Now that only happens

randomly in individual trees.

You don't discover it until

after you've sawn the wood.

It's just a piece

of broken wood.

Not just a broken piece of

wood. It's hardwood maple.

It's the wood of

choice for bowling pins,

guitars, pool cues...

Even baseball bats.

Baseball bats, huh?

Yeah, most

big-league sluggers...

Bam!

Use maple bats.

Why are you telling me this?

'Cause it's my wood.

What do you mean, yours?

I carved it.

All of it.

Are you the one that's

gonna remake the wood?

The Lord makes the wood.

I just carve it.

Maybe I will, maybe I won't.

Flame and quilt, huh?

Yeah. Flame and quilt.

If you wanna see what

I can do with wood,

come up to my place.

Where do you live?

By the dugouts next to the

horse farm. You know where it is?

Yeah. Good.

Well, it doesn't

mean I'm coming.

That's entirely up to you.

Mr. Stevenson. Ernest.

You have that letter for me?

Oh yeah.

Great.

Uh, you need to

sign this, Ernest.

No, my friend, I... I don't

have to sign anything.

All the beams and trim in

what, less than a month?

You can't possibly do that.

Well, I've been carving wood

now since before you were born.

That's exactly my point.

Then again, it's my

problem, not yours, huh?

No, it's my problem.

I got a church to fix and

a Sunday school to build.

If I don't, I don't get

paid until next year.

How about this?

You start building...

and I'll get you the wood.

If you don't?

Well, if I don't, then I

guess I'll be in default

and you can go

ahead and start using

all that prefab stuff

you like so much.

You need to sign this, Ernest.

You'll never get it done.

Shouldn't you be in school?

I quit.

This is how we make

lumber out of timber.

Come here and give

me a hand, will you?

Shove that saw horse

underneath it, will you?

It's been done like this

for thousands of years.

Thousands? Yeah, thousands.

Indians used to carve their

own fish hooks and pipe stems.

Polynesians,

they'd carve these...

really intricate

patterns into the panels.

Yeah, but thousands? Thousands.

Jesus carved wood.

He was a carpenter.

Jesus, huh?

Yeah, our savior

was a woodcarver.

You, uh...

You got any interest in

doing something this old?

Sure.

Hm!

Step into my office. I

wanna show you something.

These are the tools of the

trade. This is a carving knife.

Used for paring,

cutting, smooth edges.

This... is a gouge.

It's got a curved edge here

for carving hollows

and rounds...

other curves in the wood.

This here is a

chisel. Straight, see?

It's used for flat

surfaces, mostly,

or creating a line for an inlay.

This is the v-tool that

emphasizes your lines for you.

It gives it a 3D effect.

And this is the veiner.

See that?

Creates deep gouges.

How'd you learn so

much about carving wood?

Well, that's what I do.

I've been doing

it for a long time.

Say, what is it that you do

now that you've quit school?

I'm not sure yet.

I'm thinking about

joining the military.

I just need to get

away from my parents.

Hm.

Well, you know,

joining the military's...

that's a very honorable

and noble thing to do, but...

I'm not quite so sure I'd, uh...

join just to get away

from my parents.

Well, I gotta do something.

I can't take them

anymore, you know?

Oh, yeah.

Yeah, yeah.

So tell me, kid...

why'd you try to

destroy the church?

How'd you know it was me?

Well, it's a small

town. Come on!

Word gets around.

Do you want me to leave?

Nah.

I've made enough

mistakes in my life...

things I'm not proud of.

You know, everybody

makes mistakes.

The key to that is how

you make 'em right.

So how can I fix what I did?

Well, you can ask

for forgiveness.

Forgiveness from the pastor?

Or from you? Well...

asking the pastor

for forgiveness

is a good place to start, sure.

But I was thinking

more of, uh...

asking the Lord for forgiveness.

You mean pray. Yeah.

I've prayed before.

It never works.

Listen, kid, I've got an idea.

Why don't, uh, you

and I work together

and fix that church up, huh?

I could use the help.

Well, I'm supposed

to, but... what can I do?

I mean, I... I don't know

anything about carving wood.

Yeah, but I do.

You know, now that

I got a little bit of a...

hitch in my giddy-up,

I could sure use the help

humping around those

big pieces of timber.

What do you say?

I could do that.

Okay.

Step over here.

Take this strap off the

block for me, will you?

Sure does take a lot

more time than I thought.

Hey, um...

my dad works at Sandstone.

He's in charge of building

the Sunday school.

I know. I recognized

the last name.

He doesn't want you

to make the wood.

He doesn't think you

can. He told me as much.

Well, how much do

you have to make?

Four carved beams and all

the trim by the end of October.

Can you do it?

Well, with two men

working, you bet I can.

Matthew!

What are you doing

here? Working, Dad.

You're supposed to be

working at the church.

Well, Pastor Clark

told me to help Mr. Otto.

I told the pastor you'd

be working at the church.

Not here.

Get home.

But, Dad... Don't but

me, Matthew. Home.

Now! Matthew, home!

You knew he was my son?

I did.

You know he quit school,

vandalized the church?

Broke the windows,

costing me a fortune?

I did. I don't want

him working here.

Well, it was my wood he damaged.

And the right thing would be

for him to own up to it

and work to make it right.

You don't tell me

how to raise my boy!

I wouldn't dream of it.

You're doing one

heck of a job yourself.

All right.

I don't want him

involved in this.

We want to give you

eighty cents on the dollar

to take over your contract.

Eighty cents on the

dollar, don't have to work.

Sounds great, no thanks.

My boss is willing to

go as high as a buck.

And that's without you

delivering one piece of wood.

Again, sounds like a great

deal, but I have to pass.

Ernest, it's free money!

Why don't you just take it?

Well... I know it

sounds foolish, but...

over the years I've

been accustomed to...

getting paid for

doing a job and...

cashing a check for doing

nothing just doesn't seem right.

I'm offering you a

way out here, Ernest.

I suggest you take it.

I, uh, hear that loud and clear

and I'm declining your offer.

All right, suit yourself.

My son does not work here.

And you keep him out of

this, do you understand me?

Oh, dear Lord.

This house is falling

apart without me.

Unbelievable.

Where is he? In his room.

Matthew, get down here!

Now!

He tell you what happened? Yes.

And? And what?

It's no big deal to you?

You know, I had

plans the other night.

You were supposed to

take your son out to dinner.

Plans?

Oh, right, right.

Uh, beauty parlor, yoga...

What else? Boyfriend?

That's none of your

business. It is my business.

We're not divorced

yet. Would you stop it?

Your days of telling

me what to do are over.

Well, by the looks

of this place...

someone needs to

tell you what to do.

Well, it is not gonna

be you. It's fine with me.

We need to talk to you.

Sit!

We need to talk to you

about quitting school.

You guys are gonna

play parents now, huh?

Do not take that tone

of voice... What tone?!

Don't talk to your

mother like that!

Like what?

Like you do?

Oh, well, Jack,

he's got you there.

Enough!

We're here to talk

about you, young man.

Why were you at

Mr. Otto's house?

Pastor Clark told

me to help him.

Pastor Clark told you you

had to fix what you destroyed.

That's why he sent me there.

He's carving the

wood for the church.

No, he's not. Sandstone is

doing it or we don't get paid.

Jack, will you just stop it?

Stop involving him

in your work problems.

He involved himself when he

took a baseball bat to the church.

Maybe if you'd been

around a little bit more...

Don't start with me!

Don't start with you?

You know what, guys?

Fine!

I don't wanna work there anyway.

Good, 'cause

you're not going to.

Fine!

Matthew!

Are you happy?

Look what you did.

What I did?

All I did was tell him I didn't

want him to work for Mr. Otto.

What's the big deal?

We told the pastor that he

would help fix the church.

What's the big deal?

The man is taking

money out of our pockets.

What do you think

pays for all this?

You're unbelievable.

I'm unbelievable.

I don't think he

can make it, Jerry.

Well, he'd better not make it.

We got other church

bids coming in.

I don't want anybody

asking for Otto's wood.

You know, this is all

about the partnership

we were talking about.

I'm gonna have the beams

and the deck trim all ready to go.

The minute he doesn't

deliver, nobody's gonna give us

any problem about

starting with ours.

Agreed.

And he's not

gonna deliver, Jack.

I can promise you that.

Pastor Clark...

said I had to help you.

I see.

Ah.

So... what's with the backpack?

I can't live with my

mom or my dad anymore.

And, uh, where

are you gonna live?

I've gotta call your parents.

You guys can't stop

me from running away.

I don't wanna live

with either of you.

Where are you gonna

live? I don't care.

Anywhere but with you.

Matthew, we were worried.

Mom, I can take care of myself.

Really?

How you gonna feed yourself,

huh? How you gonna get a job?

Find a place to

live?! I don't know!

I don't know. All I know is, I

don't wanna live with you...

or with you, Mom.

You listen, Mr. "I

wanna be on my own"...

This is none of my

business... You're right it's not!

Jack! I can appreciate

that, Mr. Stevenson.

I'm not about tell anybody

how to raise their child.

But if your boy needs a

place to stay to clear his head...

then he can stay here with me.

Lord knows, I could

use the company.

Can I, Mom?

Well? Well?

You're not actually

considering this, are you?

Matthew, I am

telling you right now...

Just forget it. Forget it!

You stay right there.

What am I gonna do with him?

Huh? I wanna throw him

in the back of the truck!

I know.

But right now I think he

just needs a little space.

His whole world's being

turned upside down.

I know.

But I don't think us turning

our son over to Ernest Otto

is the answer.

We're not turning

him over to anyone.

I just think he needs a break.

This is your week with him.

If you're comfortable

with him with Ernest...

Jack, I really don't see how

a couple of days could hurt.

Just make sure it's a

couple of days, okay?

Hey, good morning!

Good morning.

Ah! Little early for you, huh?

Yeah.

Last time I got up this early

was to go fishing with my dad.

Hey, listen,

if you're gonna stay here,

I want you to make me

a simple promise, okay?

Yeah, sure, what is it? Okay.

Before you do anything, I need

you to ask yourself a question.

A question?

Yeah.

"WWJD?" What's that?

Well, it's short for,

"What would Jesus do?"

Jesus?

Yeah, before you make

any choice or decision,

I just want you to ask

yourself that simple question.

What would Jesus do? That's all.

See, Jesus came down to

earth to set an example for us.

I thought he came down to,

like... die for us or something.

Oh yeah, that too, but...

but he also came

down to sort of, uh...

show us the way.

Okay. All right,

well, let's see.

Do you think Jesus

woulda quit school?

They didn't have schools

back when Jesus lived.

Well, all right.

You think Jesus would

have vandalized a church?

No. There you go.

See how it works?

Yeah. All right.

All I'm asking you to

do is to consider that

before you take

any course of action

anytime, anywhere,

anytime in your life.

Just ask that simple question:

What would Jesus do?

That's all.

Okay.

So you don't like

that stuff, huh?

No, it's no good.

Yeah, try not to eat

through the enamel.

How's this? Let's see.

Put it right up here.

Okay, watch your fingers.

There you go. Now, that's nice.

See how the grain

is nice and tight?

The way it flows would

be perfect for the wood trim.

And it's got that nice,

honey-colored hue as well.

Um, let's put it on the bench.

How you gonna

make all the spaces

so perfectly spaced apart?

I'll use my fingers.

I've also been doing

this since I was in diapers.

Really? No, not really.

I was, uh... I was 15 years old

when I started. Wow.

Grab me a couple

of clamps, would you?

You started work at 15?

Yeah. Yeah, my folks passed

away and left me this house

and a crop of maple

and myrtle trees.

You were alone at 15? Yeah.

I sure was.

That's insane. Yeah.

Well, I'm almost 16 and

I wanna be on my own.

Well, you know, times

were a lot different back then.

People just grew

up a lot faster.

I don't want you to

think it was easy for me.

It wasn't. It was pretty tough.

If it wasn't for Christine...

I probably wouldn't

have made it.

Who's Christine?

She was my wife.

Yeah, she was the

one who talked me into

taking my father's

trees, carving 'em and...

selling them myself.

Yeah...

she was always right

about stuff like that.

Okay, let's get

back to work here.

Start at the end.

Plain and smooth.

Hey, Ernest?

I know something Jesus would do.

Oh yeah?

What's that?

If he'd quit school...

he'd definitely go back.

I do believe you're right.

You're the one that's

not listening to me.

You just keep saying the

same thing over and over

but it's not gonna

change anything.

Would you stop talking back

to me? Matthew, listen to me!

You have to come home.

No, Mom, I'm staying right here.

You can't stay here

forever. This isn't your home.

It's more of a home

than I've had in a while.

Why are you doing this to

me? Mom, it's not about you.

It's about me and what I need.

What you need?

I don't wanna

live in your house.

I don't wanna live in Dad's

house. I'm happy here.

What you need to do, young man,

is to come home and

be with your family.

What family, Mom?

Matt...

oh, you know what?

He's... doing his

schoolwork? He has to.

It's part of his

promise. Promise?

Yeah. Matthew and I

came to an agreement,

a contract of sorts,

that he has to abide by

in order to stay here. Oh.

Keeping up with his

schoolwork is part of the deal.

Where'd he get those books?

Oh, those were my wife's

books. She was a teacher.

Oh, I remember your wife.

You were married a

long time, weren't you?

Yeah. Seems like a day to

me, but, uh, yeah, over 40 years.

That time with Christine...

The best years of my life.

Well, I wish I had

a marriage like that.

No problems, always

getting along, happiness.

No problems, no fights?

Even if you're in

the perfect marriage,

there's always gonna be

bumps, and we had our fair share.

But you both got

through them. How?

Well, Christine and I

had something that...

many couples don't have.

So what's that?

The Lord.

We turned our lives, our

marriage, everything...

over to Jesus. We put

ourselves in his hands.

You're saying the Lord

helped you with your marriage?

Well, he showed us the

way through his example,

his teaching, his word.

What example? Jesus

wasn't even married.

His example of kindness,

of understanding...

most importantly...

sacrifice.

And his word?

Well, his word was the Bible.

How can the Bible help

me with my marriage?

That thing was written

over 2,000 years ago.

Hey, Mr. Otto?

I need help with a question.

Why don't you go back inside?

I'll be in in a minute. I'm just

saying goodnight to your mom.

Goodnight, Mom.

I love you, Matty.

I love you too.

He wants to stay.

Well... the kid just

needs some space.

But I promise you,

as soon as he's ready,

I'll give him the heave-ho.

Well, um...

thank you for taking

care of my son...

and for being so understanding.

Mrs. Stevenson...

Christine and I made it

through 40-plus years...

because we had balance.

By balance you mean you and

your wife were equally in charge?

No, our marriage had balance

but, uh, Christ was

the head of our family.

Goodnight, Mr. Otto.

Goodnight, Mrs. Stevenson.

Still need help

with the question?

No, I got it.

Good man.

Honey?

Who was that?

Dr. Anabe.

The specialist?

What did he want?

The test was positive

for cancer, Ernest.

It's called a blastoma.

He said most patients

die within months.

There's gotta be some mistake.

There's no way. Oh Lord.

No, no mistake.

No mistake, Ernest. I am sorry.

Oh, sweet Christine.

I prayed so hard.

First my boy and now...

Honey, honey, the Lord

has a plan for all of us.

Oh why?

Why?

Matty!

Matty, get up!

Ernest, what's going on?

Ernest!

What are you doing?

Ernest, the fire!

The wood is burning!

What are you doing?

It's all right,

Matty. It's gone.

There's nothing

we can do about it.

Can't be gone.

Ernest, what are you doing?

Ernest, what are you doing?

What? What are you doing?

I'm making lumber out of

timber so I can cut some wood.

Yeah, but what's the point?

We don't have enough time.

Well, we're gonna have

to find some more time.

How? Well, you can start by...

stacking these up

on the bench for me.

Look, son, you've

only got two choices.

You can either lend a

hand or get out of the way.

Now, I'm pretty sure I know

which choice Jesus would make.

Excuse me, can I have a word?

Yeah, sure.

We lost a lot of

the lumber in a fire.

Fire? What fire?

Where's Matthew?

Matthew's fine.

But most of the wood

we carved got lost and...

I'm gonna need some

time to carve some more.

How'd the fire start?

I don't know.

Matthew didn't...?

No. It wasn't Matthew.

Look, Mr. Stevenson,

I just need a few more

days. I can't help you out.

Look, in a few days I can

get you the entire load.

In the meantime, I can get

you enough wood to get started.

I can still offer you a release

to get out of the contract,

all right? That's it.

Hey, I'll get you your wood.

You'll never get it done.

Well, we'll see about that, huh?

How'd you get him

to go back to school?

Well, he promised me he

would do what Jesus would do.

And we decided that...

Jesus wouldn't quit school.

Jesus?

He hated church, remember?

He took a baseball bat to one.

Ah, he doesn't hate church.

Disappointed in church,

disappointed in the Lord.

He thinks he got

betrayed, let down.

How was he betrayed?

Well, he prayed that

his parents wouldn't, uh,

get a divorce.

He told you that?

Yeah. He told me that.

We used to go to church

every Sunday. I mean...

Well, then Jerry offered

me, you know, more money

to partner with him in

the construction business

and Rita got busy and...

church took a back seat.

Next thing you know, I'm

on my way to a divorce.

Well, the times you

did go to church,

Matthew apparently

learned that, through Christ,

families stay together,

and now he feels betrayed.

Rita and I getting a divorce has

nothing to do with my son, all right?

I love my son, Ernie.

Well, I'm sure you do.

But I'm not the one you

should be telling this to.

Do you think my mom and

dad will ever get back together?

Have you prayed about it?

Last night I prayed that

they'd get back together

and be happy like

you and your wife were.

That'd be nice.

Yeah.

I wish I could have met her.

You want to?

What?

Meet my wife Christine.

Christine, honey,

this is the boy that's

been staying at the house,

helping carve the wood

for your Sunday school.

She's not actually here, is she?

No, she's in my heart.

But... she's really

with the Lord.

But you talk to her?

That's my way of

feeling close and...

remembering her.

Does she talk back to you?

I hear her voice

sometimes, sure,

but that's, uh,

from my memories.

She's in a better place now.

Ernest, what are we

gonna do? About what?

Well, we lost all those days.

Well, the only thing we can do

is roll up our sleeves

and get back to work.

Do you think someone

we know started the fire?

I don't know what

to think about that.

Well, why don't you call

the police or something?

I filled out a police report,

but there's nothing they can do.

I'm going to my mom's.

I'll talk to you later.

All right.

Hi, Mom. Hi. Uh...

How are you?

I'm fine, Mom. I'm just...

What are you doing in here?

Is everything

okay at Mr. Otto's?

It's fine.

You don't look fine.

We had a fire that

burned all our wood.

I know. Mr. Otto called me to

let me know you were all right.

Mom, do...

I just...

What is it?

Nothing.

Matthew.

Tell me what's bothering you.

Mom...

do you think Dad

started the fire?

No!

Why do you think that?

Mr. Otto asked him for a

few more days and he said no.

Oh, Matty.

Honey, your father

has his issues...

but at heart he is an

honest and a decent man.

Okay?

I love you.

Now do up your coat. It's cold.

Mom, we're not

gonna make it in time.

What do you mean? Sit down.

I mean we're not gonna make

enough wood by the deadline.

We need help.

Well, I'm sure Pastor

Clark will understand.

We could do it if we had help.

Okay, but who?

Your father's not gonna help.

Well, you could help us. Me?

Yeah, you, Mom.

Oh, Matty, don't be silly.

I don't know anything

about woodcarving.

Well, neither did I. But

Mr. Otto is a great teacher.

He could teach you.

I... I've just

started a new job.

I... I can't go to

work in a lumberyard.

You mean you won't.

Matty...

I got bills to pay...

responsibilities,

commitments. I'm sorry.

I know that's not

what you want to hear

but that's the way life is.

You're gonna have to...

tell Mr. Otto to

find someone else.

Mr. Otto wasn't asking, Mom.

I was.

Matthew, you're asking

me for something I can't give.

Can I ask you

something else then?

Sure.

WWJD?

WWJD?

What would Jesus do?

Mr. Otto taught it to me.

That question doesn't

work for everything.

Why not? Because!

You're asking me

to go to my new boss

and tell him I

can't start my job

because I'm going to carve

wood for Ernest Otto. It's...

Okay. Okay.

Great.

You really think

we can pull this off?

Oh, never underestimate

the power of belief

combined with hard work.

Well, let's ask the Lord

for, say, ten more guys.

Well, why don't

you ask him for 20?

I was only kidding. So was I.

Hey, it's your mom.

Hi. Hi!

I, uh, spoke to my new boss.

Told him I wouldn't be able

to start work until next week.

He let you?

No. I was fired.

Oh, I'm sorry to hear that.

Do you need help?

Well, Matthew, come on.

Show your mom what to do.

Come on, Mom.

Thanks.

Matthew.

Grab the other end,

Mom. Okay, okay. Yep.

Well, looks good, smells good...

and... could use a

little bit more pepper.

Oh, no, no, no, no,

no. No more pepper.

What do you mean,

no more pepper?

Do you have any idea how

many times I've made that?

I guarantee you,

it needs more salt.

No. No... Aw!

Try that. Let me see

how you ruined it now.

Oh, okay. Yeah,

all right, all right.

I'm gonna have to show you

how to make my chicken

noodle soup soon then.

Yeah, maybe tomorrow.

All right. All right.

Hey. Hey-ho.

So, what can I

do? Set the table?

Sure. Um...

Silverware's in that drawer

right next to the dishwasher.

Okay. Thank you.

Yup.

Did you and your son

ever cook together?

Well, no, not really.

Well, now, who could that be?

Hey, Ernest. Hey.

What can I do for you?

I just came by to talk to

you about your contract.

Oh, uh, I got the extension? No.

I asked my boss but

he wouldn't budge.

But he's still willing

to buy you out,

so you won't lose any money.

Well, thanks for the

effort. No problem.

Actually, we're just about to

sit down and have some dinner.

Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't

realize it was dinnertime.

No, no, I mean, are you

hungry? You wanna join us?

I don't wanna impose.

Ah, come on. No imposition.

We've got plenty.

Follow me. Thanks.

I'll ask Rita to throw

on another plate.

Rita?

Rita, would you set

an extra place, please?

Sure.

Jack stopped by to

talk about the contract,

but I'm starving

so I thought we'd

have dinner first.

I'll get it, Mom.

Okay.

Something sure smells good.

I'll set you a place.

Sure.

Ernest, what's my

dad doing here?

Well, never underestimate

the power of prayer.

What? I was a volunteer!

I did bake sales, I was

a camp counselor and...

then I joined the choir.

You were in a choir?

Mm-hm. That's how

Jack and I met, actually,

in the church choir.

You were in a choir?

I can't picture you singing.

I can't.

I only joined to meet Rita.

Then they figured

out I couldn't sing.

Did they kick you out, Dad?

Sort of. They asked me

if I wanted to be an usher.

That was okay though,

because by then I had

already met my wife.

Well, you were very good at helping

the little old ladies to their seat.

Hey, that was a

very important job.

Oh.

Very cute old ladies.

Here you go.

Thank you.

We haven't had dinner

together in a long time.

Yeah.

Those two can cook.

Yeah, they work well together.

Yeah, they do.

Rita...

you do realize that if Ernie

delivers the wood on time,

I lose a partnership.

Jack, some things you do

because it's the right thing.

Like help Ernie cut wood?

You know about that.

Matthew told me.

Oh.

How's your coffee?

It's good.

Well, Matthew made it.

Our son made coffee? Mm-hm.

Jack, what happened to us?

I dunno.

We drifted apart.

Everything made sense before.

By "before" do you mean when

we stopped following the Lord,

turning our family over to him?

Rita, I... I don't want to

talk about this right now.

Jack, you never want

to talk about anything.

I'm just saying, I think our

marital problems started

when we walked away from God.

Saved by the bell. Hey, buddy!

Hey. You guys aren't

fighting again, are you?

No.

No. We're... Talking.

We're just talking.

Sit down.

What's going on?

I have a question, Dad.

Ask away.

You know we had

a fire here, right?

Yeah, I heard.

What is it, son?

Just wondering...

do you know anything about that?

What do you mean, son?

I mean...

do you know who

started the fire?

Why would I know about that?

Matthew, your father would never

be a part of something like that.

Oh my God, Matt.

Of course not.

I love you, Matty.

You gotta know that.

I'd never do

anything to hurt you.

Okay.

Do you understand?

I love you.

I love you too, Dad.

Yeah, that was a pretty good

day's work, don't you think?

Yeah.

How long do you think

it's gonna take us to finish?

Um, about a week.

My hearing's pretty soon.

Oh, yeah, yeah, school, huh?

What are you gonna tell 'em?

That I wanna go back to school.

That's it?

You're gonna have to give them

something more than that, don't you think?

Like what?

Well, are you remorseful?

Okay. Well, tell them that.

Have you changed?

Yeah. Well, there you go again.

You can tell them you're

remorseful, that you've changed.

Like, I wanna do

what Jesus would do.

You know, get educated,

make my family proud.

Yeah, yeah. What about

wanting to do it for yourself?

I wish you could

be there with me.

Well...

you're gonna have to handle

this one on your own, kid.

Yeah.

You wanna come

back to school, Matthew.

Why?

Because it's the

right thing to do.

I'm looking for a change

in your behavior, Matthew.

Uh, quite frankly,

I haven't seen any.

Writing graffiti,

breaking windows

at the church...

I just don't think you've

earned the right to come back.

WWJD?

What did you just

say, young man?

I said, WWJD.

It stands for: "What

would Jesus do?"

Yeah, I know what it stands for.

What does it have

to do with you?

Well, it's something

that Mr. Otto taught me.

It's what I ask myself now

before I make a decision.

Mr. Otto? Oh, you

mean Ernest Otto?

Yes, sir.

Matthew's been living with

Ernest Otto for the past few weeks.

He's been helping him carve

wood for the Sunday school.

Well, Ernest is a good man.

But I'm not

impressed with the fact

he had to help fix the

windows he vandalized.

He wanted to help.

I gave him a chance

to quit. He didn't.

And we are both

very proud of our son.

Mr. and Mrs. Stevenson...

I think it's very positive that

you're both here for your son.

But I have a whole school

full of children to think about.

What kind of a... a message

would I be sending to...

Sorry to barge in on you all.

Uh, Mr. Otto.

Uh, please, come in.

I was... I was hoping

I could say something.

Um... Well, go ahead.

I understand that Matthew...

has been living with you.

Well, yeah, he has. He's also been

helping me carve wood for the church.

Is it not true, Mr. Otto,

that Matthew is helping

to repair the church

as a condition imposed

on him by Pastor Clark?

Oh, yeah, I'm sure that's

the way it was at first.

But I began to see a

real change in Matthew.

I think he just needed some time

away from home to think things through.

And this report says that

Matthew ran away from home.

So, on top of everything,

he's a runaway.

No, we let Matthew

stay with Mr. Otto.

A decision as

incredibly important

as not letting him

back into high school

requires a lot of

time and reflection

on behalf of the decision-maker.

I concur.

And I have given this

a great deal of thought.

It is with a heavy heart

that I make this decision.

Matthew... ERNEST:

I recall a young

high-school guy that once...

left the water running on

purpose in the boys' room.

Flooded the whole second

floor, if I remember correctly.

It even leaked

down to the first floor.

It cost the school

thousands of dollars.

I don't know what

that has to do with this.

The principal at the time

was a Mr. Theodore Foley.

That's my wife's father.

We're talking about

Matthew this afternoon.

That boy got a second chance.

And because of

that chance, that...

that young man went on to

really make something of himself.

Went on to become

principal of the school.

So, Tom...

don't you think Matthew

deserves the same chance you got?

Mr. Stark?

Stack 'em up,

guys, stack 'em up!

If he is late, and I don't

care if it's by five minutes,

we go ahead with our wood.

Jack, you listening?

Jack. Yeah.

The Pastor will see the

Sunday school going up,

everything will be on

schedule, he'll be happy.

Hey, what is the

matter with you today?

I gotta take a few days off.

Are you nuts?

Not anymore.

Some things are more

important than this job.

What on earth could

be more important

than this job right now?

My family.

My wife. My son.

Your family? I thought

you were getting divorced.

Not if I can help it.

So you're just walking away?

Looks that way.

Do you realize how many

people would love to be

in your shoes right now?

I am offering you a 50%

ownership in this company.

I appreciate your offer,

and the opportunity.

I really do.

But the Lord has a plan for me.

My family needs me.

And if that means losing

this partnership, so be it.

Well, this partnership

just went up in flames.

Just like Otto's wood.

What did you just say?

See these edges here?

You gotta sand them to

the round, so it sheds water.

Did you teach

your son this stuff?

Oh, yeah.

Did Josh ever wanna

run away from home?

Yeah, he did.

Yes. Like me, huh?

Yeah.

A few months before he died...

we just couldn't get along.

So, uh, you know,

he knew everything,

I knew everything.

All we did was argue, and...

yeah, yeah, he ran away.

Where did he go?

Joined the army.

Less than a year later, he died.

Biggest mistake I ever made,

letting him run away like that.

I never got to say goodbye,

never got to say I'm sorry.

I wasn't there when

he needed me most.

At least you know he needed you.

Yeah. Yeah, well...

all sons need their father.

And all fathers...

need their sons.

I never forgave myself and...

I'm pretty sure I never will.

Very nice. Very nice job.

Looks great! Thanks.

So, how much longer

till the sun comes up?

Oh, it's only, what,

2:30 in the morning?

Lots of time. You

want some coffee?

Ah, I'm good.

Hey.

I don't remember seeing him being

so committed to something before.

Yeah.

Argh! Oh!

Dad! What happened?

It just slipped. ERNEST: Argh!

The chisel just slipped!

I'm okay. It'll be fine.

It's okay. He's all right.

It's okay.

I really think we need

to get you to the hospital.

Oh, it's all right. It's okay.

It's not the first time I've

stuck myself with a chisel.

I... I think she's

right, Ernest.

We gotta get you to a hospital.

Oh, no. It didn't hit

an artery or a tendon.

I'll... I'll survive.

Ernest, please. I'm good.

I'm good. Go back

to work, will you?

I'll be fine! It's... You okay?

I'm sorry. I'm good. I'm good.

Yeah, it's all right, Matt.

Ernest... Ernest, I'm sorry.

Just grab that

first-aid kit, will ya?

Come on.

Well, that's all the

carving I'm gonna do.

Let's close it up.

We can keep

working while you rest.

Much obliged.

Yeah, Ernie, go get

some rest and, uh...

we'll keep rolling here.

I know you will.

It's ready to go.

Dad, come on, help me with this.

Uh, okay.

One sec.

What are we doing?

You gotta pull this around and

hook it up to the block, okay?

All right.

Like this? Yeah, but pull tight.

Pull this down, I guess,

yeah? Yep. Pick it up.

All right. And then what?

Pull up.

I'm too old for this,

Matty. You can do this?

Yeah. Move. All right,

there we go, buddy.

You gotta watch it.

Watch it! All right. Go. Lift it.

I guess my son just,

uh, showed me up.

Yes, I think he did. Good job!

Huh? You seeing this? - Yeah.

He's Ernie now.

All right, Ernest. No problem.

There we go. Good job.

What they did... is they loaded

everything backwards, all right?

So we need to get this

flipped over here so we can...

Well, this is the, uh,

prefabricated wood, is it?

That's right. Yes, sir it is.

And, uh, we're just

about out of time, so...

Well, I guess you have

to do what you have to do.

Yes, I guess we do,

yeah. I think you're gonna

be pleased with the price.

Ah...

Good luck.

Pleasure to see you guys.

- Pastor.

Ernest, what

happened with your leg?

Oh, occupational hazard.

I wanna show you something.

I carved this out

of myrtle wood.

Just like the one I carved

for you about 40 years ago.

- Oh, amen to that, Ernest.

- Jerry Sandstone,

you're gonna have

to come with us.

Hey, hey, hey! I want a lawyer.

Jerry's the one who

started the fire at your shop.

He wanted to sign a deal

with a prefab company

that was offering him larger

contracts and more money.

Well, how did the

police find out?

He admitted it. I turned him in.

Dad, you called the police?

Yes, son, I did.

But if Mr. Sandstone goes

to jail, you won't have a job.

I've got some work coming

up. I can, uh, use some help.

I'd be honored.

Welcome aboard.

Well, I do need someone

to finish the Sunday school.

Are you both available?

Just finished a job. Ernie?

Yeah, my schedule

happens to be clear.

Good.

Mrs. Stevenson, thank you.

Thank you. Hm!

I'm happy for you two.

You belong together.

I've got some work to do.

- Yeah.

Christine and I worked

it... 40 years. It'll be okay.

Well, I know exactly

where this goes, but, uh...

I'm gonna need some help, Jack.

Sure. Honey?

Love you. Love you, Mom.

Thank you, Ernest.

Matthew.

Thank you. Thank you very much.

I'd like to come by and

visit, if that's all right?

I look forward to it.

And, uh...

when you do...

I'll show you how this works.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Good morning.

I got you some irises.

It's gonna be a beautiful day.

Ah!

Turns out that you were right.

I'm not done workin'.

It seems there's plenty of

people would still like a...

woodcarver around.

Should have known

you'd be right about that.

I think I'll stick

around here for a bit.

You got a ladybug

on your tombstone.

Means you're gonna be

coming into some money.

I sure miss you.

I miss you so much.