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American Exit (2019)
[woman on phone]
The police are looking for you. [man] Leo is at my dad's house in Palm Springs. I just dropped him off. [sirens blaring, distant] Why did you do this? I just wanted to see him. Charlie, are you okay? [Charlie] No. I'm not. [engine turns off] [creaking] [line ringing] Yeah. Uh, hi. I'm looking for Mr. Garcia-Marquez. Charlie Bond. Okay. Yeah. Could you please just let him know that I... I have the item that he is looking for. That's great. Thank you. Thank you. [glass clatters] [cell phone ringing] Hello. Yes. Uh, I just wanted to... let you know that I can be in Nogales on Monday afternoon. Yes. And if... if I could, I just wanted to, uh... I just want to confirm the details of our... of our deal. Okay. Yes, Monday. Thank you. [groans] [grunts] [grunting] [groans, sighs] [panting] [papers rustling] [thud] [box closes] [bell ringing] [overlapping chatter] - Got your punk ass. - Come on, guys. - Trying to get away, huh? - [boy 3] What're you gonna say now, punk? - Where's my money, bitch? - I don't have it. - You told me that last week. - I don't owe you guys anything. You owe me money. We made a bet and you lost. Pay up. - I don't have any money. - Get his phone. - Phone is mine, bitch. - Stop it. - Where's your phone? - I'm tired of waiting for you. - You lost the bet. Pay up now. - Get off me! - Pay up or you're dead. - Hey! Hey, hey. Are you okay? What's the problem? All right. Lucky his daddy saved him. Yeah, lucky. Get out of here. Hey, you okay? Whatever. Leo, hold up. Let me give you a ride. I don't want to go with you. Oh, really? You wanna go with them? Does Mom even know you're here? Of course she does. Let's go. Come on. [doors opening] - [Charlie] What was that about? - [Leo] Nothing. Didn't look like nothing. I'm fine. Okay? [engine starts] Why are you here, anyway? Sound disappointed. I just saved your ass. I was in the area. I thought it would be fun if I picked you up. Yeah, wow. You gonna tell me what happened? They were gonna beat you up. - I could've handled it. - Oh, really? You don't wanna get caught up in that kind of thing. All right? Trust me. It'll do you no good. What do you mean, "It'll do you no good"? You don't even know what happened. Tell me then. I lost a bet. Now I owe him money. - Okay. How much? - Three hundred. - Three hundred dollars? - Whatever. What were you betting on? Baseball. - That was Mom's street. - I know. I just gotta make a quick stop. [classical music playing] [soft chatter, indistinct] [woman] Anton? Yes? [woman] Hey, Charlie. You're up late. - Wouldn't miss this. Sold out yet? - It's looking good. [door opens] Shut the door. So, it came in? Sure did. "The Eclipse." I thought it was the "Mondschein." That's what the Nazis called it after they stole it. That's what I'm going to call it. - [Charlie] You got a buyer yet? - Perhaps. You know, Anton, if you wait two more years, it's gonna be worth double. Would you wait two years for your commission? You are ethically challenged, my friend. And you are financially challenged, my friend. That is because of the people I work with. Speaking of which, do you have my commission for the Rivas painting? Call me tomorrow. Um, Larry Greenburg, please. Yes. Do me a favor, all right? See that gallery down there? It's closed now. But there's a guy inside. His name is Anton. He's got a check for me. So? So, just knock on the door and get it. Why do I have to get it? Because. Just do it, okay? I need the check. - You get it yourself. - I get it, you get it. What does it matter? Why are you giving me a hard time, Leo? It's payment for your mom. [sighs] You're a jerk. [exhales] [lock clicking] We are closed. [Leo] You have a check for my dad. - [Anton] Who are you? - Leo Jackson. - Who? - Leo Jackson. I'm Charlie Bond's son. Really? Why can't you just give me the check? Because I don't know you. [conversation continues, indistinct] - Get out of here, punk. - Hey. No, wait up. Come on, let's go! - That guy is a jerk. - Yeah. Did you get the check? - No. He said get it yourself. - Okay. That's fine. I'll do that. - All right, let's go. - What about your check? I'll get it tomorrow. Come on, let's go. You hungry? - So, you're not gonna get it? - No. I will get it later. You hungry? Let's get something to eat. Yeah. [engine starts] It's good to see you. It means a lot to me. [slurping] I know it's been a while. Something's happened, nothing to do with you. And I've got to deal with it. What happened? [knocks on door] What are you doing here? Can I come in? No, you can't. Please. We need to talk. This is important. If you needed to talk, why didn't you call? I was going to, but I thought that we should speak in person. Where's the opener? Nope. We're not doing that. Hey. What do you want? I'd like to take Leo for the weekend. Really? - Well, that's not gonna happen. - He's my son too. What are you talking about? You haven't seen him in a year. Yeah, well, I had my reasons. I don't expect you to believe me. But I'm sorry. Are you sorry for not making your payments? You're a fucking piece of work. You think you can just walk in and out of his life, because you have a moment. Come on. Let me take him for a few days. We had this conversation in court. I'd like you to leave. [sighs] - Oh, really? - Really. This isn't about us. You can hate me all you want. That's fine. Maybe I deserved it, maybe I didn't. This is about him, this is about him! This is about his future! Oh, his future? You're not in his future. - You didn't want this family. - This is bullshit. And you're not gonna keep me from seeing my son! Watch me. - Hey, stop. - Don't touch me! Get out. Get out! [engine starts] [cell phone ringing] That's me. Leave it. Leave it. Leo. - Don't answer. - It's Mom. - Yeah. Don't answer. - Mom. Give me that. - [tires screeching] - [horn blaring] Shit! [Sofia] Hello? Dammit. What are you doing? Sof, what? Charlie, what's going on? Where are you? We're just having a hamburger, okay? It's all good. [Sofia] Put Leo on the phone. Put him on the phone. - You can talk to him... - I want to talk to Mom. - You can talk to him later. - I want to talk to Mom! Listen, we're just spending a little time together. No, you're not. You're bringing him home right now. Shut up. - My phone. That was mine. - I will buy you a new one. - [siren blasts] - Turn back now. - [siren blasts] - [sighs] [Leo] I'm gonna get my phone. Stop it. - Leo. - What? Just help me out here, okay? [tapping on window] License and registration. Uh, yeah. - Here. That's everything. - Do you know why I stopped you, sir? No, Officer. You swerved into oncoming traffic back there, almost caused an accident. Yeah, I'm sorry. We had a situation with the food. You okay? Looks like you got in a mess there. I couldn't help it. My dad punched me in the throat when I wasn't looking. [chuckles] Is that a joke, son? Is your face a joke? Wait here. What are you doing? You ruined my favorite pants. Don't say anything else, okay? Ever hear the saying "clothes make the man"? What about these? Are those for bingo night? Well... not for nothing. I do know a thing or two about trends. It is what I do for a living. - So what do you do for a living? - I'm an art dealer. I find struggling artists, and I make them successful. How do you do that? Well... people listen to me. I can tell if a painting has something to say, if it's relevant or not. It's a skill, and people pay me for it. How do you tell if something has value? It's a feeling. And if you don't feel it, that means it's worthless? I could be wrong. Mom said you tried to be a painter, but your art was too shitty to sell. And you never got over it. She would say that. No way. Charlie? You're kidding, right? You would never wear that. Wanna bet? Where's my money? Do you want to double up? Sure. - Okay. - What's the bet? I bet you can't spend the whole day with me. I can't do that. Mom would never let me. Wanna triple it? - Three hundred? - Mm-hmm, that's right. What are we doing? - Just a little trip. - Where to? You'll know when we get there. Good evening. How can I help you? Uh, we would like a room for the night. This place has not changed a bit. I haven't been here since I was a kid. Maybe a couple years younger than you. My dad used to rave about the, uh, the Negronis. You still serve that? Yes, I believe so, sir. The restaurant is open until 9:00. Let's go. She's staring at us. Don't look. She's probably a prostitute. - [chuckles] - Like your friend? Like my friend, who? - The one Mom caught you with. - Brooke? [scoffs] No, Brooke is not a prostitute. Brooke is somebody I used to work with. That's what Mom called her. [scoffs] Mmm. I remember that snake. It was here when my dad took me on a road trip. He wanted to show me a house he was gonna buy. Because he was leaving us. And he only told me. And he said it was our secret and that I couldn't tell her. He said he'd tell her when he was ready. 'Cause he met someone else. I watched my father... pretend... for a month. Pretend to care about my mother. Pretend that we were normal. And that that's the way it was always gonna be. Just pretended. I started to hate him. I hated him more than anybody in my whole life. Then he told her, "We're getting a divorce." And he left us on the same day. My mom didn't even know what hit her. I remember... going to bed... and as I was falling asleep, I could hear my mother... in the living room, crying. [scoffs] But here we are. - You guys all done here? - Uh, yeah. Thanks. - Okay. - [Charlie clears his throat] Let me show you something. That is our destination. - [Leo] Where is that? - Mexico. Mexico? - [Charlie] Yeah. - That's far. Yeah. But it's only for the weekend. But, hey... this is only between us. You can't say anything to anybody, including your mom. That is my casita. - That's yours? - Yeah, that's mine. This is the most amazing beach... that you will ever see. And the water is so crystal clear that you can see the fish even at night. But you don't have to go if you don't want to, you know? And I would totally... I'll totally understand. You know, it's your call. I'm going. [exhales] One too many. [chuckles] [panting, coughing] [water running] [coughs] [Sofia on phone] Charlie? Hey, it's me. Where are you? [Leo] We're at a hotel. I can't say where. I'm not supposed to be calling you, but I just wanted to let you know that I'm okay. You need to come home. Your father doesn't have my permission to see you. He has my permission. - Excuse me? - I said he has my permission. I don't even know what you're doing. Where are you? Your dad is in some trouble right now, and he's not being rational. I'm worried about you. You need to tell me where you are. - We're going to his house in Mexico. - Mexico? [Leo] Yes. You need to listen to me. Your father doesn't have a house in Mexico. He doesn't have anything. All he's got is debt. He just owes people money. He doesn't have a house. - Then what's he doing? - He would say anything. - Why am I here? - I don't know. - But he's obviously having some problems. - I don't believe you. - You're lying. - No, I'm not. Would you please just tell me where you are? [dial tone] [dialing] [cell phone ringing] [panting] [ringing continues] [Charlie moans, panting] Charlie? [heavy breathing] What are those? Leo, none of your business. Why did you throw up? Get out! [heavy breathing] Good night. - How long since you've been back there? - Where? The house on the beach. Um, um... A couple years. That long? Yeah. I've been busy. It's a shame, but I've got somebody watching the place. Do they know we're coming? Do they know we're coming? There's really no need. Maybe we'll just surprise them. I wanna drive. No way. Then I wanna go home. Why? Because. [laughs] Are you kidding? - It's totally illegal. - There's nobody around. You don't know how. I don't have time to teach you. - Let's go, come on. - I already know. So you don't have to teach me. I doubt that. It's your call then. But if you drive, we go back. Okay? Feel all right? Good? All right, keep it at 55, okay? Five-five. You got it? - What are you gonna keep it at? - Fifty-five. That's right, 55. Good. - [engine revving] - [laughs] All right. Good. Now, right here. Look. Second gear, keep your hand on here. Right here. Second gear is gonna stick. So, when you pull that down, you're gonna ease off the clutch, okay? Keep eyes on the road. Okay. Look, look, right here. Leo, watch the potholes. - See them? Oh! - [horn blaring] [panting] - You okay? - Yeah. Okay. All right, take this right up here. I don't wanna get pulled over by the cops again. [coughing] Your mom ever tell you why we broke up? - Huh? - Yes. Yeah? Tell me what she said. She said you're an evil maniac. Egomaniac. No. Evil maniac. She said you're a borderline personality. You started sleeping around, because you thought we weren't good enough for you and that you could do better. She says that you're an empty person who lies and cheats - and that you're not a real man. - Okay. I'm glad she's so objective. When you realized you were a shitty painter, you started to hate yourself, and then you blamed us. You wanna know why I left your mom? I left her because life is short and you only have one life to live. Look, your mom is angry, which is understandable to an extent. Okay? But she's not rational. There's two sides to a story. - [hard rock music playing] - Hey. - I'm talking to you, okay? - [radio turns off] This is important. - Hey. I said turn it off! - [radio turns on, off] - [radio turns on] - Not when I'm talking, okay? - [radio turns off] - I said turn it off and keep that shit off. - Hey! Turn it off! - [radio turns on, off] And don't turn it on until I say. - [radio turns on] - [hard rock music playing] - Pull over. - What just happened? Pull over. Wait here. Son of a bitch. Can you fix it? What do you think I'm trying to do? [metal creaking] [groans] Goddamn it! Is it broken? Goddamn it! [sighs] No signal. No signal. You were the one who told me to come down this road. Yeah, and who was messing with the radio? [door opens] [door closes] What are you doing? If you can't fix it, I will. Fix what? You don't even know what you're fixing. What's this? It's a spare key. Give it to me. Come on, stop. Get up. Get up. You don't know what you're doing. Get up. Why do you drive this shitty car, anyway? Do you think it's cool? It's a piece of shit. You're not gonna talk to me like that. I'm your father. - Since when? - Always have been, always will be, and that ain't ever gonna change. You're not my dad. You're just an accident. - You know what? - Get the hell away from me! What are you... Are you gonna hit me? Yeah? Is this like some kind of man-to-man thing? You lied. You're nothing but a liar. Lied about what? I've never lied... - Leo! - Your house! You don't have one. Liar! Mom told me. You don't have anything. Why are you doing this? What do you want from me? What are you doing? Where do you think you're going? Leo? [exhales] Leo, come here! Where are you going? [groans, winces] Leo... Le... [pants] [grunts] [grunts] [groaning] [panting] Thank you. Thank you. Hey. Someone's coming. [metal grinding] I can hear that axle. You know, I don't blame your mom. I don't like what you said... but she has the right to be angry, you know? I... I did some stupid stuff. You know, she's... She's a good person. I, um... I guess I just, uh... I don't know. I shouldn't have said that stuff and... I shouldn't have said it. Do you have a girlfriend? Boyfriend? - No. - No. No further questions. [chuckles] [Charlie exhales] Right here. [softly] All right. - Hey. How goes it? - Hey. How are you? - Uh, I would like a room for my son and I. - All right. Just fill that out for me here. No. I'm not sharing a room with him. I want my own. That's fine? Are you gonna pay for it? - That's good. - Okay. [bell dings] - [Charlie] All right. - [man] Here you go. We have 121 for you. 121. Excellent. Thank you very much. [door unlocks] You might wanna change out of that. I'm good. All right. Uh, well, I'm gonna take the car down and, uh... I'm gonna get it looked at, see if I can get that rattling sound fixed. Maybe when I get back, we'll, uh, grab some dinner? Cool? Okay. All right. Um... Oh. There you go. Watch some TV. No porn. - [bottle opens] - [bottle cap clatters] [exhales] [cell phone ringing] [ringing continues] [man] Charlie? Anton, what's up? I met your son. Yeah, so I heard. You make a great impression. - I'm sitting here with Gemini, Charlie. - Hey, Charlie. My man, how's it going? - [Gemini] Everything is everything. - Yeah. Right? How are we going to do this? Here's the thing. You're out of luck. I'm already gone. - Who are you gonna sell it to? - I don't give a shit anymore. Charlie, I spoke to Mr. Wilson today. [Charlie] Mr. Wilson. Fantastic. Who's that? He's your son's English teacher. At Spring Valley Middle School. Do you know what he got on his midterm? No, Gemini. Tell me. [Gemini] He got an A. Shit. Leo? Leo. Hey, I'm back. Excuse me. Um, I checked in with my son earlier today. - You haven't seen him, have you? - I haven't, sir. [panting] Leo? Leo? Leo. - [sighs] - [faint music and chatter] Leo, do me a favor. For the rest of this trip, I don't want you leaving the room without telling me. Okay? I was looking all over for you. Hey. Hey, I'm talking to you. Look at me. What did you do? Did you go swimming? I think we should stay the night, and in the morning... I think... I think we should go home. Go home? Is that a joke? I don't think this is a good idea. You mom is really upset right now. So, you are lying? No. You don't have a house. [sighs] Leo, here's the thing, okay? It's complicated, but I know... What? Did you meet a girl? - No. - You need some space? - Listen to me... - Get off! Hey, relax. Can I help you? Is everything okay? Yes. Yeah. We just ordered some fries. What is wrong with you? What is this? Hey! What are you doing? Where did you get this? - What do you care? - Hey! You're an asshole! Leo. Leo, wait. Come here, Leo. I need to talk to you now. Leo, stop! Will you please... Will you listen to me? Leo. Leo, talk to me! Leo, stop! Just go! Leave me alone! Why are you causing a scene? You're embarrassing me. I'm embarrassing you? This is my dad, everyone. Right here! He cheated on my mom. He lied to me! No! He's a pathetic loser! But other than that, he's a great guy. Leo, no... You win. Leave me alone! [faint chatter] [monitor beeping, faint] [exhales] [sighs] [man] Mr. Bond. How are you feeling this morning? Can you see me clearly? Yeah. Do you have a headache? No. Where's my son? He's here at the hospital. He spent the night in the guest room. I, um... - [pills rattling] - I spoke to your doctor. I understand that you have a stage 4 brain tumor. You really should be in treatment. You're a very sick man. I'm not sick. I'm dying. You could save yourself a lot of pain. [sighs] Thank you. [scoffs] Can I ask you, um, is your son aware? He'll know... soon enough. I would advise you to think this through. Every single day counts. And this... doesn't just affect you. It affects everyone around you. Oh. Well, there he is. I want to run a few more tests, and then we'll speak again. All right? Come on in. Come in. How's the hangover? What's wrong with you? I just gotta take it easy for a while. No more punches to the face. Sorry I hit you. I think I deserved it. Did it feel good? - I don't remember. - [Charlie scoffs] The hotel put your car in the parking lot. Can I have this? Yes, you can. [woman] Excuse me. I just want to let you know your cousin is on the way up. Cousin? - Who? - Anton. I forgot. He called last night. Is he your cousin? He wanted to give you the paycheck. [muttering] - Where's the car? - Second level, way in the back. Okay. Where's... Where's my phone? No, no, keep it. [exhales] Um... Okay, listen. I need you to listen to me. All right? He can't see you. All right. Okay, I need you to do this. Why can't they see me? I'll take care of this, but if I'm not back in an hour, Leo, you need to call your mom. She's gonna come pick you up. What do you mean if you're not back in an hour? Shouldn't I call the cops? No, do not call the police. If you call the police, I go to jail. Okay? [shaky breathing] Here we are. [man] Is everything all right? I'm fine. Garcia was the first call I made. Well? He's not going to buy it. Do you have it? [Charlie] It's right here. [Anton] Where? In the back. [lock clicks] Any damage? Never took it out. What do you say? Excuse me? What do you say if someone punches your neck? [groaning] Charlie. [screaming] [Anton] Charlie, Charlie... You have to improve your vocab... - [gunshot] - [screams] [grunts, winces] Get down! Leo. Leo. Leo, put down the gun. - [Gemini] Listen to your dad. - [Leo] On the ground! - [Charlie] Leo! - [Leo] Do it! Leo, put down the gun and walk away. Why? - What's that? - [Anton] Nothing. - Shut up! - It belongs to me. [panting] Get their keys. [Gemini] Listen to your daddy, kid. Check their pockets and get their keys. - [Charlie] Leo, listen. - Do it. - Give me the gun. You don't wanna do this. - Kid, put the gun down. - Put it down. - [Charlie] Leo. You don't wanna do this. Do it! - [laughs] Whoa! - [grunts] Who were those guys? - [horn honks] - Are they gonna come after us? Charlie? [wheezing] Goddamn it. Shit! - What's the matter? - Why would you do that? When I tell you to do something, you do it! Okay? - They were gonna hurt you! - Who cares? It's not your problem. [groans] - I saved you! - No, you didn't. No one can save me. You worry about yourself. That's all you can do. [exhales] [panting] What did you get in English? What? On your midterm? - Last semester? - Yeah, whatever. I got an A. That's pretty good. All right, listen, we have to make a detour. Are we still going to Mexico? I'm working on it. [engine stops] [door opens] [sighs] My mom was a painter. I'd come up here with her, and we'd stake out a spot. Get here early in the morning right when the sun was coming up. The thing about painting is when you're doing it, you get so involved that... just lose track of time. I used to think my mom was a failure because she never sold a painting in her life. [chuckles] She loved it. That's all that counts... in life. That's all that counts, and everything else is nonsense. This painting was stolen during World War II. Original owner was killed. It was found in Argentina, then it went missing again. It's been selling on the black market for years. Anton was gonna get a million for it. A million bucks. A piece of art is worth whatever a buyer will pay for it. What would you do with a million bucks? What would you do? All right. Come on. I gotta make one more stop because there's somebody I want you to meet. I haven't even spoken to him since my mom's funeral. Are you sure he still lives here? - Hey. - Hey, Dad. What are you doing here? I just need to talk for a few minutes. Please. - What, did you get lost or something? - No. Can we come in? - Yeah, yeah. Come on in. - Thanks. - Do you want a drink? - No. No, thanks. - No? - Don't have the time. [Mr. Bond] It's okay. Is this your mom? Yes. She would've been 68. Last week. - I'm sorry to drop in like this. - No problem. It's only been a few years. - So, are you gonna be around for a few days or what? - [Charlie] Um... Are you okay? Yeah. I will be. Uh, things are a little messed up right now, but I'm fixing it. I needed somebody to watch him for a couple of hours. [Mr. Bond] Oh, sure. That's cool. So, uh, what is it? It's Leo, right? Yeah. You know, I remember when you were about that big. You remember that? No? That's okay. - How'd you like a drink? - Sure. I'll be right back. I'll see you later. I'll just be at a hotel down the road. Are you meeting those guys? [scoffs] Of course not. Don't worry about that. That's gonna get taken care of. - [Charlie] Dad? - Yeah? [exhales] Are you sure you're okay with him? Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Sofia, how's she doing? We're not together anymore. When did that happen? Five years ago. - Five years. - Yeah. History repeats itself. I'm really sorry to hear that. I'm sorry too. But... she's a survivor. So is Leo. You're looking good, Dad. I forgot it was Mom's birthday last week. I miss her. I miss her a lot. [sobs] I miss her too. [sobbing] - You like a room? - Yeah, just for a few hours. Doesn't matter. It's thirty bucks. Fine. [Sofia on phone] Why did you do this? I just wanted to see him. You never wanted to see him. Why now? You gonna tell me what's going on? Charlie, are you okay? [Mr. Bond] You don't have to wait for dinnertime to enjoy the famed Scarlet O'Hara. Enchanting as its namesake. [laughs] Here's a drink that tastes great anytime. Ah, boy. [ringing] Hello. Sofia? - Is that Mom? - Yeah. No, go ahead. Yeah, it's okay. What's wrong? Right. Okay. [door unlocks] [Gemini] Turn around, Charlie. No. [Anton] Where is it? Where is it? Is this a joke? Get back! Get back. [panting] Leo! [Leo] Charlie. Wake up. - Charlie. - [coughing] Can you hear me? Wake up. Where are we? They put us in the truck. - [Charlie] You okay? - Yeah. Is it true? I just couldn't... I just couldn't tell you. I didn't know how. I wanted to... I wanted to tell you when we got there. [sobbing] [truck slowing] - [engine stops] - [doors open] [lock clicks] [Charlie grunts] [Anton] Charlie. Charlie. Charlie! Get up! I want to show you something. [gunshot echoing] Are you okay? - He's not a part of this. - He is now. - [Leo] Get off! - Sit down. - No! - [Gemini] Back the hell off! Take that gun off him. Take that gun off him! Charlie... where is it? Let me talk to my son, and I'll take you to it. Take me where? First, let him go. Please, Anton. [panting] You all right? I gotta take them there. I need you to stay here. - I'm not staying. I wanna go with you. - No! No. You need to stay here. I can't have you going with us. - They're gonna kill you. - No, they're not. I promise. I'm going to give them the painting, and it's over. [Anton] You can't be serious? - You want to leave your kid... - He'll be fine. Remember when we got stuck in the desert? When we broke down, you tried to fix it? Yeah. I remember. But what about you? - [Anton] Charlie. - Don't worry. Let's get it done. You drive the car. [Gemini] Move! Enjoy the sun, kid. You could use a tan. [car engine starts] [engine starts] How far are we going? Just a little bit further. Relax. [Anton] Why are we taking this dirt road? [Gemini] He asked you a question, Charlie. [no audio] [indistinct chatter] [Mr. Bond] Drive carefully. You okay? I'm fine. Are you hungry? [Mr. Bond] Leo? Leo? You left your book bag in the house. Okay. [dispatch on radio, indistinct] [shaky breathing] [sniffles] [branches rustling] [guitar music playing] [music fades] |
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