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No Way to Live (2016)
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Afternoon, sir. I'm here with the Dirby home improvement company. Do you have a moment to take a look at our top-of-the-line portable vacuum cleaner? It's actually next year's model. See, this here is a 1959 portable vacuum cleaner. It comes with attachments for carpets and rugs, and even a high-power suction hose to get into those hard-to-reach places. You're not off my property in the next ten seconds... What's going on? You stepped in a gator trap. We put 'em all around the house. Otherwise them gators will just crawl right into your living room. I feel drunk. You are. I gave you some of daddy's whiskey. - Thank you. - You're welcome. Oh! Sorry. What's your name, anyhow? - Monty. - Like Montgomery Clift? - I love him. - Yes, I suppose. - You're the salesman, right? - I was. Not anymore. - Oh. -Guess I wasn't any good at it. I'm sorry. Don't be. It was a lousy job. Take a seat. Come on over here. Sit down. Now I could've already had this nigger arrested for trespassing and being a peeping tom. But instead... I helped get the trap off his leg. I helped you carry him into my house, out of the goodness of my heart! So you better take care of this... Or else I will. - Hi. - Oh, hi. I was... Just came to check on you. Who is this? That's my mother. Oh, yeah, I see the resemblance. She passed away last year. I'm sorry. It was an accident. She slipped in the bathtub, hit her head. That's terrible. Well, I'll let you get your rest. Come on, Monty. Come on... Aren't you hungry? Not particularly. Okay. - Well, I'll just put it here. - I heard you last night. Heard what? I don't even want to say it out loud. Listen... Whatever you do in your own home ain't my business. If you would just walk me on down to my car... He makes me do it. I got no choice. You think that I want to? What? He's been having his way with me ever since my mother died. You must think that I'm awful. No. No, no. No, of course not. I just... I just thought... I didn't know the whole story. Nora, please! This is not your fault. You're not awful. He is! Why don't you tell someone? Well, 'cause daddy is a very well-respected man in the community. And he donates more money to the church than anyone else. They'd never believe me. Have you ever thought of just leaving? All the time. But I don't have a car. And if I took his, they'd... They'd stop me and they'd just bring me back. And I don't have money either, so I'm not likely to get very far. Well... I don't have much money either, but I do have a car. What are you saying? I'm saying I don't got nothing keeping me in this town. If you want to get out, I'll take you wherever you want to go. You'd do that for me? Of course I would. I kinda owe you one for saving my life. I didn't save your life. Shoot, close enough. You think about it and get back to me. I ain't going nowhere. Okay, Monty. I'll think about it. He still here? Well, he's not healed yet. Just another day. Big Jim. What can I do you for? I... I hate to bother you during suppertime and all, but I'm driving by and I see this vehicle parked off your lot here, and I'm wondering who might the owner be. - Evening, Nora. - Hi, big Jim. - Is everything okay? -Yes, ma'am. Yes, ma'am. Just checking in. Passing by, thought I'd... stop. Princess, them dishes in there ain't gonna clean themselves, you know. You sure you want to do this, right? - Yes, I'm sure. - Good. You're making the right decision. It's gonna be scary, but just know that. I know. Hey, um... I know this might be a crazy idea, but I mean, since we're on the subject of crazy ideas... Why don't we take some of daddy's money? He keeps a suitcase full of cash underneath the bed. Oh? Well, I mean, there's plenty more where it came from. It's only the cash that he keeps on hand. - It'll hardly be missed. - Money's always missed. Yes, I suppose you're right. We wouldn't want to push our luck, would we? Well, I guess it would be silly to move forward and not have enough to keep going, huh? You sure it won't be too hard for you to get to? No, not at all. I can just grab it while he's asleep. Okay. And there was one other thing that I've been thinking about. We will stay together, right? I mean, it's okay if you just want to drop me... Is that what you want? Yes, I would like that. Well, then that's just what we'll do. - Monty? - Yes? Would you mind if I kissed you? Just as I imagined. What do we do now? We wait. See? He's all better. Well, I won't be doing the Charleston any time soon, but I'm getting there. Here. It's the one I was trying to sell. Guess I won't be needing it no more. That's very kind of you. I'll put it inside. Well... Good-bye. Good-bye. Here, hand it to me. - Whoa. - Whoa is right. Now let's get out of here. Yes, ma'am. Forever yes, I'll wait forever darling, I will never love somebody new I miss you darling, oh, I miss you... That's better. Maybe we should count the money. Just to see how much we're dealing with. Let's do it later. I want to celebrate. To starting over. To starting over. Do you have protection? - You mean a condom? - Mm-hmm. Um, I was hoping you might. Oh, no, I'm sorry. I didn't... - I didn't... - It's okay. He never used them. Daddy shoots blanks. Oh. Don't worry. I know something else we can do. I miss you darling, how I miss you Longing just to kiss you And hold you in my arms Are we rich? $10,000 sure ain't poor. Sounds rich to me. Hey, you know, I was thinking, the old man's probably mad as hell right now. Probably got the police out looking for you and the money. I think our only option is to go to Mexico. Did you cut yourself shaving? Mm, poor baby. Mexico sounds nice. Yeah, and $10,000 can do us a lot more good down there. Do you think that maybe we could... Get a house with a swimming pool with all that money? Just like in "sunset boulevard." Well, I don't know about all that, but we'll be comfortable. How long will it take to get to Mexico? Maybe two days. But in the meantime, we gotta stay low key. People start noticing a little white girl and a black guy, they're gonna get suspicious. Maybe you could be my driver. That's not a bad idea. And I can sit in the back seat. We can even get you a hat. Okay, let's not get ahead of ourselves. Okay, all right. You want me to play the help? Yeah. Pies 'n fries? You're hungry, ain't you? Are you kidding? I could eat a horse. I don't think they got horse, but I bet they got burgers. And milkshakes? You know you can't have a burger without a milkshake. Oh, ain't that the truth? Now, what flavor does my gal fancy? Well, I used to fancy vanilla, but right now I feel like an entirely different person, so... Let's do strawberry. Could I get two of your biggest cheeseburgers and two strawberry milkshakes? Baby, please answer me remember, don't make me cry Don't say good-bye, don't leave me Don't say good-bye, baby of mine, don't leave me Hello? I said, we don't have strawberry milkshakes. Oh, then make it vanilla. You'll have to take it to go. I know. Yum! Hey, where'd you go before? - What's that? -I looked out and you weren't here. Oh, yeah. I got this. I also got this. Get a condom. My greatest mistake was holding you so near tell me a happy memory that you have. My greatest mistake - no. - Oh, come on. Just pick one. The first one that pops into your head. Okay, how about when I met you? That doesn't count. Well, I don't have too many others to choose from, so maybe it can count for me. Where'd you grow up? Orphanage. A small town in Texas. What about your parents? Never met my father. And my mother left me when I was just a baby. I'm so sorry. Yeah. The home had mostly white boys, so I got into my fair share of fights growing up. I always dreamed of running away, but I never did. I guess that's why I wanted to help you leave so bad. You can't control what kind of life you get, what kind of messed up parents you got. It's like a big lottery and you either get a great one or a rotten one. Unless you change it yourself. That's right. My greatest mistake was to fall in love I want this one. And this one, and this one, and this one. I want this one. And this one. I love this one. I want this one. You're my driver. You're permitted. - I love this one. - I don't know. Well, what's the fun in having a bag full of money if you can't go shopping? You're just gonna spend all the money, huh? What do you think? It's a little flashy, no? When you said let's get a hat, I didn't exactly have this in mind. Like Montgomery Clift. Why, how do you do, ma'am? I'd be better if you'd come on in here with me. What it's like sometimes make me, make me, make me want to cry Ah, you can't break oh, a broken heart lie and cheat, pretend you're sweet Use your lips to tell lies Flirt around to break my heart But you can't stop it hey. Hey! Y'all get out of here. Come on, come on, now. Is there a problem? Yeah, there's a problem. There's a big problem. We don't cater to nigger lovers 'round here. What'd you say? I said you can get out of my store. That son of a bitch! Nigger lover? Who does he think he is, huh? - I should knock his teeth... - Monty! Calm down. I'm not gonna calm down, Nora. I've been dealing with folks like that my whole life. I'm tired of it. Why should I calm down? Everything's okay. It's okay. I know I always ask for more excitement in this town, but I sure as heck could've done without seeing this. Homicide's here. Bunch of a-holes. I'm detective Giddins, homicide. My partner, detective Bradford. - The body in there? - It sure is. And the wife's nowhere to be found? Not nowhere. How about suspects? Anything catch your eye around here lately? Hey, baby. Where are we? Can you explain exactly what's going on? Huh? He was your husband? And he's dead? Are you some kind of sicko or what? - Hey, just calm down. - No, I'm not gonna calm down! We're in the papers! It's true. I haven't been completely honest with you. Yeah, no kidding! But that's 'cause I was afraid. I was afraid that if you knew the truth, you'd never want to see me again. I told you he was my father because I needed to get out of there. He was still abusive. Everything is still the same. No, it's not. There's nothing wrong with a husband fucking his wife. He bought me. What you mean, he bought you? I was just 13. My mama didn't have any money... And then Earl came along and... While the other girls were kissing their Elvis posters... I was being sold as a child bride. And I didn't want to do any of it. He took my virginity and any bit of innocence I had and... I hated him for it. So you killed him. Not on purpose. I didn't do it on purpose. Monty, please, you have to believe me. He woke up while I was trying to leave... And he grabbed me and he had his hands around my throat, and I couldn't breathe. And then there was a letter opener on the bedside table, and I took it in my hands, and I stabbed him in the neck, but it was only to get him off of me. I didn't mean to, and I was just so scared, and I didn't know what to do, so I just ran out of there as fast as I could. Monty, please. You have to know I would never do something like that. You know me. Monty, please. I just love you so much and I never meant to lie to you. Can you ever forgive me? You... you really love me? Yeah. Hey, what's this? Just thought it might be useful. Let's see. "Cunto cuesta?" Know what that means? It means "how much does it cost?" Come on, try it. Cunto... cuesta? See? You're a natural. You'll be a Caballero in no time. A what? It means "cowboy". Even I know that. Dnde... est... los... You okay? Mm-hmm. Come on, man. Oh. Oh, you got to be kidding me! The tire's flat. - What about the spare? - That was the spare. Well, someone's bound to show up here eventually. Yeah, that's what I'm afraid of. You know you're not supposed to drive on the spare... Thank you. I know. What seems to be the problem, miss? My driver got a flat. You wouldn't happen to know a shop nearby, would you? There's a mechanic just down the road a while. You wouldn't be so kind as to take us there? Why don't you just come with me? Actually, I thought we could all go. Don't you want to stay here and watch the car, boy? It ain't going nowhere. Besides, I'm the driver. I know what it needs. All right, that's fine. You ride in the back. Where y'all headed? I'm glad you asked that, Jerry. We're heading to Mexico. Man, that's nice. No, it isn't nice. I can't go to Mexico. I'm coming into an inheritance back in Florida. Listen, I'm gonna open this suitcase up. I want you to look inside, but be real discreet about what you see. All right. Wow, that's a lot of money. Sure is. That's $10,000. That's more than I've seen in my entire life. What's a pretty little thing like you doing with all that? That doesn't matter. Let's talk about your gun. My gun? Judging from the deer in the back with the bullet between its eyes, I can only assume you know what you're doing with this thing. I'm a good shot. What's that got to... Jerry, I want you to listen to me. I'm gonna ask you a very serious question. You don't need to answer right away. I want you to think about it, okay? Okay. I will give you this suitcase and everything in it... If you kill that man in the back. Hey. Hope it wasn't too bad back there. I'll go get the tire. Don't be too long. Okay, time's up. We in business or not? I don't know. Um... I mean, I guess I need the money. - Sure you do. - How you doing, brother? I'm all right. I got a flat about five miles down the road. I don't know. Don't talk. It's a lot of money. You sure could need it. It's all yours just by moving one little finger. You know, it's no different than shooting a deer. And I'll get rid of the body. Uhh... Nobody's gonna miss him. He's just gonna be another dead nigger. You gonna do it? Aah! Come on. You gonna do it? You gonna kill him? - Say it! - Okay! I'm gonna kill... I'm gonna kill him. Now let it out. - Ahh! - There you go. Zip up. Ready to roll? We got it from here. I was thinking maybe I'd stick around, make sure you got that on okay. Okay. Good for nothing son of a bitch. - I'm sorry. - That was the perfect chance. I can't. You're a disgusting little man and I hope you die with no money and I hope your family starves. - I'm sorry. - Coward. Just getting our bag, darling. - How's the tire? - It's on. Maybe we should stop there. No. We keep driving, we can make it to the border by morning. But I don't want to stay up all night. Let's get a good night's rest and head out tomorrow. Just take a nap. Here. Use my jacket as a pillow. I'll stay awake. Can I at least stop to pee? Doggummit. Can't see a damn thing in this rain. I told you we should've stopped. Baby, I told you, we can't afford to stop now. We're only a couple hours away from the border. - Hey, Monty? - Huh? Can I sit up front with you? Sure. You know what I could really do with right now? - Huh? - A burger. - You want a burger? - Yeah. - From where? - I don't know. Wherever. What's your favorite kind of burger? Cheeseburger. - Cheeseburger? - Mm-hmm. - You're silly. - No, you're silly. Why you throw my pipe? I was having a good time smoking my pipe. - I'm sorry. - See, I got another one. This is a bridge... This is a pipe bridge. - I'll smoke it. - You want to smoke one, too? You love pipes, too? - Sure. - Sure? How do you do it? Well, yours looks a little more like a cigar. So I would say... Here, you can take mine. You smoke the long end and I'll light my cigar, all right? Mm-hmm. I puff the cigar. Get the smoke, it's all out there. You don't got any smoke yet! Come on now. It's lit. - It's lit? - It's lit. - Now you can smoke it. - Okay. Don't cough, though. Ow. You okay? - I got something in my eye. - Oh, no. Yeah, you see it? Oh, god. Your eye is watering. Can you blow it out? Nora? Nora! Nora! Nora! Nora! Nora! Are we in Mexico? No. We're in what used to be called the crest hill orphanage in Texas. Why? There's a few other "whys" we need answering before we get to that. Like why did you try to kill me? $10,000 is a good chunk of change, but I don't believe you'd murder me for it. Hell, by now you know money don't concern me much. You could've had the whole thing just by asking. Unless there's more money to be had? Maybe an inheritance? Yeah, 'course there is. So you didn't really want to go to Mexico, did you? And you weren't really sold to him, either. And there was no struggle. - Oh, monty... - Was there? You murdered him in cold blood, your own husband, for money. And you were gonna kill me next. Well, that ain't gonna happen. Take a look around you. This here is where I grew up. You learn real fast how to survive in a hellhole like this, especially if you're colored. Yeah, you're not the only smart one. See, I know all of this about you, but you know very little about me. Allow me to fill you in. I left the orphanage when I was eighteen, but before I did, I broke into the file room and found out where my birth mother was living. Celia Weaver? - My mother? - Our mother! Who's that? That's Nora. My... my daughter. Where is she? She moved to Crawfordville just a few towns over. Oh, dear. Um, let me get that. I'm gonna get something. That whole time I thought she just wasn't ready to have a child, but it wasn't that at all. She just couldn't bear the shame of having a nigger for a child. So a few years pass and she has you. And you got everything, everything I should've had. That's when I realized I had to find you. She told me where you were, too, but I was looking for Nora Weaver, not Nora Thompson. So I got me a job that allowed me to knock on every door until I found the face that matched the one I saw in the pictures. Just imagine how I felt when I finally found you, my little sister. Don't worry, I'm not gonna kill you. Just gonna teach you a lesson that'll stay with you for the rest of your life. Aah! No! No! Oh, if mother could only see us now! You okay? You should've told me what kind of man he was. I'm just as surprised as you are. Guess you want your money now, huh? Yeah. You know, you really are a good shot with that thing. Had this gun eight years. You know you hold it wrong. Huh? No, I don't. Let me see. What the fuck? Hello, Nora. Hi, big Jim. These are for you. Oh, thank you. That's very kind of you. Okay. Okay. You know, I was working with the detectives on your case. I was a wreck. So there were two kidnappers? That's right. You turned their gun on them, huh? Yes. I don't really want to talk about it right now, if you don't mind. It was just so awful. Hold on now. I thought they were taking you to Mexico. What were you doing in that Texas town? They were lovers, Jim. You know, they used to take the car out into the woods and stop there so that they could... Suck on each other's things. They made me watch. Sick queer bastards. Told you it was awful. Nora, I've been thinking a lot... About what we talked about. What did we talk about? You remember that one time with Earl? He was out to the store and you said you really like me. - Oh, yes. - You said... I don't know, you said maybe we could run away together. You remember you said that, right? I remember. You said the only problem was Earl. Well, now that Earl's gone, well, I guess I was just wondering maybe... I don't want to talk about that right now. You know, there's a lot that's been going on, and as you can tell, I'm very emotional. I don't think that's appropriate at all. Of course. I'm sorry. Goodness gracious, uh... I should get going. I sure am happy to have you home. I know. Hello, ma'am. So sorry to hear of your loss. Thank you. Would you please take a seat? Can I get you anything? Water? No. Okay. You're still residing at the one lake view road residence? Yes. Well, this is a little tricky. What is? Well, it says here that your husband, Earl Thompson, owned that house with a Sally Thompson. - Do you know who that is? - That is his sister, but he hasn't spoken to her in years. She's still a majority owner of the property as it was handed down by Dwight Thompson, who I'm assuming was their father. Um, I guess since you're living there, we could still make a claim with the court, - but then we're dealing with... - Forget about the stupid house. I don't care. She can have it. Tell me, how much money am I getting? Money? Yes, money. How much? Mrs. Thompson, there is no money. No. No. I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. This can't be right. So far my mother and husband have died, and you haven't been able to get me a stinking cent! You know, I haven't, but you were emancipated. There's no social security benefits after that. I couldn't do anything. Well, there must be something we can do. - I'm afraid not. - Don't talk. Oh, god. Listen... - I'm a married man. - Oh, but that doesn't matter. It does matter, and I think I have to ask you to leave the office now, please. Good-bye, ma'am. Stop it! No, no, no! Miss Thompson, I'm detective frank Giddins. Oh, hi. Is something the matter? No, but I was assigned to your case. Oh. Just wanted to show my face. Well, it's a lovely face. If you don't mind, I would like to talk to you. Nothing important. It's just that I've been on a number of these cases, and it's rare I get to speak to the victim. They usually aren't so lucky. Oh, well, I'd hardly call it luck. Oh, no, sorry. Of course not. I just meant I'm happy to see you home safe. Would you like to come in? Went to Carol's I see. I like it there. Nothing fancy, mind you, but they do got the essentials. Never been much of a cook myself. I can throw a burger on the grill, but that's about it. - Mind? - Go ahead. - You like burgers? - Excuse me? Burgers. You like 'em? I suppose. Oh, that just means you haven't had a good burger. Where's good? Let me think. Oh! Have you ever been to pies 'n fries? It's a nothing little place. Never know from the outside, but, boy, do they have a juicy burger. Just thinking about it makes me hungry. Um, mister... - Frank. - Frank. Um, I'm sorry, but I really do have a lot of housework to do today. Oh, sure. I get going. I'm sorry, it's... No need to apologize. I came by unannounced. Well, have a good rest of your day. You, too, Nora. I'll see you soon. It's me. I have some exciting news. Listen, I'm really sorry about how short I've been with you lately. And it's just because I can't stop thinking about all the terrible things that have been happening, and knowing that nothing will ever be the same. It must take its toll. Well, I've been thinking a lot about what we talked about. - You have? - Yes. And I really want to start over, and I want to do it with you. Let's run away. Oh, Nora, I can't tell you how long I've been waiting for you to say those words to me. - So the answer is yes? - You bet. Oh, then let's leave today. Oh, well, hold on now. I gotta tell my mama first, and my captain. No, no. You can't do that. Why not? Well, because... Because you're the sheriff, and your father was the sheriff, and... Well, what will they think of you if you just pick up and go? They'll talk you into staying and they'll make you feel guilty. Listen to me. Ain't no joker gonna be making me feel guilty. Look, you are who I want. I want to be with you, and I'm gonna... hey. I can get a job in any old town. I understand, but the only way to go, the only way for us to go is to just leave. That's a good one. - Gentlemen. - She bite? - She did. - What happened? You put the fear in her. She's ready to run. I knew it. That girl's as guilty as a cat in a fishbowl. - When she gonna leave? - Sometime in the day. That's when we'll make the arrest. Just gonna teach you a lesson that'll stay with you for the rest of your life. We'll see about that, you nigger. Kinda feels strange, all this for a teenager. Teenager or not, we're talking triple homicide here. See, that's what I mean. You don't seem surprised. I'm not. I had a case once, seven-year-old girl put 40 packets of rat poison in her father's coffee 'cause he wouldn't let her stay up late. Took one sip and he was dead. Brought her to the station for questioning, but she was seven, so we suspended the sentence. Two months later, her mommy took away her favorite toy. Know what happened? She put another 40 packets of rat poison in her mama's drink. She didn't make it past one sip either. Were you surprised then? Only that her mama still kept rat poison in the house. Well, there's Jimbo now. How you feeling? Um, pretty fine. Do I head over there now or... Okay. We'll be waiting outside to make the arrest, so you're gonna walk away from the house like you're walking towards your car. Then we'll come and take it over. Okay. When we make our report on how this went down, you're gonna look good. Probably get a promotion. I'm already town sheriff. How about the county sheriff? How about that? Oh, I don't know. I kind of like it where I'm at. Where's your gun? I'm off duty. Gonna need a gun, Jim. Right on time. I just have to finish packing. Oh, I can't tell you how excited I am! What's wrong, honey? You're perspiring and your face is all red. I'm sorry. I, uh... I'm gonna step outside real quick. I'm gonna take a sip of air. - All right? - Yeah. I'm gonna need your help over here, strong man. Of course. Oh, what would I do without you? Nora, I really need to talk to you. Tell me in the car. I don't want to stay in this town a second longer. No, but I want to tell you, i... I need to talk to you right now. Nora! Nora! Put your hands in the air. - Hands. - Hold on one second. - Hold on one second. -Officers, what seems to be the problem? I said hands! I'm sorry, all right? I'm sorry! Forever yes, I'll wait forever darling, I will never love somebody new I miss you darling, how I miss you longing just to kiss you and hold you in my arms since you went away, the tears are falling Just like falls the rain Can't you see my heart is slowly breaking? Please come back and ease the pain Believe me when I say I'm sorry darling, please forgive me Give me one more chance since you went away, the tears are falling Just like falls the rain Can't you see my heart is slowly breaking? Please come back and ease the pain Forever yes, I'll wait forever darling, I will never love somebody new forever yes, I'll wait forever darling, I will never love somebody new |
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