Genre: Drama
Director: Nia DaCosta
Writer: Jimmy Ellis
Cast: Charlize Theron, Ethan Hawke, Cameron Monaghan, Sophie Turner, Octavia Spencer, Jeremy Ray Taylor, Aeriel Miranda, Lakeith Stanfield, Anya Taylor-Joy
Plot: The sun is setting in a large cityscape, birds chirping fly past buildings, men and women walk, using the sidewalks. A woman, Susan Belrose (Charlize Theron) is walking dressed in just a t-shirt and jeans. Still walking she turns her head to look up an alleyway, where she sees two young men conversing in what looks like a drug deal, a tear runs down her eye as she keeps on walking, she arrives at her second job of the night, at a local grocery store. She walks in and is immediately met by her friend, Alexandra Watkins (Octavia Spencer). Alexandra starts gossiping about her day so far and Susan apologetic cuts her off and tells her that she has had a long day and she just needs a little bit of peace and quiet. Alexandra gives her space and reminds her that her door is always open.
Earlier that day: Susan is downstairs reading the paper, before she has to run off to her first job, as a hairdresser, she hears screaming and loud bangs coming from upstairs, she runs up to her eldest child’s room, Archie Belrose (Cameron Monaghan), who is shown banging a wall, that has patched up holes all through it, she tries to calm him down but he just yells at her to get out. After his father, Robert died, Archie has been distanced from the rest of his family. She pokes her head into her youngest son, Johnny’s room, Johnny (Jeremy Ray Taylor) is looking at a laptop and slams it close once he sees his mother looking in, a tear is running down his face, and she walks over to sit next to him, he gives her a big hug, and she sings him a song, the tears seem to stop. She hears her daughter, Jenny (Sophie Turner) yell out to her to tell her that she is going out with friends. Before Susan could say anything back she was out the door.
Susan returns to Johnny’s room and asks what he will be doing today and he says he will probably just stay home as he doesn’t have friends, Susan gives him one last hug. She knocks on Archie’s door and opens it slightly he is gone, she doesn’t know when or where, usually he tells her.
Susan arrives at the hairdressing salon where she works, we get a montage of her cutting different people’s hair, until Archie walks past the salon with a girl in hand (Aeriel Miranda), Archie is dressed quite nice, whereas the girl is in ripped jeans and a ripped shirt, she has nose piercings and a lip piercing, she also has multiple tattoos which Susan does not like, she drops the scissors and runs out to talk with him. Archie sees her coming and lets out a sigh and under his breath says “Shit.” Susan reaches her son and greets him, but can’t look at the girl he is with, Archie tries to introduce her as, Shaunda Wilks, and Susan doesn’t seem to listen. She wants to know where he has been, he left his younger brother alone at home by himself. He tries to answer, saying that he can look after himself, but Susan stops him and says she knows, but she is his baby, she looks at Shaunda and continues speaking, and If anything happened to any of my babies, I will look for who hurt them, Archie grabs Shaunda and they hurry off, he looks back at his mom, as she walks back inside the salon.
Susan is finished her shift at the salon and begins her usual route to the support group she attends on a weekly basis. She goes there to mostly listen to other people’s stories (she doesn’t like to tell her story) however she had a change of heart, she began speaking about her husband.
Flashback: Susan walks into the house after working, at only one job, the hair salon. As she enters she breathes deeply through her nose as she smells some cooking. Her husband Robert (Ethan Hawke) had cooked dinner for the family, he usually cooks a few times a week, her husband was a kind and loving man. Robert embraces Susan as she enters. Cut to the next clip, Susan enters the house yet again, she tries to smell but there is nothing, not even a kiss, the children aren’t home and Robert is in the basement, she goes downstairs to look for him, as she opens the door however Robert jumps and appears to hide something under the lounge. They have an argument, their first major argument after being married for 15 years, they loved each other very much. Robert just wouldn’t tell her what he is hiding. The next night, Susan comes home and hears screaming from inside the house, Robert is shown standing over Jenny, Jenny screaming and tears running down her eyes pleads with her father to stop. Susan tries to calm Robert but to no avail he swings to slap Jenny but Archie grabs his hand to stop it, Archie hits his father multiple times, until he knocks him unconscious, the family hug and cry together. Susan has him checked with an MRI, the whole time Robert saying he is fine.
After a week there is no new outbursts from Robert, but Susan is still suspicious of what is really going on, she sent the kids away to their grandparents to have a real conversation with Robert. She demands to know what is going on, Robert says nothing. Later that night while Robert is in the shower, Susan searches through his stuff, she finds a needle and a strap. He gets out of the shower, Susan sits on the bed crying and looking at the equipment, Robert says that it’s not what it looks like. Susan says nothing else but, “Get Out.” He packs up his stuff, making sure not to leave his equipment and leaves.
A few months have gone by, and during the finalisation of the divorce papers, Robert shows up at the family home, he is scratching his skin and speaking a lot quicker than usual. Susan tells him to leave, but Robert becomes aggressive and begins to try to hit Susan. After swinging a couple of times he collapses and drops to the ground and begins shaking uncontrollably, and froths at the mouth, Susan runs to her phone and quickly dials 911, however it was too late, Robert has stopped shaking and is laying still.
The family, although they disliked Robert in the end, are grieving, and at his funeral. Alexandra is there to give Susan a shoulder to cry on. She tells her that her door is always open and that she should remember that. Susan is thankful. Archie is crying but wipes them away quickly as he does not want anyone to see. Jenny isn’t as bothered by her father’s death as the rest of them. She listens at the funeral but isn’t really bothered, she leaves the wake very quickly as she received a message from her best friend, Tasha (Anya Taylor-Joy). As they leave different people give their condolences to the family (without Jenny). As Susan and the boys leave she is frantic about Jenny’s whereabouts, we cut to Jenny with Tasha, the phone buzzes but she doesn’t answer instead, Tasha and herself pass a joint between the two laughing.
Flashback over:
The session is over and Susan stands to leave, as she does that, the support group members all stand and clap, for her sharing her story. A tear runs down her eye and she leaves out the doors. She then begins her walk to her other job at the local grocery store. (This brings us back to the start of the movie.)
Jenny is at Tasha’s house having a party, there is alcohol and drugs. Jenny enjoying herself, sits around, passing around a joint. We get a montage of her drinking, dancing and having fun. There are sirens in the background and a knock is heard at the door. Tasha tells everyone to leave and all the partygoers run out the back and jump the fence. Jenny begins to walk home, when a man in a car (Lakeith Stanfield) drives past, he pulls up a bit further up the road, Jenny runs to the car and the window, she asks if she can grab a lift home. The man and Jenny begin talking, and he says his name is Tyrone. She asks if he knows anywhere the view is spectacular. He takes her to William G. Milliken State Park. He pulls out a blanket and lays it on the ground, they stare into the sky at the stars before, Jenny leans over and lays a kiss onto his lips, and she climbs on top of him and kisses him more and more. She then takes off her top and begins undressing Tyrone. Screen fades
Susan returns home and it is only Johnny home, she doesn’t mind too much as it’s not yet 11 o’clock, and that is the kid’s curfew. She waits up for both the kids but they do not come home she ends up sleeping under a blanket on an armchair.
The sun shines on William G. Milliken State Park, Jenny and Tyrone are lying there still, Tyrone has his arm around her, and a jogger runs past and looks at the two. Jenny wakes up and thanks him for the night, it is the most fun she has had in a long time. She asks for a lift back home, Tyrone says yes and takes her home. As he pulls up on the road next to the driveway he asks for her number. Jenny gladly grabs his phone and puts her number in there. He offers to walk her to the door, but she knows she is already in a lot of trouble with her mother so she declines. Jenny tries to make as little noise as she can as she walks inside however her mother is already waiting in the hallway, she is sent straight to her room, until her brother returns.
Archie is with Shaunda and it doesn’t look like they have slept all night, sitting in front of them are needles and straps, zip lock bags are empty. Their eyes are red and Archie is scratching at his skin. He is too pumped to rest, so he suggests they do something. Shaunda gets up and grabs his hands. They go to a grocery store, and Shaunda dares Archie to steal something as she waits outside. Archie walks in, hands in pockets and grabs a can of soft drink and puts it in his pocket. He then browses the store and begins to walk out. He however didn’t see Alexandra standing at the till, she looks at him and tells him his mother is worried sick (Susan called her) she calls for Bob her manager to quickly takeover on register, as she drives Archie home. Archie tells her no, but eventually gets in the car, when Alexandra tells him it’s either home or prison because she saw him steal the soda. He gets in the car and they drive off. His temper begins to heat up and he pulls the handbrake while they are still driving. The car stops but Alexandra regains control and yells at Archie. She takes him inside and sits him on the lounge.
Susan comes down stairs and starts to cry she thought he was gone, she goes to give him a hug but he pushes her away. She yells out to Jenny to get downstairs.
Jenny and Archie are both sitting on the lounge now. Susan talks with Alexandra in private and Alexandra tells her to tell the kids how she is really feeling. She stands in front of the kids and starts to break down, she says that they don’t know what she has done for the family, maybe not all the times what she does is right but she is trying to protect them, she sees Archie’s red eyes and looks at the inside of his elbow, she sees puncture marks and begins to cry even more. Jenny stands up and gives Susan a hug, and holds her back as Susan points at Archie and begins to yell, “Please tell me you’re not, you can’t, please don’t do what he did!” Archie sits there not caring about what his mother just said. Jenny sits her down and then she herself begins yelling at Archie telling him that it is disgusting what he is doing, what their dad did was disgusting, he beat her and her mother and she is scared about what Archie could do.
The next day Susan walks into Archie’s room and sits down, she wants answers. She asks how long he has been doing this, and how it all started. Sleepy, Archie unknowingly answers one question, all he said was Shaunda.
Susan grabs Jenny and takes her for backup, Jenny wants to know where they are going but Susan is furious so she doesn’t answer. They arrive at an old shack, and both get out, Susan walks to the door and bangs loudly, a man’s voice is heard and he opens the door it is Tyrone, he starts saying hi to Jenny, but she signs for him to stop looking at her. Susan asks if Shaunda lives here. He goes to get Shaunda. Susan looks her dead in the eye, and yells at her. “You ruined him, you ruined my little boy, and how dare you get him on heroine just like his father.” Shaunda’s face is going red and Tyrone has a shocked look on his face, “Are you kidding me he yells, Shaunda you said you would stop if I let you live here.” She just shrugs her shoulders. Jenny calms down her mother and takes her back to the car. Jenny walks back to the door and tells Shaunda that she is too never see her brother again, she waves bye to Tyrone.
When they return home, Archie is in the kitchen, he drops to the floor and begins shaking, Susan tells Jenny to ring 911 ASAP. She does so as Susan is crying and turning him on his side. She repeatedly says don’t go, don’t go. The ambulance gets to the house and he is still alive. She is crying and lets out a scream, she hugs him as he is taken away.
Time has passed and Archie is surrounded by Susan, Jenny, Johnny and Alexandra, he begins to wake up and tears start to roll, he apologises to his mother and to everyone, he admits that he needs help. Susan walks over to her son and hugs him and doesn’t let go.
After Archie is let out of hospital he is taken home and loved by his mother. Late at night he kisses his mother on the head while she is sleeping, and Jenny is waiting at the front door, they both walk outside and get into a car with Tyrone. He drives them to a rehab facility on the other side of the state, Jenny walks her brother inside and gives him a big hug, she then gets back in the car with Tyrone and they drive off, Tyrone holds her hand and says, “He will be alright.”
6 months later
Archie is out of rehab greeted by his mother, sister, and brother. They all hug and get in the car, Archie joking with his younger brother while they do. Susan looks in the rear view mirror at the two boys laughing and smiles.
Screen is Black/Voiceover (Archie Belrose): You were never created to live depressed, defeated, guilty, condemned, ashamed or unworthy. You were created to be victorious.
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