Now Showing: Miracles

Miracles

Genre: Drama/Crime

Director: Sean Baker

Writer: Chad Taylor

Cast: Jack Black, Josh Brolin, Toni Collette, Jesse Plemons, Margaret Qualley, Marisa Tomei, Austin Butler, Luis Guzman, Don Cheadle, Toby Huss, David Byrne, June Squibb

Plot: Winter ’76

“Forgive me Father for I have sinned,” Paul (Jack Black) says as he sits in the confessional booth across from Father Yale Rutherford (Jesse Plemons). He goes on to list some mundane sins that he’s committed and is quickly repented for those. He then tells Father Rutherford that he has a question. He wants to confirm that homosexuality is a sin. Father Rutherford confirms that it is. Paul says that he thought so but was just making sure. He thanks Father Rutherford for his time and exits the confessional booth.

Paul is a popular radio DJ in a sleepy town in the Pacific Northwest. He lives at home with his 92-year-old mother Opal (June Squibb), a devout Catholic that he takes to mass every week. Paul’s sister Theresa (Toni Collette) is more religious than her brother, although not so much Theresa’s husband Daryl (Josh Brolin). Daryl works long hours in the lumber industry and often spends his time at local bar the Iron Horse. In fact, that’s where he is right now as he chats up the bartender Shannon (Marisa Tomei) with his co-worker and good friend Carlos (Luis Guzman).

At a local gas station, Shannon’s daughter Julia (Margaret Qualley) leans against the counter as she counts the cars that drive by. She is starting her usual nightly shift for a job that doesn’t pay much but it’s not like it costs much to live here. She is paid a visit by a regular customer (David Byrne) who comes in every night at 11:07am to get coffee. Julia doesn’t even know the man’s name. “High of 27 tomorrow with a chance of snow,” he says as he pays for his coffee. Julia smiles as she knows this routine by now and says that she hates winter. After he leaves, she turns up the radio.

Paul is in the booth as the nighttime jockey at KLAM, the local top 40 station. Paul talks a little bit to his listeners before setting up the next song and going to the bathroom. When he exits the bathroom, he notices a blue glow from outside the window. He cautiously goes outside to check and looks up to the sky in amazement.

At the gas station, a loud truck pulls up to one of the pumps. A drunk Daryl comes stumbling in to pay for his gas. Julia looks a bit worried and asks if she should call him a ride home but he says that he doesn’t live far so he’s fine. Before he pays, he sees a sign for lottery tickets and says he wants one. Julia watches as Daryl stumbles back out and is startled by the radio she has on. A panicked Paul interrupts the song playing to tell his listeners that he just saw a UFO outside of the radio station. Julia hurries outside to see for herself but finds that she must be too late.

After swerving on the roads a bit, Daryl parks his truck in his driveway. He stumbles inside and tries to be as quiet as possible when he gets into bed with Theresa, who appears to be asleep. However, once he settles in, she turns to her side and away from him as she does not like the smell of alcohol. Daryl shuts his eyes and goes to sleep.

The next morning, word of Paul’s UFO sighting and broadcast begins to spread amongst the town. When Theresa hears this about her brother, she immediately rolls her eyes. Julia, meanwhile, arrives home from work. She is ready to sleep but Shannon requests that she walk their dog first before going to bed. Paul pays a visit to the local police office to speak with Sheriff Powell (Toby Huss) about what he saw last night. Powell is rather dismissive of Paul’s claims and lets him know that there were no other reports of a sighting from anyone else in town. If it were in the sky, wouldn’t more than one person see it? A frustrated Paul leaves as the Sheriff jokes with his colleagues not to trust a man in his 50s who has never moved out of his mother’s house.

Paul goes to the confessional booth at his church where he talks with Father Rutherford. He says that he doesn’t have any new sins to confess to, per se, but that he wants to run something by the priest. He begins to describe to him what he saw last night and the physiological effect it had on him. Instead of dismissing him like everyone else, Father Rutherford’s eyes widen. He says that he had a similar vision in a dream last night. He tells Paul that he believes him and thanks him for coming.

A few days later, Julia is listening to the radio at work. The clock hits 11:07am and the regular customer comes in to get his coffee. “High of 47 tomorrow,” he says as Julia remarks that she likes the sound of that. The hours pass as boredom subsumes Julia. She doodles in her notebook the picture of her ideal man and whispers to herself for him to come take her out of this hellhole. It is near the end of her shift when the phone suddenly rings and startles her. It is a representative from the state lottery office. They let her know that the winning ticket for last night’s jackpot drawing was a match with a ticket sold at her gas station.

A montage begins of Daryl finding out he had the winning ticket, telling his wife, and then that news moving through word-of-mouth through the city. Theresa is in tears as she talks about this is going to change their lives. He says that he can finally quit his stupid job and she says that they shouldn’t be that haste. But they can plan a nice vacation getaway, at least. As she says this, she gets a phone call. It is Paul who, in tears of his own, informs her that their mother has died. Theresa’s tears of elation quickly change to tears of anguish.

Paul visits the confessional booth so that he can speak to Father Rutherford. At this point, they know who each other are but don’t openly address that while in this setting. Father Rutherford expresses his sympathy for Paul’s recent loss. Paul doesn’t want to talk about it and, instead, begins asking the Father questions. They get into the topic of how Rutherford is getting acquainted with the town after a few months here. As they talk more, Paul finally gets around to talking about his mom’s death. He says that, appropriately, he has a confession to make: he feels relieved about his mom dying.

She’s been having health issues for years so she no longer has to deal with that. But also, she held him back from embracing his true self. When he was in his 20s, he accepted the realization that he was gay but wouldn’t bring himself to come out until his mom died. And then she just kept on living. So, in a way, her death is now a blessing so he can finally be himself. And here’s the kicker: he thinks this all because of the UFO. His life reset? His brother-in-law winning the lottery? All at once? Father Rutherford sits nodding on his side of the booth.

A funeral is held for Opal, with Paul and Theresa leading the proceedings. While Theresa is speaking with a mourner at the visitation, Paul pulls Daryl aside. Daryl gives him a timid hug and says he’s sorry about the loss. It must be hard, especially because Paul lived with her for nearly his whole life. Paul accepts his sympathy and then tells him about his theory that the UFO brought the town good luck. Daryl is amused by this, although it is not entirely clear if he buys it. Later that night, Daryl explains to Theresa Paul’s UFO theory. She seems genuinely annoyed at the thought of her brother considering their mother’s death a good omen. She tells her husband to watch out for Paul trying to leech off of their lottery winnings.

A few weeks later, Harris (Don Cheadle) and Sam (Austin Butler) drive into town. They arrive at Paul’s house, who it turns out contacted them about the UFO sighting. Harris is a veteran journalist for NBC News and is skeptical of Paul’s claims but came to investigate anyways. Sam is his young cameraman. Paul drives them to the radio station where he had the sighting. There, they run into Father Rutherford. When Paul calls him that, he reveals that he has left the Catholic priesthood as of yesterday so they can call him Yale. Paul asks him what he’s doing out here and Yale says that he was observing the sacred ground where a miracle occurred. Paul smiles.

Theresa visits Daryl at his new woodcutting business, having now quit his previous job to be his own boss. He has a newspaper on his lap and tells her that he’s been looking at the real estate market for their new home. Theresa says that they’ll need something big enough for at least three. Daryl is confused by this and Theresa is soon in tears, in disbelief herself. She says that she is pregnant. Daryl doesn’t know what to say, after all these years of trying. Theresa is exasperated and reminds him that she’s almost 50. He breaks down and hugs her and gives her a long kiss. She whispers that maybe her brother was right and something special really did occur in this town.

Julia stares at the tiles of her gas station, whistling the tune to her favorite childhood cartoon. The clock hits 11:07pm and the Customer enters. “They’ve arrived,” he says. Julia is startled to hear this as she was expecting to hear the weather, per usual. Before she can ask who arrived, the regular customer is already gone.

To her surprise, there is someone else in line. It is Sam, getting himself a coffee. Julia is surprised, both that she has another customer at this time and that it is someone she’s never seen before. Sam explains that he is in town for a job and that this was one of the only places open. Julia leans in with interest as they begin to converse. She asks how long he’ll be in town and he says maybe a week or two. She smiles and says that if he ever wants to get a coffee, they have some of the worst in town.

When she gets home from work, Julia tells her mom about meeting Sam last night. Shannon can immediately tell that her daughter is smitten with this person. Julia says that this is going to sound really stupid but she feels like she just met the man of her dreams. Shannon cracks an ironic smile and says she thought the same thing about Julia’s father. Julia then goes and grabs her notebook that she doodles in and shows her mom the picture that she drew a few weeks ago. It is a spitting image of Sam.

On Sunday morning, we enter a small church where minister Rutherford is greeting the few patrons that he has in his new upstart ministry. He begins a sermon that quickly develops into a fire-and-brimstone speech, a far cry from the subdued masses he conducted at the Catholic church. He eventually gets to the topic of what he coins “Visitation Day” and the positive impact it has had on the community. He says that was only the beginning. It was a visit from a higher being and that they will return someday. In the back pew sits Paul, who is amused at what he is hearing.

Afterwards, he stays back to talk to Yale and congratulate him on his new venture. Paul informs him that he has even more fuel to his theory: his younger sister is pregnant for the first time in her life after never being able to conceive. Yale congratulates Paul on this news and says that this is more than a theory; it’s a miracle. Paul’s hand falls down to touch Yale’s and, while it seems like an accident, he smiles. Yale is quick to pull his hand away and politely smile back, indicating that he is not interested in Paul that way. Paul says there must’ve been a misunderstanding and walks away slightly ashamed.

Daryl arrives at the Iron Horse to join Carlos and the rest of his former co-workers for a drink. Daryl ends up paying for everyone’s first few rounds and gets quite drunk himself. This means that he begins cranking up the charm on Shannon, who is flirting back. The film cuts to them making out behind the bar after Shannon’s shift. She pulls away and says that this is wrong since he is married. He says he’s had more real conversations with her over the last few years than with his wife. She apologizes and says she can’t do this before heading over to her car. Daryl, angry at himself, kicks over a nearby trashcan.

While grocery shopping, Theresa clearly has a glow about her. She runs into Yale, who says it is nice to see her. He congratulates her on the baby, which makes her turn sour as she did not know that news was out there just yet. She asks who told him that and he says her brother. She nods along unsurprised before saying that she hopes he is happy with his decision to leave the church. As she's walking away, he clarifies that he left one church but was led by the grace of God to another. He says that he will always have an open ear, as always.

Harris interviews Paul about his sighting and his claims about the town’s good luck. The broadcast first airs locally but then proves so popular that it airs on the national news. Paul’s DJ personality makes him a memorable character and this leads to visitors from out-of-state regularly showing up to the small town. More residents of the town come out of the woodwork to profess their own good fortune since Visitation Day.

After helping with the interview, Sam goes on a date with Julia. After getting to know one another, Sam asks Julia if she believes in the good luck theory and, if so, what has it brought her. She blushes and says it is going to sound very stupid. She pulls out the notebook page that she doodled on and shows him the drawing that looks like him. Meanwhile, we learn that Daryl and Shannon’s affair has consummated and they are seeing each other semi-regularly now (unbeknownst to Theresa). They often meet up at Shannon’s house in the time that Daryl gets off of work and Julia is out of the house starting her shift.

Paul has decided to build off of his mini-celebrity by starting his own radio show that focuses on paranormal conspiracies. One of his most regular listeners is a local: Carlos, Daryl’s former co-worker. After developing their friendship, Paul has drinks with Carlos. As they talk, Carlos vents how Daryl’s personality has changed since the lottery win. Paul corrects him: since Visitation Day. Paul admits that he has been frustrated by how well everyone is benefiting from the visitation but he is not; particularly his sister and brother-in-law who have always treated him poorly. Carlos asks why Paul doesn’t take back what he’s owed since he is the one who brought good luck to the town. He asks if he means stealing the money and that is when Carlos interjects and says he knows Daryl’s schedule pretty well. They give each other a certain look.

Sheriff Powell pays a visit to the hotel that Harris and Sam are staying at and requests that they leave that day. Harris asks why and the Sheriff says that the new traffic of visitors is becoming a headache to deal with. After Powell leaves, Sam tells Harris that he needs to stay at least a few more hours as he has someone to see.

Paul and Carlos plan a robbery of Daryl and Theresa’s home. The plan begins as Carlos visits Theresa while Daryl is at work. He says that there is something that has been weighing on him, especially with the pregnancy. He reveals to her that Daryl is having an affair with Shannon. He says they even plan to meet up at her home after Daryl gets off work today. She is distraught and storms out of the house after Carlos leaves. This is when Paul must strike, using the spare key that he has.

Meanwhile, Sam visits Julia’s gas station where she is beginning her shift. He tells her that he is leaving town today and that he wanted to see her one last time. At first she is upset to hear this but then says that they shouldn’t spend his last night here at this crummy gas station. She calls her mom and asks her if she can have the house for the next few hours. Shannon agrees and then calls Daryl as he is leaving work and lets him know that her place is off-limits. He says that he will see about his place and will call her back when he gets there.

As Paul puts the money in the closet into his duffle bag, he hears the key to the front door as Daryl arrives home.

At the same time, Theresa arrives at Shannon’s house and approaches the front door. Before she knocks, he can hear noises from a side window and goes over to investigate. As she gets closer, she quickly realizes she hears moans.

Daryl hears someone moving around in the house and calls Theresa’s name. He notices a note next to the door left by his wife, telling him that she knows about his infidelity and that she is leaving him. Realizing that she is not home, he grabs his shotgun. Paul, in the closet, finds himself with limited options. He begins climbing out the bedroom window.

Theresa, fuming with anger, grabs a sizable rock and throws it in the bedroom window. Almost immediately, she hears loud female screams from the inside. Julia comes running outside to investigate as Theresa hides herself. In the bed, Sam lays face-down on the bed with a head wound and a bloody rock beside him.

Daryl reaches the bedroom and sees Paul leaving through the window. He raises his gun but, upon seeing that it is Paul, he does not shoot as he assumes that his brother-in-law is there to grab some of Theresa’s things. Defeated, he sits down on his bed with his shotgun still in hand.

Three Years Later

A banner hangs in the town center celebrating the anniversary of Visitation Day. At his ministry, Yale preaches the gospel to his congregation, which is much larger in size than it was three years ago. In the first pew sits his wife, Julia. In her prison cell, Theresa paces as she looks lovingly at a picture of her daughter. That daughter is at Paul’s house as he is her current guardian with Theresa incarcerated and Daryl dead. While the kid looks happy, Paul looks miserable.

Julia goes to work that night at the same gas station as she always has. At 11:07, the regular customer walks in to get coffee.