Concept VERY GOOD But no one feels the loss more than June’s children. Her daughter CORRIE (12) used to get laughs out of everyone by making fun of her wacky mom. Now, she is wracked with guilt over it. While Corrie quietly struggles with these feelings, her brother WILLIAM (5) is even more vulnerable. A few days after June’s death, he lies in his back yard praying for his mom to come back. At almost the same moment, he glimpses a deer running in the shadows of some nearby woods. Unable to see the deer clearly, he sees what he wants to see and yells, “Mommy!” He chases an illusion of his mother into the woods, and from this moment on, he keeps a constant, grueling lookout for her. Kate knows these children need great love and support, but her impatience and quick temper make her an unlikely caregiver. Even so, she feels horribly betrayed when she discovers that June gave custody of the kids to her elderly friend, GLORIA WINGER. Therefore, when Kate discovers that Gloria lives in a rusty, dilapidated trailer, she calls the Department of Human Services (DHS) to report Gloria’s home as “dangerous and unsanitary.” She hopes DHS will give her custody once Gloria’s home is deemed unsafe. Biding her time until DHS arrives, Kate visits the kids often at Gloria’s trailer and tries to console them in their grief; but they repeatedly push her away and seek comfort instead from Gloria and her daughter, JENNY. Gloria can’t help but notice Kate’s pain, and overlooking Kate’s antagonistic behavior, she comforts her by saying, “June loved you very much…. She said you used to be the nicest person she knew.” Kate focuses inconsolably on the words, “used to be,” and desperately asks, “What happened to me?” With this question in mind, Kate goes on a somber review of her life and has increasing trouble focusing on her work. One day while coaching at a dance competition, she searches for solitude by closing herself into an empty conference room. Alone, she leans against the wall, closes her eyes, and finds herself expressing her grief through mournful dance movements. Then, suddenly feeling watched, she opens her eyes and finds her ex-husband BRICE (33) staring at her through a window in the door. Immediately angry, Kate exits the room and refuses to even look at him. Now, seeing Brice, Kate is flooded with a barrage of hard, complicated emotions; and these feelings compel her to consider advice from, of all people, Gloria. Carefully considering Kate’s situation, Gloria encourages her to “talk it out” with Brice. GLORIA Kate resists Gloria’s advice, and the next time she sees Brice, she renders him speechless with scathing criticisms. But just as she is about make a smug exit, she stops herself and musters the courage and self-control to talk constructively with him. By the end of their conversation, Kate realizes that she has compromised everything that matters “just because some guy bruised my ego.” Armed with this realization, Kate pours great energy into healing her life, and in the process, she unearths a part of herself that is able to help her niece and nephew with their grief. When Corrie confesses her guilt about the way she treated her mom, she is grateful when Kate gently explains, “Corrie, you’re twelve. You’re supposed to make fun of your mom.” Kate then turns her attention to William, who is still convinced that his mother’s spirit is in the woods. Busy keeping a somber lookout for her, he spends many solitary hours staring into the woods; but Kate joins him in his lookout and insightfully helps him re-engage with life. Cherishing her newfound connection with the kids, Kate is grateful to Gloria for seeing through her anger and helping her mend her heart. However, Kate’s mother ANNETTE is still mired in bitterness. Ill-equipped to handle the many emotional injuries of her life, Annette funnels her far-reaching anger toward Brice, for hurting and humiliating her daughter, and toward Gloria for taking her grandchildren. As Annette continues to push for custody of the kids, Kate makes peace with June’s decision to give them to Gloria. But her former actions come back to haunt her when a DHS social worker arrives at Gloria’s dilapidated trailer, deems it unsafe, and insists on removing the children from the home. Full of shame, Kate has no idea how to fix this awful mess. But eventually she musters all her resources and, in the process, pulls both Annette and Brice into Gloria’s world. They are all suddenly together in a place where they might choose love and freedom over pride and worldly success. COMMENTS:
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