God, I am so sorry. I had no idea what that was going to be.
No, no, really, it is okay.
Oh! How can people stand to watch that kind of crap?
Probably permanently damaged your opinion of us as a race, as a town.
No, really, it is all new to me.
I'm happy to see it.
- Wonderful performance. - Thank you.
Really great.
Come on. We got to be to work in an hour.
Ugh! I have totally failed in my duty as a host.
I'll make it up to you, though, I promise.
We'll give you a real California welcome yet.
Listen to this.
"The actor is in a wretched state,
"exploited like a prostitute.
"But just..."
You really liked it?
Yeah. I thought it was very free.
It was that.
Sit, sit, please.
This is your home now too. I want you to feel that way, okay?
Thank you. That's very kind.
Can I pick you anything up on my way home?
Except cigarettes. I won't participate in a suicide.
Hmm.
Um, no, thank you. It's fine.
What time do you have to be there tomorrow?
9:00.
You nervous?
Uh, I'm prepared.
I know I keep saying this, but I'm glad you're here.
Thank you.
Hey!
Hey! Hey!
Aah!
I kick your ass, dude!
Osman. Holy shit. Joseph. Joseph kidd.
Oh, good to be finally meeting you.
I'm honored, truly.
Sierra, this man is a hero.
Really? What did you do?
Nothing, I don't know... I can't believe you're here!
I just have to ask.
Are you okay?
Yes, I'm fine. "Fine." Christ.
What a world, right? You ever see such a sleepy newsroom?
Look alive, people.
This man spent half his life reporting from a war zone.
Dodging bullets while you were slapping at flies.
Seriously, you're all over Gabe's piece for the time.
Great work. Heart-stopping shit.
Well, I... I was mostly just arranging travel for him
and interpreting for him on that.
So...
Well, pull that chair up and close that door, will you?
Okay.
What can I do for you?
First, I want to thank you again.
To you, to Gabe, i say thanks.
Of course, of course.
I'm still coming up with ideas,
but I thought maybe i could start with early impressions.
Maybe the first day in town, or something short about the play.
The play? Of course, that's not all.
It's just to begin. Part of a whole series.
But everything is so new. It's so very bright in my mind.
Very strong.
Okay. Yes.
Did you... did you go?
Uh... Gloria took me,
and she didn't know what it was.
But it was ecstatic.
The actors were working very hard,
doing tasks i didn't understand, but still work,
hard work of some kind, and they were speaking Polish.
I don't know why, but there was a man and a machine,
and the man was nude with a hat.
And it was...
Very American.
That sounds insane. Yes.
But I think it could be a good first assignment.
A first... wait. Yeah. Again, that's just one idea.
I know I sound very vague, but I have to tell you,
I'm very nervous...
Because I'm just very grateful to you...
Oh, shit.
Did Gabe tell you i could give you a job?
Yes.
Oh, Jesus.
This is embarrassing.
Well, I don't have to write about the play.
No, no, no, I... I think you misunderstand.
There's no money.
But I thought... I'm sorry, man.
There's really nothing.
Okay.
Thank you for your time.
Oh, wait. The blotter.
I can give you 50 bucks a week to write a police blotter.
What's a police blotter?
"July 28.
"Sebastopol resident Ben Dewey, 17,
"was apprehended after an off-season hunt
"for wild boars ended poetically."
"August 2nd.
"An illegal bonfire ended in near tragedy
"when a 26-year-old woman from San Francisco
"mistook the smoldering embers for her ride back to the city.
"Thanks to our Valiant police department,
"she was able to board a bona fide vehicle the next morning."
"Valiant." I like it.
I don't even know what this is.
You don't have to do it.
He tell me to just use the police report.
You don't even have to leave the house.
I can't sit around copying reports for $50 a week. I need to do something.
What?
I know it sounds silly, but before,
when I'm thinking of the California,
it looked different in my mind.
What, like big tits and sand?
I'm close. I got it.
What are we doing here?
I'll be just a minute. You stay here in the car.
I don't want to have to deal with him again!
I don't want to deal with it!
No, but I don't want him in the house!
Come on, come on, come on!
He's not in the house now, all right?
He's not in the house now.
No!
I don't want him here anymore! Where are you headed, maddie?
I don't want him in this house! Where are you headed?
I don't want him in this house! I know...
I don't want him in this house anymore!
No! I want him out!
Okay, okay...
They're pushing him around...
Who are you?
It was just your boy here?
No! No! There were no people here! Huh?
I'm a...
Reporter.
I can't do it!
Reporter?
From where?
I can't do it! I can't do it!
No!
You come all the way from somewhere to see me?
Oh, I'm with Gloria.
- They were here! - Maddie, who was here?
Were there other people here? There was other people here?
Yeah, is she going to take her?
I don't know.
Yeah, she got to take her.
She needs some authority, man.
She's mad.
Maybe you should report that,
then maybe someone will...
What's that accent?
You said where you were from, but I... I forgot.
Oh, here she comes.
- Here she comes. - Whoa! Whoa!
Huh? Huh? Whoa! Whoa!
Oh, now she's a penitent!
A minute ago she's doling out some weak-ass sub-ninja shit
with a kitchen knife, and now look at her.
Lindsay, would you just calm down.
Fuck that.
Osman, could you please get back to the car?
Yeah, I can take care of myself, mama! Please, I asked you to stay...
Hey!
Calm down now, huh? Okay, it's me.
Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!
Whoa! Easy!
Take that, foreign correspondent!
Lindsay, let him go!
Oh, come on, glor! Come on! Let him go!
Ah, fuck it!
Fuck it! You okay, mama?
Huh?
You okay? Huh?
He hurt you? Did he hurt you? Are you okay?
You going to be all right, maddie?
Why don't you guys go in and get some rest, all right?
To the car. To the car.
- Hey. Mr. reporter man. - Don't turn back.
Just walk. Just walk. If you report any of this, i will kill you.
Come on, come on.
Up, up, up, up, up.
All right, all right.
Let's see, what do we got here?
Let me see.
Back home, if she had brothers,
they would go to his house tomorrow
and they would put him in the ground.
Nah, Lindsay's not bad when he's not high.
And when he is,
he's a truly impressive magnet for heartache and trouble.
The man can build a damn fine hot tub.
Finds all the wood himself.
Yes, well, i don't think it is talent to find wood in the forest.
He'll apologize to you.
Hey, osman.
What?
I like you.
I wasn't sure at first.
But it's nice to see you angry.
Hey, no heroics in the future.
We can take care of ourselves.
Good night.
Police blotter? That fucker.
I'm not complaining.
I'm just... Deferent as hell when I called.
"Yeah, sure, Gabe. Anything you need.
"Your piece in the times magazine tore my heart out."
I'll bet he didn't even read it.
Oh, he read it.
It tore his heart out. He wanted very much to make sure that I was okay.
You going to go crazy over there, man?
Look, I got a few friends in New York that can...
No, Gabe. I'm not going to go crazy.
Not if... Not if you have something to do.
Not if I have something to do.
The market, airport road.
Osman, I got to go.
Your understudy's giving me the eye.
Yeah, I think, uh...
I think your mother wants to talk to you.
I'd rather not, buddy.
It's easier not dealing with her fretting over me, if you know what I mean.
Look, stay strong. You're a badass, man. You're a fixer, huh?
California can't possibly defeat you, huh?
Own it, brother. You know? You hear what I'm saying?
Own it.
Gabe?
He had to go to work.
I'm going to go get some cigarettes.
Can I get you anything? Where is he?
I haven't heard from him since...
It's a mile-and-a-half away.
Hello.
May I help you?
Yes, a pack of reds, please.
Don't think we have those.
Uh...
Okay.
Is there a grown person i could talk to here?
No? There a problem?
Ah, yes.
I don't think she can reach the cigarettes.
Oh, dear.
Brand?
Reds, please.
Just these, lace, and the cigarettes. Thank you.
No...
Shut up.
Thank you for the cigarettes.
Oh, yeah. No worries.
I've been recently told that I have to own it, and...
Uh-huh?
I think that means i should talk to you.
Um, what are you supposed to own?
I have no idea.
Okay.
I'm Sandra, by the way.
Sandra. Osman.
I like that. Where are you from?
Carl, we're going to the beach.
Are we? Uh-huh.
This is osman. He's from Afghanistan,
and he hasn't seen the water yet.
Also, he really dug your play.
Well, then,
we'll go to the beach.
So, osman...
Yes?
What are you doing in my Van?
I don't know.
Yet.
You don't know yet.
So, you worked with Gabe?
Yeah, I was his fixer. We...
Like an interpreter?
Yes.
In Afghanistan, it is all about the relationships.
A journalist cannot walk around
the country just asking the questions.
You need a guide.
Yeah. Someone who know how to read the place.
A kind of cultural translator. Yeah, exactly.
So, what happened?
I got the hell out.
No, Gabe had a connection, so I got lucky.
Hey, Gabe still helping you out?
Yeah, I'm staying with his mother,
and thought he find me a job, but...
Really?
Maybe it's stupid.
The police blotter for the newspaper.
It isn't anything.
Yeah, I know what it is.
You'd like something more substantial.
Yes.
Something that lets you assert yourself,
makes you feel like a man.
Something that gives you dignity,
"dignity" being kind of a nebulous concept right now,
since it's got a different flavor over here
than it did back home, or seems to,
but you're not sure, because how do you know yet?
That right?
Well, it's just that back home...
No, don't tell us too much.
Not yet.
Okay.
Okay, fuck it. I'm getting in!
I'm happy you bring me here, man.
Osman, come on!
Go ahead.
I'll chaperone.
Whoo!
Hey, osman!
Come on!
You all right, buddy?
Whoo-hoo!
You okay?
Thank you. That better?
Is he all right?
He's fine!
Osman!
Whoo!
Gloria!
Well, where have you been?
The sea.
I have been to the sea.
You liked it.
Oh, Gabe was right. All I need is something to do.
Is that what he said?
I'm going to take the job.
What, the police blotter? Yeah.
I thought you said you didn't want to sit around writing reports.
Exactly. I don't need to wait
for people to give me things, right?
I can go out and actually do something.
I'm going to use it to meet this place, the people,
do real work like Gabe and I did.
Osman, what are you talking about?
I'm going to go out on patrol with you, Afghan-style.
Huh?
I'm not just going to write the police blotter,
I'm going to do it. Osman...
Turn this bullshit job into real work.
Osman, you can't.
You can't go out with me, as delightful as you may be.
But... One, it's totally against the rules.
Last night... And two, it interferes.
I can't have you with me out there when I'm working.
I can't. I... I wouldn't interfere.
I'd be in the back... No.
I'm sorry.
Here. Sit.
It's the only thing i can actually cook.
You... you don't need me to be here.
You know that, right?
We should do the interview when we're done this, right?
Yeah, man. Yeah.
Many people say the Taliban receive support
from the Pakistani government.
Does the Taliban receive support from Pakistan?
Come on.
He's actually affirming
that the Pakistani government helps them,
and did nothing against them.
They got many offices at the border... Hmm.
...and that's how they operate their operation.
Right. What is the structure? Shit, man.
That sounds like... Like a detective aircraft.
That sounds like a detective aircraft.
Should we go? He's actually saying
that it's an American aircraft,
so we should just wrap things up.
So, we should go? Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Let's just wrap things up. Tell him thank you very much.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Go, man.
Go!
Oh, shit.
Go, go, go!
Go! Go! Move!
Gabe?
Whoo!
Thank you. No problem, brother.
Hey, foreign correspondent.
You here to report me?
I'm just fucking with you.
I'm just messing around. Come on, get in.
Look, I owe you.
That shit the other night, my bad, all right?
Serious misuse of a sacred martial art.
I own that.
I apologize. Come on.
Man, I ain't going to touch you.
You sit on that side, i sit on this side.
Come on.
All right, it's cool.
Man, no problem at all.
No problem at all. You just...
Anywhere you want to go, just say the word, brother.
No, man, you'd be doing me a favor.
That karmic rebound. Seriously.
Where do you want to go?
I have to go downtown.
"Downtown" is kind of a vague direction.
Well, I... I have work to do.
Yeah?
Something going on i should know about?
You got a scoop?
No, no.
Oh, yeah?
So, what are you working on?
The police blotter.
No shit?
Fucking love it, man.
First thing I read every morning.
Really? Yeah.
Love all that dirty underbelly stuff.
You know, the last dude that wrote the blotter was stellar.
Frankie the finger. Frankie the finger, man.
He wrote me up a couple times.
Yeah, but he had the perfect tone, you know?
Wry as a motherfucker.
Like a laser beam, you know?
You got some... you got some shoes to fill, my friend.
I can fill some shoes, man.
I'll bet you can.
So, the idea is what?
You head into town, do a little recon,
pin the likely criminals, and then you just hide out
and wait for them to do something nefarious?
Something like recon.
In this work, it's...
It's all about finding the source of things, yes.
No shit?
What's a dude from Afghanistan doing out here
in the this godforsaken part of the country?
Journalism.
Afghan-style.
Oh-ho!
Ho! Well, you got in the right car, brother.
Right car. Whoa!
Oh!
Stop it. Hey, stop. Hey, man! What are you...
Come on, man. Drive.
Got the leg.
That's a goddamn tickle monster.
It has to be something dynamic.
Present tense, as Gabe liked to say.
Something small that shows us the bigger thing.
Like a crime in progress. Exactly.
The moment after
something terrible has happened
is very strange, you know.
There has been a... A break in the life,
a hole in the world.
Does that make sense? I can say it like this?
Oh, yeah, man. Makes sense. A hole in the world.
Yeah.
Sometimes you can see inside of this hole.
Sometimes you can't.
All right, I got it.
How about you hide out in the... In the apple orchard
behind the snapple plant,
wait for the cops to drag out some petty crook out there
and beat the crap out of him.
You write that shit up tight! Tight!
This really happened?
Oh, yeah.
Happened to a fucking friend of mine from high school.
Just made a little speed
till they showed up one night at his kitchen table,
jacked his shit, brought him out there,
worked him over into the fujis.
Good, man. That's good.
Uh... what else you got?
Well, there's the sokurov brothers
out in the guerneville hills.
The cops think they're a bunch of freaks
that are into biodynamic gardening
and making their own jam, but truth be told,
them's the dirtiest fucking family
since them gotti dudes.
Except they're skinny as little girls,
and they shoot their own meat.
Hey, hey, hey.
You got to quote that "not for attribution," man.
"'Skinny as little girls,' said some unidentified local craftsman."
You said this is all about
getting to the source of things, right?
Yeah.
Yeah, downtown ain't the place to start.
Here we go.
Ah.
Uh, who lives here again?
Oh, just old friends of a sort.
And what does this have to do with anything?
Oh, you know, man. You got to...
You're the blotter dude. You got to meet the locals.
You know, get lay of the land, all that, right?
Plus, bro, she is going to love you, man.
She's going to love you, all right?
Just give me 10 minutes here and we're done, all right?
Come on, bro. You and me, right?
Right? Right?
Right? Okay, okay, okay.
Hey. Ha-ha!
Ha-ha! Ho!
All right, all right, all right, all right, cool.
Karen!
Hey, I want you to meet somebody.
Hey, Dougie fresh. Karen here?
Lindsay! Hey, Mario, man,
I got to talk to her, okay, bro?
Come on, man.
Yo, meet this guy. This is osman.
Hi. Hello. Osman. I like that.
You hungry? Uh, no, thank you.
Osman, meet my wife, Suzie.
Are you even supposed to be here? Hey, chill, bro.
No, Doug, he most definitely is not supposed to be here.
This is Doug. Doug's mad because he's grounded.
Came home from school drunk yesterday.
Hey, two true statements, douche bag.
One, I was at school, and two, I came home.
Hey, Mario worked for your paper, man.
He does the local arts, right?
You work for the paper? Police blotter.
Oh, right. You're him.
Afghanistan. Welcome.
What happened to Frankie the finger?
The finger's gone, man. O-man is in.
We're taking this to another level, right?
Yo, we're partners now. Right? Right?
Well, I think... Hey, where's she at, man?
She upstairs? She upstairs?
Karen!
Uh, well, I was planning on expanding on the coverage...
Oh, that's great, because Mario here
couldn't cover up a strip of litmus paper with his dick.
Hey, Doug, that's just nonsense.
Two quarters in the jar.
Hey, Mario, can... Can I go upstairs?
I wouldn't if I were you.
Fuck, man.
You look like a retarded boy scout right now.
Doug, I happen to look like your father.
Hey, osman, what would happen in Afghanistan
if a kid spoke to his father this way?
Yeah, tell him.
Well, he would be in trouble.
He'd be in trouble.
- Hi. Karen, hi. - What are you doing here?
What are you doing here, Lindsay?
Well, I thought I'd come by and say hi...
No, you can't just come by and say hi anymore...
I know, I know. What the hell, guys?
- No one said anything? - I did.
Hi. And who the fuck are you?
I'm osman. Osman.
Wonderful to be finally meeting you, truly. Yeah.
Lindsay, he say the most beautiful things about you.
Yeah. Lindsay.
What? Oh, my god.
- Wait, Karen. - What? What?
- You have to go now. - No, no.
Look, I wanted to introduce you.
This guy is legit, okay?
I'm working with him and I thought, you know,
maybe you could put in a little word for me, you know?
Right?
I'm sorry. I am. Why?
But I called Gary when I saw you pull up.
Oh, no. Why? Why would you do that?
You should take the back door. Gary's going to be mad.
- Lindsay? - What?
- We should go right now. - Oh, man!
Nice meeting you. What? You sent some people?
What the hell, Karen?
Still put in a word. You can still do that, right?
Hey, listen...
Whoo!
Lindsay!
Lindsay.
Police blotter.
Notes for September 6th.
5:15 P.M.
Two men in the woods, in pursuit.
One wild man with glasses, one skinny and mean.
One unstable family, one pig butchered indoors.
Appears to be a local custom.
Must verify with the experts.
One woman, relationship unknown,
although I have my guesses.
Lindsay streaks ahead.
Gone, escaped, eaten by the woods.
The wild man and the skinny one
in pursuit.
Seeking what?
Running from who?
The...
Unidentified...
Local craftsman.
What happened to you?
I went to work.
You were right, Gloria. Yeah?
I don't need you to be here.
Hello? Lindsay?
It's the foreign correspondent man.
We have to talk.
Get down! Down!
Jesus Christ.
Come on, Lindsay. Everybody knew him.
Not me, man. Not me, man.
I don't consort with that kind of...
You saw him yesterday.
From a distance. From a distance, man.
Yeah? You talk to him? You talk to anybody else?
No, I didn't talk... I wasn't there for anybody.
I was there for a little face time
with my ex-old lady, man.
This is insane.
- Fucking bullshit! Fucking... - Lindsay, wait.
Lindsay. Oh, man.
Just get back, brother. You don't want any of this shit on you!
Lindsay, what's going on? Who was that man?
Just a fucking Minion, man! They get them to chase you
and then they're fucking... Who?
Who does? Just... fuck, man!
I take one little drop
out of their whole ocean of fucking dirty scratch,
and then the fucking world ends.
God damn it!
You tell Gloria he was chasing you?
You think I'm going to fucking tell the cops, man?
It's three grand. Not even four grand.
Fuckers will put you down for nothing, man.
They put you under for nothing!
So, maybe i don't understand,
but I think your reaction to this is a bit too strong.
Two... two... two hundred fucking yards from my house, man.
The fuckers are on me.
Lindsay, you're not making the complete sense right now.
Look, man, even if that was a fucking accident,
they're going to think i had something to do with it.
And they're going to come at me hard.
This is bad, man. Very fucking bad!
Fuck it!
Listen to me. Listen to me.
I can help you, okay?
I can help you, but you have to tell me
what it is that's going on.
Look, you go home.
I'll talk to Gloria, see what she knows,
and then you and I, we can sit down,
talk through this and figure it out, okay?
We can fix this.
Promise?
I promise.
All right.
Gloria.
Not now, osman. I got to run.
Uh... uh...
You want to come with me?
Yeah.
Yeah, hop in.
Did you know the man?
The dead guy?
Not especially.
His name was beaux. With an x.
It's cold in here.
How do you think he was killed?
Hit and run, probably.
So, what are we doing here?
Lindsay tell you anything about him?
I don't know what you...
Yesterday. You were with him, right?
You see this guy? Lindsay say anything about him?
No, nothing like that.
He seen me on the side of the road,
gave me a ride downtown.
He also apologized for beating me.
I imagine you've seen a lot of this.
A lot of death.
Yes.
With Gabe?
Yes, sometimes.
I don't imagine it ever gets dull, does it?
No, it doesn't.
But this can make you very tired.
You asked what we were doing here.
Well, I have no idea.
All I know is our dead guy worked for people
who are capable of some truly unsavory things.
And when someone close to people like that
ends up dead by the side of the road,
it kind of makes you want to take a walk in the woods,
if you know what I mean.
So, who did he work for?
A couple of guys in the guerneville hills.
Brothers, actually. The sokurovs.
You know, that kid keeps torching the mailboxes,
I am 90% sure he's one of theirs.
Word is one brother actually set the other on fire over a woman.
Never could prove it, though.
Osman?
This...
This death must be a very strange thing
for this town.
Osman...
You're lovely, but with all due respect,
you couldn't possibly know what's strange for this town.
Lindsay?
I just come to talk to Lindsay.
Stop! Stop! Stop! No! Stop! Stop!
Please! No!
Where's Lindsay?
He's gone.
She said... she said they took him.
Who? Won't say.
Or doesn't know.
Is his truck there? What?
His truck. Do you see it?
No, but... Okay, then.
Let's not jump to conclusions.
I mean, for all we know, he could be on a beer run
or halfway to Tahoe by now.
He said he'd be here.
This is who they are, osman. Unreliable.
Look, I'll be by as soon as I can.
Probably find him passed out on the lawn.
Well, I hope you do.
And what the hell are you doing over there, anyway?
Actually, never mind that.
Just go home and let us take care of it our way, okay?
Okay?
Yeah, okay.
Good.
Are they coming?
Can I borrow that?
Police blotter.
September 8.
A man is dead on the side of the road.
A hole has opened in the earth.
Osman!
Everybody, this is osman.
Let's move them into the plastiques.
And don't get sucked into patterns.
Honest impulse, clear action.
The forest run's next, people.
You look beat.
What does Gloria say about all this?
She says nothing means anything yet.
And she's right.
What, you think Lindsay brained some guy with a rock
and then got whisked away by the big weeping dude?
No. I have no idea. That's the problem.
You know, I'm a crime reporter who doesn't know
if a crime is actually being committed.
You have asylum here, right?
Which means you can never go home, right?
Not even for a visit.
And if you do, that's it. They revoke your status.
Say you must not be in danger in your home country
if you choose to go back, even for a week.
Why are you asking me this?
It seems like a lot of pressure, that's all.
I'm not quite sure what...
I don't agree with Gloria on much, but she's right on this.
First off, Lindsay's mom is not well.
And Lindsay, he's a total disaster,
but incapable of violence.
You said it yourself.
Nothing else, the man knows how to run from danger.
He is very quick.
He freaked out and left town.
Or he's down at red's recovery room getting tanked.
He'll turn up. He always does.
Even when people wish he wouldn't.
What about... oh! Oh! Oh!
Why don't you hang out for a while?
We're having a little gathering
at the house after we finish up.
And what about the sokurovs?
What about them? They're a whole family of assholes.
But assholes from guerneville, not assholes from kandahar.
Yeah, you got to relax, osman.
Come on. It'll be good for you.
So, you think I'm crazy?
Yes, I do. Okay.
Osman.
Gloria, how are you?
You all right?
Yes, I'm fine.
I'm just checking in.
Why are you whispering?
They are doing something.
Okay.
Yeah. I just wanted to see if you've been over to Lindsay's.
Yeah, yeah, everything's fine.
You see Lindsay?
No, not yet, but we will.
Talked to maddie.
Okay, I just want to make sure...
Osman, I'm telling you, everything is fine.
There's nothing to worry about,
all right?
Osman?
Okay, thank you.
Thank you very much.
Watch this.
Feel it.
Sense the roots under your feet.
And now.
Whoa.
I want to feel your heart.
You enjoying yourself?
Everyone is very nice.
The bearded man wanted to touch my heart.
But I don't know if I'm in the mood for a party.
Are you still worried about Lindsay?
Carl told me.
I don't know.
Maybe.
Where is Carl, anyway?
Man gets stoned and has to exercise.
No, honestly, it's like you smoke one joint at a concert
and next thing you know he's doing one-armed push-ups
on the dance floor.
It does not have that same effect on me.
Fuck no. He's mad.
You're with Carl, right?
Why do you ask?
I was just...
I didn't know if...
We're in an open relationship.
We stay open to each other, and open to the world.
I see.
What?
- Nothing. - What?
Can I ask you something?
Yeah.
What was it like over there?
It's funny, i spent my whole life trying to leave,
not because i was always in danger
like people here imagine,
but because I got it stuck in my head
that life started somewhere else.
Like you had to get out to have a chance at really living.
America, Europe, wherever.
Don't get me wrong. The danger was real.
I don't know. Like...
This one time, i went to visit my aunt.
She lived in an apartment above
the massoud monument in Kabul.
I knock on her door, and boom.
I run in,
and she's on the balcony doing her laundry.
Only, her windows are gone
and she's got two pieces of glass
sticking out of her back like wings.
So, I run toward her.
She's bleeding, but strangely she seems okay.
So, I look out and I see
there's something in the tree.
We're three floors up, so it's at eye level.
And it's a foot and an ankle still in the shoe.
And down below,
there's a Humvee split in half,
and there's an American soldier bent into the shape
only dead people make.
It's a woman.
I can tell, because her helmet's
been blown off.
And there's a cigarette seller
with his little pushcart, and they're both on fire.
And people are trying to put him out,
but he keeps running and running.
And there's bits of cars
and people in trees everywhere.
So, I run down to help,
throwing people in taxis or whatever will take them.
And I grab this one guy,
and his leg comes right off.
Just separates from his body.
So, I toss it in the car with him,
and on to the next and the next.
And, uh, when it was all over,
I didn't feel anything at all.
Just the adrenaline and heat.
But it wasn't like that all the time.
It was regular life.
You'd be surprised what you get used to, yeah?
Well, you're here now.
Yeah.
You're safe.
I didn't come here just to be safe.
Good.
Yeah.
They can hear you in the next county!
I like this song,
but for me the song by the American
with the voice like rocks, that is the best song.
What is it called? No idea.
Oh, yes, yes.
Hey, osman, i was thinking
about the conversation we had this afternoon.
Lindsay and the sokurovs and all that.
Oh, god, Dmitri sokurov.
My friend, now is not the time
to talk about these things.
Now is the time only for dancing!
I lived on the sokurov property
for, like, four months in this killer converted chicken Coop.
But the kids, man, they'd spy on me masturbating.
It was freaky.
But seriously,
I was swimming laps and I couldn't stop
thinking about it.
I mean, he comes all this way,
and ends up trailing Lindsay around west county.
I mean, what's up with that, right?
I had to get out of there.
Their teenager threatened to light my junk on fire.
And then I realized, he's a journalist.
That's what they do.
Yeah.
I think you're great, osman,
but it's a dark profession, isn't it?
I mean, at its core? Carl...
No, no, it's fine.
Um... yeah.
Yeah, there are some problem things
about it sometimes.
Yes, problem things.
Like what? Hey, Carl, come on.
Now you're just being an asshole.
Well, sometimes the journalist gets it wrong.
Or lies.
Or sometimes he doesn't care about the people.
Only the story. Exactly.
They go somewhere, find a person who embodies
what they already think about a place,
then milk them for drama.
Leave the dead, empty skin by the side of the road
and on to the next.
I think Sandra is right.
Now you are being the asshole.
It's true! I am an asshole!
A great big, fleshy asshole.
I'm just kidding, osman. I'm trying to make a point.
Don't listen to him, osman.
He's just jealous because he never got to prove
his manhood in the shit.
Here, let me show you how to use that.
If we listen to one another,
if we read each other's intentions clearly,
then no one will come to harm.
I... Shh! No talking.
Just listen and react.
Carl! What? What is it, baby?
All right, you guys, let's bring it in.
Seriously, osman, it's not worth it.
Both of you, chill. They're so worried about you.
Carl, let's sleep it off.
I said quiet!
Oh, my god!
Carl...
Carl, you okay, man?
He's fine. Come on.
You deserved it.
Is he all right?
Couldn't be happier.
Um, hey, do you mind staying here tonight?
It's a little late to drive you home.
Yes, thank you.
You okay?
I want to know you all.
Know this place.
But I'm doing it wrong. I can tell.
There's no right way or wrong way.
Just be here.
I left too many people behind to just be here.
It has to mean something.
Osman, I...
It's okay.
You have to know a place to live in it.
You have to dig in, find the center.
How can I live here if I can't see
the bottom of things?
Maybe that's not your job anymore.
Then what's my job?
I don't know.
Not now.
Lindsay.
I got it. Uh-huh.
Uh-huh.
Gloria.
Not now.
Wait, I'm coming with you.
Just stay here, and I'll be back as soon as I can.
What is it? What is happening?
Nothing, just stay here.
Gloria, I promised... Stay here!
Police blotter.
Notes for September 12th.
The hot tub man is in danger,
but I can help him before he comes to harm.
I am certain of this,
even if I am certain of nothing else.
Sometimes you can see inside the hole,
and sometimes you can't.
I know what you did.
Wait. No.
No, wait!
Gloria, I... I have to tell you...
We found his truck.
Underwater.
Somebody dumped it in the old reservoir.
Is he...
Osman.
Whatever you know, you have to tell me.
That his?
You went pretty far in.
He was chasing me.
It was self-defense, osman.
Whatever you did, it's all right.
It was right here.
You okay?
Part of me wishes we would have found him there.
In the ground.
Christ, that's not what you tell the cops.
Come with me back to the station.
You stay out of sight.
I'll send the boys out to track down Gary,
drag him in for assault.
Meanwhile, I'm back out to the reservoir.
But look, not finding Gary out there
is a good thing, okay?
You said they didn't find his body in the truck, right?
Who? Lindsay.
No, no body.
There are traces of blood all over the thing.
Some on the steering wheel,
some on the grill, on the door.
Stop the car.
What?
Please stop the car. Stop.
Where are you going?
I need to walk. Where?
I... I'll call you if I need you!
Any word on Gary yet?
Nope.
Martin says they finished the work on the truck, though.
Says it's all from the same guy.
What is?
The blood.
From the truck?
Inside and out.
Your rock? It's all the same. Same guy.
Lindsay?
The other one. The...
The dude in the ditch.
What was his name?
Beaux.
That's it.
Uh, you want to come in?
Where's Lindsay?
What do you mean?
The day he disappeared, no one come for him.
I think he left on his own.
You should go now. No!
Where is Lindsay?
I don't know.
He hurt that man, didn't he? But no one come for him, huh?
I don't know what you're talking about!
Where is Lindsay?
He's under the sea, isn't he?
Maddie.
They told me that's where he lives now.
Who? Who tell you that?
I don't know. The police.
Dmitri. Everybody.
Can I help you, mi amigo?
You tell Lindsay I'm looking for him.
You tell him i know what he did.
Hey, man.
You know the hot tub man, Lindsay, yes?
Yeah, yeah, we used to go to high school together.
He was being hunted.
They found his truck underwater.
Wait, what? He owed the sokurovs money.
I think it's for his business. I don't know.
But he was in trouble and now he's gone.
They were chasing him, but now the man is dead.
What? What is it? If he hurt someone,
there had to be a reason, right?
There had to be a reason.
Hell, I don't know. He's a wild man.
A little bit like you and me, I guess.
How do you mean?
Well, on one hand he's got a sense of humor,
on the other he's got a little bit
of a death wish thing happening, you know?
If I had that wish anymore you think I'd be here?
What about the soku...
Wait.
I got to go.
Shit.
Hey.
Hey, kid.
No, no, no! I just want to talk!
Please stop.
Oh, shit.
Let go of me! My dad's going to kill you!
You come to pay your respects?
It's an honor to be invited, don't you think?
Sorry, I...
Get off the property.
Dmitri.
You should see your face.
Dmitri sokurov?
Yes, sir. What can I do for you?
You the Afghan pushed the little guy off his bike?
That's my sole heir, sir.
So far, anyways.
What the hell?
I need to talk to you.
Well, that's great. I need to talk to you, too.
Don't go cross-checking my kid into ditches.
Let's go talk about this somewhere privately, huh?
These people don't need to hear our petty shit.
- Hey. - Oh, stop it.
Why the hell is everybody so serious?
Come on.
Money? That's what you want, yeah?
- What's happening here? - Oh, that's Ingrid.
Sister-in-law.
Why don't you say hello to...
Sorry, what is it? From Afghanistan.
Can you beat it?
My uncle fought over there.
Called it a war for a piece of shit.
He didn't feel like he could speak his mind
for most of his life, but let me tell you,
when he finally did, it was like the dam broke.
Where is Lindsay?
I'm going to give you 100 just to be safe.
I haven't bought a mailbox in years,
so what do I know? Do you hear me?
Did I hear you?
If he has debts, i will help pay.
I have money from back home,
money I make as journalist, okay?
Yeah. I don't want that.
Oh, come on, sir.
Typical immigrant, right?
All earnest fucking pride.
I want to go home. Oh, shut up!
I can't... I can't deal with you right now!
Don't talk to her like that.
Is this your house?
Huh?
Do... do you know Ingrid?
Because if you knew Ingrid... I know Lindsay...
You know what? You know what? You know what?
See, Ingrid was in a fire with my brother,
and ever since then she's been a little bit...
But you can't condescend.
Let's go.
Go, go, go and see what's going on up there, huh?
I don't... I don't have the stomach for it.
But that fucking midwife, let me tell you, she's good.
I know that Lindsay...
He ran down one of your men, yes?
Killed him?
Finished him off with a rock, I think?
Maybe he meant to do this thing, maybe he didn't.
I don't know. But he was afraid.
I see it in him, believe me.
He was afraid when he did it,
and he was afraid when he ran.
I know this.
And when his truck went in the water, he wasn't in it.
So, where is he?
You tell me.
Why do you care?
I owe him. He needs me.
Where is he?
I'm sorry. Nobody fucking needs you.
Where is he?
Why should anybody tell you anything?
Is he dead?
Dmitri!
Is he?
You need to calm down, Afghanistan.
Everybody dies, right?
Everybody dies.
Oh, man.
You... you should see your face.
Don't worry about it, bro.
You're right about most of it.
And Lindsay will have to pay for what he did to beaux.
But you don't really know us, do you?
We take care of our own.
And here, everything is always forgiven.
Now would be a good time for you to leave.
Lindsay.
Hey, foreign correspondent.
What are you doing here, man?
Uh...
I had to go away for a little while.
But, uh, Dmitri said i could come back.
I came back.
Hey, it's all right, you know?
Yeah, yeah, it's going to be fine.
I just got to...
You know, I just got to help him out a little bit.
But he said... You know, he said
everything's going to be fine.
Why?
What?
Why'd you do it?
Ah...
He was hassling me, man.
Okay?
And he wasn't going to stop.
No one's going to make him stop.
And he deserved it, right?
He deserved it.
You know that.
Hey, hey, hey.
You ain't going to tell anyone, right?
Huh?
You won't tell anybody.
You can't tell.
So beautiful, huh?
Little baby.
Didn't wake you, did I?
Lindsay's back in town.
He killed that man. Yeah.
Knowing it doesn't help, does it?
They're on their way now to lock him up.
Goddamn fool.
There's nothing.
It's called a time capsule.
He made it in school when he was...
I don't know, 11?
We're out of coffee.
Finally got ahold of him last night.
He just got back to Kabul from who knows where.
Oh, I get so excited.
I think talking to him's going to make me feel better.
I could have sworn i remembered
exactly where it was.
I wanted to find what he used to think was worth saving.
I guess we both made a meal of things last night, yeah?
Isn't very good, is it?
I love this song.
Come here.
Come.
Oh, no, no, no, no.
Gloria, please.
Gloria.
Feel your feet on the ground, hmm?
Shh.
Gloria.
Gabe.
Osman.
I didn't think you'd be up, man.
Couldn't sleep, so I went for a walk.
Where are you?
Kuru village.
Up at that spot you showed me.
Not sure I'll ever make it down, though.
Come on in, you guys!
Water's great!
Never again!
Gabe. Yeah?
I wish I was there with you, man.
Just for a second.
Can you hear it?
I can hear it.