A COUNTRY CALLED HOME is a compelling coming of age story with universal appeal because it deals with trials and trepidations that most people experience in one way or another, no matter who they are or where they are from. The story incorporates the views of people from all walks of life; different generations, different places, and different socio-economic backdrops.
After rudderless 26 year old Ellie learns that her estranged, alcoholic father has died, her world is disrupted and she begins a journey that takes her to small-town Texas, where she finds direction, family, and friendship in this most unexpected place.
《故乡》是一部具有普遍吸引力的令人信服的成人故事，因为它讲述了大多数人以某种方式经历的考验和恐惧，无论他们是谁或来自哪里。这个故事融合了各行各业的人的观点；不同的世代、不同的地方和不同的社会经济背景。
26岁的埃莉（Ellie）得知自己疏远、酗酒的父亲去世后，她的世界被打乱了，她开始了前往德克萨斯州小镇的旅程，在这个最意想不到的地方，她找到了方向、家人和友谊。
MAN:
Yeah, there's filth, and dirt, and... -Okay, crazy. -Can't we just go? No, my father is dead, I gotta pack up his sh*t.
RENO:
That seems a little extreme. Well, he's just a jerk. He doesn't like you, he doesn't like my father.
RENO:
Yeah, well, he probably doesn't like you too much right now, either. Come on, I know where we can get some, uh, used boxes. (TOMMY GIGGLING) (SIGHS) Tommy, stop that jumping. -(GIGGLES) -(SIGHS) What are we gonna do with all this stuff? Well, whatever Reno doesn't want I'm gonna take along to Goodwill. -Where is your friend? -Trying something on. Oh. I just don't think I could wear a dead man's clothes. Why not? Well, they're dead. -Doesn't seem right. -(CLOSET DOOR OPENS) -Check it out! -(BOTH CHUCKLE) These are some fly threads, man. -Are you sure I can keep these? -Yeah. Don't really seem to fit you too good. Oh, I can take care of that.Well.
RENO:
And then, you can clamp it down and it makes different sounds on the strings. Are you going to play? (CHUCKLES) Hey, you ever play an instrument? No. Not really. But when I was eight, my dad made me a violin. And... I mean, I was too young to actually play it, but I loved it. I carried it with me everywhere. Uh... He sold it when we were broke. I can't believe that he kept all this. Like, all of our report cards, and...
RENO:
And, what? These letters I wrote him when I left. I was so harsh. (DOOR OPENS) Tommy, go on in, get ready for soccer. Your daddy can't get out of work in time, so I'm gonna have to run you over there. Come on, git! Let's go.
ELLIE:
Amanda. What is it, hon? Why don't I take Tommy to soccer? You'd wanna do that? Yeah, yeah, I, I think it'll be fun. Great. Yeah, give me a chance to make some calls. I think we're gonna have a full house at this memorial.
Other way, other way. -(ALL CLAPPING) (KIDS TALKING INDISTINCTLY) Let's go, Tommy! -(KIDS TALKING INDISTINCTLY) -(PEOPLE CHEERING) Hey, how's it going out there? He's doing great, you know, he's kicking that ball. Has anybody scored yet? Hard to say.
KID 1:
You touched it. -(CHUCKLES) You don't know anything about soccer, do you? -Nope.
KID 2:
Out of the game! Where's my mom? Oh, she'd had a few too many drinks. You brought him? Yeah. Thanks. I really appreciate it. She's a handful. She's always just relying on other people. (KIDS CHATTERING)
-JACK:
Some tea? -Yeah, thanks. Are you gonna come to the memorial? Tommy wants to go. You didn't like my father much, did you? Well, he kept my mom busy. That was something. That's funny, I don't... You say that he kept her busy, rather than..."He made her happy." Look, it's tough living with drunks. I put up with her 'cause she's my mom, but... You know, your dad... (SCOFFS) He's happy one day, and mean as hell the next. He'd throw me some money if he sold one of those guitars, but... It was just hard to get him to focus long enough to finish anything. Yeah. I mean, I know that he was tough to live with. I grew up with him. Yeah. But you ain't really been around much lately. Hmm, I thought... I don't know what I thought. I never thought he'd die. Just thought we'd have some more time. Was he that bad when you were younger? (CHUCKLES) When I was 11, my parents took us to this party. It was, like, a barbecue at a friend's place outside of town. And, um, he got really... You know, drunk, and... When it was time to leave, he wouldn't give my mom the car keys. He drove, and, uh... You know, we were swerving and he went to change the music on the stereo and we wrecked. And it seemed like... ...forever till the ambulance got there. He was friends with the sheriff 'cause... ...he walked. And we were all fine except for my mom. She died the next day. So... Yeah. He was pretty bad back then. Not much changes with time, I guess. I'm really sorry. Did you, uh, did you live with him after that? For a while, yeah, um... He got a lot worse, and then when my brother went off to college, that's when I moved in with my aunt. What about Tommy's mom? She just out the picture? She's alive, if you wanna call it that. She's a junkie. I never even suspected it. I knew about alcohol, obviously, but... I didn't know anything about the drugs. I just... Seems like I blinked, and I was married. I blinked again, and I was divorced, with a little boy. I blinked again, that little boy is almost five years old.I just wonder how you get things to slow down a little bit. I don't wanna blink and be in the grave. Yeah. It seems like that happens to a lot of people. (COUNTRY MUSIC PLAYING) If you lose Your horses 'Cause they ran off When lightning struck I will come home From wherever I am Till the last one Is rounded up If you've got the blues I'll stand by you If you've got the blues I'll stand by you I'll stand by you -(TOMMY GIGGLING) -(CHUCKLES) What are you laughing at, huh? You want something to laugh about? You do? -(CONTINUES GIGGLING) -You do? -Uh-huh. -(CHUCKLES)
ELLIE:
Are you ticklish? You better watch it, he's gonna wet himself. Oh, I am willing to take that chance. (BOTH LAUGHING)
BRUCE:
So, what does this do? It's for seniors who have trouble rising from their chairs. What you do is you hit a button, and then, the armrests would rise and it would be like people on either side of you helping you up out of the chair. -Dang, I'd buy one of those. -Yeah? Yeah. Heck, I'd buy two of 'em. -(CHUCKLES) -Where do I order? Oh, it's just an idea that I'm working on. I have no way of getting these things made. Well, you sure won't unless you show 'em to someone.
-Did he? -JUDY:
Yeah. He wasn't any kind of a cowboy. He couldn't rope a steer to save his life, but he loved to ride. Oh, and this was some dance or other. Your father loved to cut a rug.
BRUCE:
Yeah, he was a pretty good dancer. -There's this, uh, old gal that he took to the prom... -Mmm-hmm. And she still talks about how your daddy was the best dance partner she ever had.Oh, uh, that was the last picture -where he was still our boy. -(SIGHS) -It was, uh... -(JUDY SOBBING) It was while he was in the Navy, that all the drinking started up. (JUDY CONTINUES SOBBING) Normally, you can't squeeze a tear out of me. Tell her, Bruce. Why, she's a tough old bird, but we're having a tough week. And I expect it's, uh, not been too much fun for you, either.
WAITRESS:
All right, here we go. Chocolate shake... (COUNTRY MUSIC PLAYING ON CAR STEREO)
ELLIE:
Hey, Reno. Hey. What's up? Uh... I got a call from the hospital. Is your mom okay? Well, I guess yes and no. Well, it's not like she's a little bitty thing that you can really misplace too easily. Hey, there, Reno, thanks for coming in. Oh, hey! Should I have brought a picture of my mom, so we can start up a search party? We didn't misplace her. She must have woke up, got dressed, and decided to check herself out. (EXHALES DEEPLY)
ELLIE:
Should we go in?
RENO:
In a minute. You think I look like her?
ELLIE:
Not so much. You know, she's eating herself to death. Are you okay? Ever had a nightmare... That was so bad, you had to get up out of the bed just to try and walk away from it? Yeah. I have this nightmare where I'm sitting at a table with my mom, just feeding her, and feeding her... And I wanna get up, I wanna leave, but... I can't. Well, I think there's no use in just crying our eyes out. (INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS)
-RENO:
Hey, Mom. -Hi, there. I think they're, um, looking for you back at the hospital. Yeah, I woke up there this morning. What was all that about? Uh... I found you passed out in the kitchen the other night, and then they said that you were in a diabetic coma. Oh, I'm sorry. This is my friend, Ellie. Hi. It's nice to meet you. Are you feeling better?I never felt bad. I can tell you I sure was hungry, though, when I woke up this morning. (CHUCKLES) Hey, you know, we should just swing you by the hospital. Oh, no, I'm not going back there. Uh, well, they might have a list of foods for you to avoid, and medication for you to take. You pop on by there tomorrow and pick that stuff up for me, would you, Margaret? Mom. I mean, Reno. -So, who's your friend? -Uh... She's in town 'cause her, her father died. Uh, Mark Edwards? Did you know him? I knew him just to wave at. -I know his momma pretty well, though. -Mmm-hmm. -You feel like doing some sewing? -Oh, sure. Let me just grab a Blizzard to go.
RENO:
Okay, but make the pants nice and tight, Mom. You know how I like 'em. I reckon I ought to by now. Hey, so, Ellie thinks I should record some of my songs. And move out of town and become a fancy musician? (CHUCKLES) Well, I think those songs are too good to keep to yourself. (CHUCKLES) No, I'm not gonna leave this place. Yeah, well, I gotta go. Do you need a ride to the funeral home tomorrow? I can just meet you there. Bye. Close your eyes, and just go to sleep. Does Ellie live here now? No, she's just here 'cause her daddy passed away. Would you let her live here if she wanted to? I think she's got a life back where she lives. Go on, close your eyes, go to bed. (HUFFS PLAYFULLY) Go to sleep, okay?
JACK:
This used to be my field. You owned a baseball field? (CHUCKLES) No, I used to go to school here. I was one of the best players we had. I had scholarships to play baseball at three different colleges. What position did you play? I was a pitcher, but... I played third base too. What college did you go to? I didn't. I never left. Why not? I hurt my arm pretty bad and I couldn't pitch anymore and then...-I got Tommy's mom pregnant a couple of years later. -Yeah. I thought I got her pregnant. -What do you mean? -You've seen him. He doesn't look anything like me. I told you his mom was an addict. She used to do all kind of sh*t behind my back to get drugs. Thought about getting one of those paternity tests. Does it really matter? What do you mean by that? Well, Tommy is such a great kid. I see your eyes just light up whenever he walks into the room. So, does it really matter if he's not your biological son? I don't know. You are 100% the father that he needs. And you're much more of a father than mine ever was.
-AMANDA:
Good morning. -Hi. You know, I think I might wanna wear my hair up. Mmm-hmm. I haven't worn my hair up in 10 years. But this is a memorial and I think it might be the right thing to do. Yeah, sure. You think you could help me? Well, I met your daddy right down the road at Charlie's Bar. But I guess that's not such a big shock, is it? No, not really. Yeah, he bought me a drink and he told me that he had just moved back here to his hometown to die. And that's exactly what he did. Of course, it took him a little over five years to do it, but he was true to his word. (CHUCKLES SOFTLY) I don't know. I mean, you seem like a nice enough girl. Nice enough for what? Well... (SIGHS) I just don't know that I'll ever understand what you and your brother have done. -What we've done? -To your daddy. I mean, it seems like you all just left his well-being in the hands of complete strangers. I mean, it so happens that I care for him and I found him this place to live, but it does seem like y'all didn't care if he was living on the street, dumpster-diving for his meals. You, you have no idea what you're talking about.Look, I know Mark had his problems... His problems? Do you know how many different schools I had to go to because my father got fired and we had to move to a different town where nobody knew about him or his problems? And I'm sure that was hard. And walking home from school with the few friends that I was able to make and I see all of our belongings, all of my toys and clothes being sold in a yard sale so that he would have enough gas money to leave town. Look, Ellie, I didn't mean... Or seeing my mother being carried away in an ambulance 'cause he wouldn't give her the car keys. -What? -He killed her, and I still loved him. (VOICE BREAKING) So how does that make any f***ing sense? No. No, that can't be right, that can't be true. "Can't be"... Just forget about it. Hey. Hey! What about my hair? Wear a hat! You're just so selfish. You and your father, both. Don't think I haven't noticed. What about you? You rely on your son to put a roof over your head, and you can't even look after his kid. Why don't you have another drink? Why don't you forget about it just like my father? What do you know about anything, huh? I had a baby boy and I was married a week out of high school, and I have been trying to catch up ever since, just trying to... So what do you know? You come on back here when you're my age and you tell me if you did everything right. You come on back and tell me how it went. (DOOR OPENS) Sh*t... (EXHALES) (ENGINE STARTS)
JAMES:
(ON PHONE) Hey, Ellie, what's up? Hi, James. Hey, I came by your place last night. Did you hear me knocking? I'm still in Texas. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, that's right. I came here 'cause of my father. Yeah. So, this is typically the moment when a boyfriend would ask a girlfriendif her father's doing okay or not. (SIGHS) You know I don't like to deal with sick people. You know that. James, I think we should break up. What? But I love you. What are you... No, you're not the kind of guy who should really date anyone, you know, you're more like a fun one-night stand and somehow I've let this continue for a year. You think I'm fun? Uh... James, I don't think we should date anymore. Starting when? When I hang up the phone. Well, in that case I won't let you hang up the phone... (JUDY GRUNTS) Are we early? I don't think so. (GUITAR PLAYING GENTLE SONG) (SONG ENDS) (EXHALES) Hello, everyone, and thanks for coming. I'd like to say a few words about Mark Edwards, who may not have been my legal husband here in Texas, but who will be, I know, waiting for me at the altar of heaven.
