[glass breaking]
[buzzing]
[birds chirping]
[chickens clucking]
[owl hooting]
[tense music]
- Another year gone, Ma.
Ain't nothin' changed.
Same old shit.
Dad still ain't fixed the house.
Gram's still missing you bad.
Tells me all the time how you was growin' up.
Says I'm a lot like you was.
Same eyes and stuff.
She got a paint can full for me, Ma, for my future.
I can't reach it, Daddy.
Go see Mommy now.
- [Ray] Yes, sir.
- [Moss] Dad used to tell me God wanted you home,
so he sent me to get you.
It was God's will.
She loved me so much that she died so I could be born.
- [Ray] That's why we come visit her on your birthday, son.
- I don't think he believes that no more, Ma.
He can't ever let you go.
Every time he looks at me,
he sees you and what I took from him.
I guess that's why he don't look my way much no more.
He'd rather look for old driftwood
around this overgrown island.
Well, I guess one thing has changed.
Your boy's 18 today.
Oh yeah.
- You out already?
- Yup, shot breakfast.
- You cut all your hair off too.
What you gettin' ready to do, join the marines?
- Maybe.
- [Ray] What you doin' up so early?
- It's my birthday.
Don't you remember?
- I got Ma's pills, they're in there on the kitchen table.
I want you to take 'em over to her.
- You do it.
- I'm collecting, I can't do it.
- It's my birthday, I just wanna chill.
- Chill, chill, wanna go hang out with that river rat.
- [Moss] Ain't nothin' wrong with him.
- Yeah, except he's a drug addict.
- [scoffs] He just smokes a little.
- Lives on that raft, the roof leaks,
he thinks it's funny, you think it's funny.
You just wanna go hang out there and smoke weed.
Take them pills to your grandma.
Don't you think she deserves that?
[tense music]
- Oh, why, 'cause I killed her only daughter?
- Don't you ever say that again.
- It's true!
- You gotta grow up and be a man.
You'll never get in the Navy like this.
- A man?
This is what a man does,
just make stupid shit out of driftwood?
Why don't you fix the fucking house?
- This is what I do for a living.
This is how I put food on the table, son!
- Fuckin' barely.
- Get outta here, go take those to your grandma.
- After I eat.
- You're still under my roof
and you do what I say long as you are.
- Yeah, whatever.
Hey, Archie.
[tense music]
You're a good boy, Archie, good boy.
It's my birthday today, Archie.
[Archie squawks]
It's gonna suck.
[Archie squawks]
Due time, Archie, due time.
[Moss sighs]
[engine revs]
[tense music]
[faintly chanting]
Yo, Blaze!
[light folk music]
- Hey man, mornin'!
Get on in here.
- [Moss] Appreciate that, man.
- Hey buddy, how you doin'?
- [Moss] Good day again.
[light folk music continues]
- [Blaze] Wanna smoke?
- [Moss] It's my birthday, what do you think?
- [Blaze] Wake and bake, baby boy.
[Moss laughs]
That's how we do it.
Lookin' for some coffee?
- [sighs] Yes please.
- [Blaze] All right, man.
I love me some weed and coffee, man.
They even each other out.
Enjoy.
[Moss sighs]
- Check that, some of that out right there, man.
Tell me what you think.
[light folk music continues]
- Yeah.
Mm.
- That right there got the trichomes on it
with, you know, it's straight medicinal
where gon', you gonna get a couple of,
couple of head rushes after that,
after that second hit, know what I mean?
Local and organic.
[Moss coughing]
Check that out man.
[light folk music continues]
- [Blaze] I gotta patch up at Snow's cut.
- Man, I gotta move.
- Tell me about, man.
Daddy diff real gettin' ya down?
- Yeah, seems like every little thing
set him off these days.
- [Blaze] Well, it's your birthday, man.
He's probably sad, you know?
- How do you think I feel?
- He's an artist, man.
They get kinda sensitive.
But I like his art, it's better than makin' meth.
- Hey, check this out.
Got a whole box of these at a yard sale down in Seabreeze.
- [Moss] Yeah, what is it?
- Collection of nature shit.
This one about some wolves.
- [Moss] Man, I got the munchies.
- I got, uh, cereal, man, some cereal and soda.
- [Moss] Yeah, I'll take some.
- All right.
[light folk music continues]
- [Moss] You been back to the old spot yet?
- [Blaze] Nah man, place abandoned.
I ain't been down there in three years,
since my ma got locked up.
- [Blaze] Oughta go back down there though
and find some things I left behind.
- [Blaze] But I like it here.
Livin' off the grid.
[light folk music continues]
- [Narrator] Has developed.
The elk that have
the most reproductive potential for the herd.
In other words, the wolves were killing the animals
that were most vulnerable.
Now, we've also found
that the elk population has been declining
since around the time of wolf reinduction.
- Man, can you believe it?
- [Narrator] Is why.
- 18 and still ain't done it yet.
- If you start lookin' for babes in the woods,
maybe you find one.
- [Narrator] In due committee time.
We've been in the grips
of each section here and the droughts.
We found that that's had big impact.
We've also had human hunting pressure
on elk that migrate outside the park.
And we also have the one of the largest suites of carnivores
in any place in North America.
Grizzly bears, black bears, coyote.
- Oh, I gotta get goin' to Gram's.
She's waitin'.
[Moss groans]
- Word?
Hey man, take her some of these herbs for me.
- [Narrator] If we wanna put--
- [Blaze] It's good for her.
- [Moss] Yeah?
- [Blaze] Yeah, send her some of my love, man.
- [Moss] I appreciate that, man.
- [Blaze] Yeah.
- Thank you.
- [Narrator] Tall tales of what they think will survive.
[tense music]
[Moss chuckles]
- [Moss] Called him a river rat.
Ah, livin' that way
ain't so bad.
Probably better than some old trailer park
full of bad memories.
River in, river out.
How 'bout some fish for that fire?
- [Mary] Hi.
- [Moss] They're fresh, I caught 'em up river this morning.
- [Mary] Sure.
- [Moss] I'm Moss.
- [Mary] Mary.
- [Moss] That's my ma's name.
- Really?
[Mary chuckles]
[birds squawking]
May I?
- You sure?
I don't mind doin' the guttin'.
- Yeah.
- You got skills.
- Can you hand me that stick over there.
- [Moss] Yes, ma'am.
- Oh God, don't call me ma'am.
Makes me feel like an old lady.
- Oh please, you ain't old by no means.
- Yeah, I'm older than you.
- Not much.
- [Mary] I just turned 30.
How old are yoU?
- [Moss] 18 today.
- Really?
Happy birthday.
- Finally ain't a kid no more.
- Once a kid, always a kid.
Nobody ever really grows up.
- How long y'all here for?
- Oh, it's just me.
I keep the two tents
'cause it's a little less vulnerable looking.
- That's smart.
- I try.
- [Moss] Where ya headed?
- I get up the East Coast to New York.
I got a brother there.
- New York. [chuckles]
You got a long ways ahead a ya.
- Yeah, but I'm takin' my time.
I don't know, this year I decided
this is my year to take off from regular life.
- Regular life? [laughs]
Yeah, this is about as regular as it gets for me.
- Really?
You're from around here?
- Yeah, just back through those woods.
Been here my whole life.
Was born on the island.
- [Mary] Really?
- Yeah.
- Well, it's really beautiful here.
What brings you down river?
- Ah, for my gram's.
Takin' her these pills.
She's just around the bend.
About damn near raised me 'cause I never really had a mom.
- [Mary] Oh.
Do you mind if I ask why not?
- Sure.
She died havin' me.
- Oh.
I'm sorry.
[tense music]
- [Moss] But Pa raised me.
He tried to protect me, you know, from the pain and all,
but you can't really make up the difference
for a missin' mom.
Thank you.
- So, your dad, he never remarried?
- Nope, says there's only one woman for him.
Spends all his time holed up in a shack
and just makin' all sorts of shit from driftwood.
- Sounds pretty cool.
- You ever married?
- Once.
But it was short-lived.
- [Moss] Huh.
- He had an affair.
- If I was ever married to you, I'd treat you like a queen.
- Thanks.
- I mean it.
- Oh God.
- Hey, you smoke?
- Well, yeah, what else is there to do in these woods?
- You got papers?
- No, but you know what, I have an apple.
- An apple? - I'll make us an apple bong.
- [Moss] Apple bong, ain't never heard of such a thing.
- Really?
- [Moss] Yah.
- I'll show ya, come on.
[tense music]
You sure are good lookin', Moss.
- Yeah?
Ain't done me much good so far.
- Come on, you don't have a girlfriend?
[Moss laughs]
Ooh.
- Nah, I never really tried.
- That is super fresh.
- My man, Blaze grows it
and sells it down by the river in the summer.
- Well, that right there is a friend to keep. [laughs]
- He lives on a raft.
He's off the grid, you could say.
- [Mary] That sounds like my hero.
- Yeah, there's a lotta that around here.
Like my grandma, she ain't never had a bank account.
She keeps all her money in a paint can back by the shed.
Don't have anything good to say about the system.
Wanna go for a swing?
- [Mary] A swing?
- [Moss] Yeah, it's just up there.
[gentle music]
- [Mary] Wow.
It's gorgeous up here.
- [Moss] Been comin' here since I was a tot.
My pop put this swing here.
- [Mary] No way.
Geez, I haven't been on one of these,
I don't know how long.
[Mary laughing]
[Mary laughs]
[Mary sighs]
Go on, it's your turn.
- [Moss] Nah.
- [Mary] Come on, try it.
What, grown men don't go on swings?
Let's go.
- All right then.
[Moss laughs] - Yeah?
- Do you think it'll still hold me?
- I don't know, we'll see.
[both laughing]
Ride it, cowboy.
Hey, you ever done shrooms before?
- Nope.
- Really?
- There's a lotta things I ain't done yet.
- Well, there's a first time for everything.
Wanna try 'em with me?
- What happen?
- Oh, it's a bit different every time,
but the first time I did it,
it felt like all these walls inside of me just evaporated.
[tense music]
Very therapeutic.
- Well, how long does it last?
- We start now, it'll be done by sundown.
Believe me, you don't think about time on these things.
Happy birthday.
Warning, tastes like shit.
- [chuckles] Meet ya on the other side.
[peaceful music]
- Hey!
- What say, Blaze, how you doin', brother?
- [Blaze] Buddy, what's goin' on, man?
- Ah, just sale old, same old.
- That, and grab me a Reese's.
And pop, yeah.
Yeah, man.
- [Buddy] Snack time.
- [Blaze] I don't need a bag, no, no bags.
- [Buddy] No bags, okay.
4.28.
- [Blaze] That's $5, man.
- Okay. - Yeah.
- Thank you, Blaze. - Yeah.
- [Buddy] Appreciate it.
- [Blaze] All right.
- [Buddy] Have a good and enjoy 'em.
- [Blaze] All right, man.
- [Buddy] Come on back now, take care.
- [Blaze] Enjoy the fish.
[peaceful music]
[birds chirping]
[owl hooting]
[tense music]
[Moss sighs]
[Mary laughing]
[Moss panting]
[Mary laughing]
[Moss panting]
[Mary laughing]
- Oh!
- Nobody ever really grows up.
Nobody ever really grows up.
She's right.
You just get set in your ways, that's all.
I can see it now,
what's inside me.
I'm buried.
[Mary laughing]
And she's pullin' it out,
pullin' it out, like a wishbone.
[Moss sighs]
And she's got one side and I got the other.
And we could be so good together.
That's my dad, he can't see me like this.
- [Mary] What's he doin'?
- He's gatherin' wood for his art.
- That's cool.
- [Moss] I shouldn't a said that to him.
That's all he's got, his art and me.
All these years, pilin' up wood between us and the past,
that's what he's been doin',
makin' somethin' out of it.
- Hey.
You guys have a bond that can never be broken.
- You say the best things.
- Yeah.
I try to tell the truth sometimes.
We should go to the beach.
[birds chirping]
[Ray sighing]
[♪ "Sister Blue" by Jonathan Frith]
[Ray sighs]
♪ When the sun rose this mornin' ♪
♪ And I was up with the light
♪ Smilin' and shakin' my pain
♪ Got thinkin' about last night ♪
♪ You took my arms under the stars ♪
- [Ray] Hm.
♪ And I spun you around
♪ And when you drove off
- [Ray] Yes.
[Ray mumbling]
♪ I just stood there fixin' to skip town ♪
♪ Sister blue, sister blue
♪ And I walked
- [Ray] Shoot.
♪ More with you
♪ Sister blue
- [Ray] A lotta damage.
♪ Sister blue
♪ I just wanna keep on lookin' at you ♪
♪ I might just have to interrupt you again ♪
♪ Sweet lady covered in vain
♪ But my heart's still wide open ♪
[singing faintly]
[Archie squawking]
[tense music]
- [Ray] Hm.
[Ray sniffling]
[Ray sighs]
[Mary laughing]
[birds squawking]
[Mary laughing]
[tense music]
- [Moss] Blaze will never believe this shit.
She don't know what she's doin' to me.
My insides just warm like melted butter.
God, stay with me a little longer.
Moss, just go for it.
- Hey Buddy.
- [Buddy] Hey, how ya doin', Ray?
How you gettin' along, good?
- Doin' well, doin' well. - Ain't seen ya--
- How 'bout yourself? - In a long time, o'er here.
- Yes, it's been a while, it's been a while.
My boy's got a birthday today.
- Right. - And I'm lookin'
for a fishin' reel, surf fishin'.
- Oh, right here.
We got a couple of 'em here, but this one right here--
- Is that a Surfcaster?
- Yeah. - That's what it is.
- Well, you surf or use it on the pier, either one.
- Oh yeah, that'll work.
Let's see how much it be at.
We got, we got 35.99 on it,
but since I've been knowin' ya a long time, how's 30 bucks?
- You got a deal.
- All right, good deal, good deal.
- Thank you, man.
- All right, here, hold--
- Can I ask you a favor?
- Hold this one here, right.
- Do you happen to have any kind of paper?
- Yeah, I got some fish wrappin', wrappin' paper.
- Yeah, anything, that'll work.
That'll work. - That'll work?
- Okay, good.
- Yeah, man, I appreciate it.
All right, just get about that big right there, Buddy.
- [Buddy] Yup, got ya right there.
- [Ray] Okay.
[Buddy groans]
- Are you still, uh, doin' them uh, wood carvings?
- The sculptures, yes.
- [Buddy] Yeah, yeah, that's it.
- I see you got a wall right there where I could put one.
- [Buddy] Yeah, sure, I don't see why not.
You want me to put it for sale?
- Yes sir, that'll do me just fine.
I can always use an extra dollar.
- [Buddy] I know that's right, I hear all that.
- Well, all right then.
Do you happen to have a box you can put it in for me?
- Yeah, we got a box for ya right here.
- Hey, that works. - We'll fix ya right up.
How's your boy doin'?
- He's doin' good, he's in and out like a cat.
- Right, I mean, that's them young ones,
you know how they are, ball of fire.
- [Ray] Yeah, we both been there, man.
- Yeah, I know that's right.
- You know how it was when we was that age.
- Oh yeah, oh yeah, that's how it is.
Okay.
You got that one there.
- [Ray] Mm-hmm.
- Appreciate that.
- All right, all right, thank you very much.
- Yeah, tell him I said happy birthday.
- [Ray] Will do, thanks a lot.
- [Buddy] Take care, man.
- All right, come on in.
- Thank you, sir. - How you doin' today?
- Good, how you doin'?
- [Ray] Great.
- Hey!
[gentle harmonica music]
- How you all doin'?
- [Man] How you doin', Blaze?
- That stuff's hella long in there, man.
- It's good to see you. - Good to see you, man.
Good to see you.
- Hey, I've got that new blueberry blue, blue booty.
- All right, man. - Blurry.
Blurry, know what I mean?
- All right. - Hit it.
- Check it out.
For you.
What y'all lookin' for, a 20, 40?
- I think just 20.
- 20. - 20?
- Yeah, home grown? - All right.
It's definitely the most organic stuff on the market.
You'll not find that anywhere else.
- That's good stuff, we'll take it.
- Hey man, make sure you let everybody,
you know, you're little--
- Send 'em your way.
- [Man With Wolf Jacket] Your way.
- Yeah, we'll send 'em your way.
- Yeah man, you know where I'm at.
- Absolutely. - You know?
- Appreciate it.
- Catch me on the river, man.
- Will do.
- All right.
[gentle harmonica music]
[dog barking]
[birds chirping]
What's goin' on with the place?
What?
The door's open?
Aw man, this is a dump in here.
I should sell this stuff at a yard sale, nice.
Somethin' stink.
Was it worth it, Mom?
Lose your baby girl and me for a drug.
Aw, man.
Ah.
There it is, memories.
Good old memories.
Got that.
Ain't never comin' back here.
[tense music]
- [Mary] I think I'm coming down.
- Really?
Still feelin' kinda buzzy.
- I definitely got a higher tolerance than you.
[tense music]
- [Moss] It's been the best day of my life.
- Yeah, I gotta get goin'
before it starts gettin' dark, ya know?
- [Moss] You don't wanna watch the sunset?
- [Mary] I just need to be alone.
- So what, I'm never gonna see you again?
- Come by in the morning for breakfast.
- [Operator] You have a collect call from--
- [Mom] It's mom.
- [Operator] An inmate at New Hanover,
a North Carolina correctional facility.
To accept the charges for this call, press three.
- [Mom] Baby.
- [Blaze] Hey Ma.
- [Mom] Oh, my baby, you okay?
- [Blaze] Yup.
- [Mom] You got that, that solar panel working yet?
- [Blaze] You know I'm good with my hands, Ma.
- [Mom] But guess what,
it ain't gonna keep you warm this winter.
- [Blaze] I'm chasin' summer, Ma.
I'm goin' down the river soon.
- [Mom] They still ain't rented the old spot?
- [Blaze] Nah, just like we left it the last time I checked.
- [Mom] Mm, maybe you oughta go check on our stuff then.
- [Blaze] It's just stuff.
- [Operator] This call will be terminated in 10 seconds.
- [Blaze] I'll try to pass by.
When can I go see baby sis?
- [Mom] They said maybe when she's a little older.
I can't do nothin', baby.
She's in the system, I'm in the system.
I'm so sorry.
I love you so much, I'll call you same time next week, okay?
- [Operator] This call is being terminated, thank you.
- Moss!
[frogs croaking]
Moss!
[Ray yodeling]
[narrator speaking faintly]
- [Blaze] Man, she was down by the river
like out of a dream or somethin'.
- She was a goddess, man.
Her eyes were like blue moons.
- [Blaze] Man, stop fuckin' with me, man.
[Moss groans]
[Moss laughs]
Yo, this whiskey smells like cow piss.
- [Blaze] I found this one at a, at a yard sale.
- [Moss] Who the hell sells whiskey at a yard sale?
- Man, if you ain't know, man,
that's when people sell whiskey at a yard sale, man.
- [Narrator] If they aren't calling a mate,
why are they singing?
- [Blaze] What's her name?
- [Moss] Mary.
- Mary, like your mom?
- [Moss] I didn't really get to know her too well, man.
- [Blaze] Hm, that's crazy.
[Blaze coughing]
- [Narrator] For centuries.
[whales singing]
Scientists may one day find out from--
- Best day of my life, dude.
- [Narrator] Spawning voices of the sea.
For now, the private life of these big giants remains.
- [Waitress] Hi, how are you?
- [Ray] Great, great, how you doin' tonight?
- [Waitress] What can I get for you today?
- [Ray] Um, I'd like the bologna sandwich
and the fried okra.
- [Waitress] You want anything on your bologna sandwich?
- [Ray] Uh, mustard.
- [Waitress] Do you want that on white bread?
- [Ray] Yes, on white bread.
And could make that a double order and make one 'em to,
one of 'em to go?
- [Waitress] Mm-hmm.
- [Ray] And a Pepsi or Coke.
- [Waitress] All right, you have seat wherever you like,
and I'll bring it out to you.
- [Ray] All right, thank you.
[Ray sighs]
- [Waitress] Order.
[gentle music]
Here you go.
- All right. - Your food'll be right up--
- Thanks. - In just a few minutes.
[sullen music]
[water bubbling]
[whale singing]
[fire crackling]
[birds chirping]
[engine revs]
[Moss panting]
[tense music]
- Ma!
Ma.
[tense music]
Sorry it took me so long, Ma.
Got your pills.
[clock ticking]
Ma?
[Moss sighing]
[tense music]
[Moss screams]
[Moss sobbing]
She keeps all of her money in a paint can,
right by the shed.
[dramatic music]
[Moss screams]
[sullen music]
[door banging]
[door bangs]
- [Narrator] The big storm is the cue
for the this important time of this frog's life.
It's a male in search of a mate.
[gentle music]
- Hey, bud.
Any luck?
- Couple a bites.
I'm a headin' in soon.
- Well, do you mind if I join you?
- Sure.
- [Ray] Thanks.
- It's like she was never even here.
Like Mom.
Just some kinda dream.
[sighs] Let it go.
Let it all go.
Dad?
[gentle music]
[birds chirping]
[Archie squawks]
You're a free man.
Thanks for the reel.
- [Ray] You're welcome, son.
- Dad.
- [Ray] Yeah.
- Ma passed.
I got there too late, Dad.
- It don't really matter now, son.
- Her paint can was empty.
- I moved that last week.
- [Moss] You moved her loot?
- She asked me to.
She wanted me to take care of it for ya.
- She seemed at peace.
- Well, at least she's not in pain anymore.
Fish a little longer with me, son,
and we'll go take care of her.
We just gotta let her go.
[sullen music]
- [Moss] Sometimes, the tide is rage,
and sometimes, she's just so still.
She takes it where she wants to.
Either yesterday's memories or tomorrow's,
it don't matter.
[Moss sighs]
On the river in the morning,
the shore's always new.
[gentle harmonica music]
[tense music]