Now it cuts off before the end, but here's what Ben says in reply:
Some things mean something.
Yeah? Like what? Abilene? (laughing) You didn't come here for her. You came here for yourself. For a recording. And then you heard her music. You saw her photos--the record of her. And that's what you care for. A recording. Not a person. We are all...just inspirations...for the recording...of ourselves. You and I both know it. You got your opus. And that's what matters. But Abilene? The person? Come on. She was just some girl. And that's the truth, Ben. A hundred percent.
With Lana Del Rey's "Looking for America" playing (check out the lyrics) you can see on Ben's face that he's having a crisis of faith. Or rather perhaps, a crisis of unfaith. He knows he's standing face to face with Nihilism itself. With Satan himself. He's standing face to face with the Devil. The thing he had up until this point in his life unwittingly and ignorantly worshipped. And he can either accept, or rather, go on accepting the Devil's version of reality or...he can embrace what he's learned on this little excursion to small town America, and change. To embrace love, and to see people as people. As something of worth in and of itself. As something to be protected and reverenced and respected and loved.
He grabs the recording from his pocket.
Hits pause.
Pulls out his gun.
And shoots Quentin Sellers, the Devil, Nihilism, the great liar, square between the eyes.
He exits Q's tent slowly, in shock. Then pulls the recorder out of his pocket and deletes every recording he's made since he's been in Texas. Apparently deciding completely that he's not going to release that story and let the bad things Q said would happen happen. He's going to let Abilene rest in peace. As a person. Not live on as a recording.
He leaves the party with Abiline's brother and they stop at Whataburger on the way home. There they hear the police get a call that Quentin Sellers has been shot, and that's the first time we hear him referred to as Q. "Q? Didn't think he was very accicdent prone."
The next morning Ben is talking to the mom at the breakfast table, she's enjoying a cup of coffe and looking out the window, then says:
I heard ya'll (he and the brother) made up.
Yeah
I understand it was quite the party last night.
I wasn't there.
That's right. You weren't.
I've...very much enjoyed being in your home.
You're gonna need a ride.
That's true. My car is uh...(chuckle)
Then you cut to them in the pickup truck driving down the road and she says:
What are your plans when you get back?
Guess I'll have to find a new story.
After all that? What about all that stuff with Abby?
I think...that story's just for us.
Oh. That's nice, too.
No regrets.
I've never understood that. "No regrets." I mean how do you...in my life, everything starts with a regret, ends with a regret, in between are regrets. It's all regrets. You run as fast as you can from the last regret--of course you're just running straight to the next one. That's life. It's all regrets. That's what they SHOULD say. It's the only way to be alive. It's all regrets. Make em count.
I love this movie. I think it's one of the best I've ever seen. It hits deep. BJ Novak has a talent. The cast is conspicuous. The writing is beautiful. The music works. The lessons are powerful. As an American. As a believer. As a Q follower. It hits all the buttons. And it makes you wonder about the man who wrote, directed, and starred in it and what his motives were. Whoever BJ Novak is. Whichever side he plays for, this movie has depth, and it took a lot to pull it off the way he did. And I honestly feel like it enriched my life. Highly recommended. I realize I gave you the play by play...but it's still worth the watch, I promise.
Now it cuts off before the end, but here's what Ben says in reply:
Some things mean something.
Yeah? Like what? Abilene? (laughing) You didn't come here for her. You came here for yourself. For a recording. And then you heard her music. You saw her photos--the record of her. And that's what you care for. A recording. Not a person. We are all...just inspirations...for the recording...of ourselves. You and I both know it. You got your opus. And that's what matters. But Abilene? The person? Come on. She was just some girl. And that's the truth, Ben. A hundred percent.
With Lana Del Rey's "Looking for America" playing (check out the lyrics) you can see on Ben's face that he's having a crisis of faith. Or rather perhaps, a crisis of unfaith. He knows he's standing face to face with Nihilism itself. With Satan himself. He's standing face to face with the Devil. The thing he had up until this point in his life unwittingly and ignorantly worshipped. And he can either accept, or rather, go on accepting the Devil's version of reality or...he can embrace what he's learned on this little excursion to small town America, and change. To embrace love, and to see people as people. As something of worth in and of itself. As something to be protected and reverenced and respected and loved.
He grabs the recording from his pocket.
Hits pause.
Pulls out his gun.
And shoots Quentin Sellers, the Devil, Nihilism, the great liar, square between the eyes.
He exits Q's tent slowly, in shock. Then pulls the recorder out of his pocket and deletes every recording he's made since he's been in Texas. Apparently deciding completely that he's not going to release that story and let the bad things Q said would happen happen. He's going to let Abilene rest in peace. As a person. Not live on as a recording.
He leaves the party with Abiline's brother and they stop at Whataburger on the way home. There they hear the police get a call that Quentin Sellers has been shot, and that's the first time we hear him referred to as Q. "Q? Didn't think he was very accicdent prone."
The next morning Ben is talking to the mom at the breakfast table, she's enjoying a cup of coffe and looking out the window, then says:
I heard ya'll (he and the brother) made up.
Yeah
I understand it was quite the party last night.
I wasn't there.
That's right. You weren't.
I've...very much enjoyed being in your home.
You're gonna need a ride.
That's true. My car is uh...(chuckle)
Then you cut to them in the pickup truck driving down the road and she says:
What are your plans when you get back?
Guess I'll have to find a new story.
After all that? What about all that stuff with Abby?
I think...that story's just for us.
Oh. That's nice, too.
No regrets.
I've never understood that. "No regrets." I mean how do you...in my life, everything starts with a regret, ends with a regret, in between are regrets. It's all regrets. You run as fast as you can from the last regret--of course you're just running straight to the next one. That's life. It's all regrets. That's what they SHOULD say. It's the only way to be alive. It's all regrets. Make em count.