Stir of Echoes: The Homecoming (2007)

[bunniefuu]

Vehicle approaching.

Echo one. You got him?

Yes, sir, roger. Got him.

Sir, he is not going down.

Son of a b*tch.

Fire a warning shot.

Echo one, wake up.

g*dd*mn it, wake up.
Fire a warning shot.

Shut up! Shut up!
I can't hear him talking.

Quit f*cking around.
Ping his radiator.

Get his tires!

f*ck!

Fire now!

Hold your fire!

g*dd*mn it, cease fire!

It's a kid.

Sir, I have the shot.

- Stand down.
- Sir, she could be wired, sir!

Stand down!

Run!

Run!

Egry!

CL2, get out!

Kablinsky!

She's still alive.

I've got her, sir.

Go, go!

Clear!

Shut the f*ck up!

Sir, he's just saying...

I don't give a f*ck
what he's saying!

Where was the warning shot?

Sir, I was in there, sir.
It was the radio.

- We heard every tenth word, sir.
- It's a g*dd*mn family!

Your fault! Your fault!
I am not to blame!

Kablinsky, how's she doing?

I got her stabilized.

Good job.

RPG! RPG!

There, there, up above!

- Where?
- One right above!

Ahh!

Move it, move it!

Captain.

Cogan. Don't move.
I'll get a nurse.

Kablinsky?

Kablinsky didn't make it.

How long have I been out?

About two weeks.

sh*t.

It's good to have you back.

You hang on.

Sir...

I...

I should have held my fire.

There were kids inside.

Driver ignored the signs.

Warning shots, everything.

Besides, it was the hajis.

Their tank, their k*ll.

My command.

I trained them.

Stop beating yourself up.

You believed
they were hostile.

Our rules are pretty clear on that.

You relax.

I'll get a doctor.

You all right?

What's wrong?

I just dozed off.

It's good to be home.

Yay!

Oh, God, I've only asked them
to change that 500 times.

Max? Max, we're home.

Max!

Molly?

Molly?

Molly?

- Surprise!
- Surprise!

Your face!

Oh, son of a b*tch.

- Oh, sweetie!
- Hey, dad.

I knew there was a reason
he wasn't at the airport.

- Lookin' for this?
- Max.

- I missed you like hell.
- Me, too.

Hey, Mr. Cogan.

Hey there, Sammi.
How you doin'?

- Good.
- It's good to see you.

Yeah.

I'm, uh... I'm sorry about your dad.

- I just heard.
- Yeah. Thanks. Thanks so much.

- Luke!
- Welcome back, Mr. C.

What are you benching these days?

Like 250?

Still drinking this sh*t?

Hey. I cannot believe
you let the trailer trash in here.

Trailer trash!

Nothing's changed!

Welcome back.

- Good to see you.
- You, too.

Did you see my mom?

No.

Though Jackie from upstairs,

she said she already
heard him talking about more layoffs.

He's not going to get fired.

He's in The National Guard.
Isn't there a law?

Well, sorry, honey,
but that don't cut it

when it comes to
corporate restructuring. You know?

These guys are
champing at the bit

to replace us with
a bunch of Pakis

that work for, like,


donate half of that to Al-Qaeda.

Did he just call me honey?

Isn't it past your
bedtime, you guys?

My bad, my bad.
All right?

Oh, speaking of which...
heh heh...

You guys hear the one
about the t*rror1st

who hijacks a 747 full of Pakis? OK?

He says he's gonna
release one every hour

until his demands get met?

I got one.
There's this Iraqi kid,

and he gets a baseball
cap from a G.I.,

and he puts it on, and
he goes to show his mom.

"Mommy, Mommy, look!
I'm an American."

She slaps him upside
the head and says,

"Go show that
to your father."

Yeah, this is a good one.

- Yeah.
- Max, don't.

So he goes to
his dad and he says,

"Daddy, daddy, look!
I'm an American."

And his dad clocks
him right in the mouth

real hard and says,

"So now how do you
like being an American?"

And this kid looks up at him
with tears in his eyes and says,

"I've been an American
for, like, ten minutes,

and already I hate you
g*dd*mn towelheads."

Max! That's not nice. No!

It's frickin' hysterical.

Where'd you pick up
that kind of language?

Oh, Dad, you emailed
me that joke.

You see me laughing?

Oh, come on!

Yeah, come on, Teddy,
it's not like you've never

told a Nig...
an African-American joke

before in your life, right?

Why don't you stay
the f*ck out of it?

- Whoa, Ted.
- OK, whoa, whoa, whoa.

Wait a minute here.
That's it.

Teddy's first night,
it's getting late,

so let's just...
Let's call it a night.

Smarten up.

I got it the first time.

What did you say to me?

Max, why don't you
take Sammi home?

Give me that.

OK! Good night, kids.

- Thank you.
- Yeah.

Welcome back, partner.

- Murray.
- Thanks, Moll.

Want a lift?

No.

Come on.

Since when do you smoke?

I...

They're mine.

Sammi, you're a nice kid,

but you're a terrible liar.

Leave her alone.
They're mine.

Give them up.

- I'm not gonna...
- You're not gonna what?

Max, please take Sam home now.

Come on.

- Let's go to bed.
- Did you know about this?

Once. I caught him once.
He said he'd stop.

Well, that was effective.

You know what, Teddy?
I'm really glad you're back

so you can whip
us all into shape.

Maybe I can stop working
double shifts

and go back to being
a better mother and housewife

like God meant me to.

Good night.

Ted?

Ted?

You OK?

What happened?

I thought I s... saw something.

I know. I know.

I can't do anything about it. I can't.

What can you do?
What can I do?

- I don't know.
- Morning.

Everything OK?

It's fine.

Hi, Mr. Cogan. Sorry.

Is, uh, there anything
I can help with?

- Dad!
- Oh, no. It's just my mom. She's...

With you coming back and Daddy...

she's not doing so good.

I'm sorry.
I could go by and, uh...

- Oh, could you?
- I don't think that's a good...

- That'd be great.
- Sure.

Thanks so much.
I really just think she needs to talk

to someone who...

Who gets it.

Yeah, exactly.

- Come on, we gotta hustle.
- Thank you.

Have a good day at school.

Yeah.

OK.

April?

April?

April?

Anyone home?

Better with the sound off.

Bullshit smells less.

Um, I'm sorry.

Teddy, Ted, Ted.

Your timing is impeccable.

Maybe you should cover up.

Hmm.

I guess I should.

Um... Sammi told me you're, uh,

pretty upset.

I, uh, wanted to come by
and make sure you're doing OK.

I guess that me coming home...
It probably stirred up some...

Don't. Don't blame yourself.

Hell, the fact is,
I'm kinda glad you're here.

You give me strength.

Isn't that funny?

It's good.

And I sure need strength now.

Roger that.

Roger that.

No, don't!

Don't move.

- Teddy?
- Sorry, I...

What are you doing?

I rang the doorbell.
The, uh, door was open.

Are you OK?

Yeah. Yeah.
Sammi asked me to come by.

Check up on you.

Um...

I had a...

Dream.

That you hurt yourself.

It was, um...

pretty vivid.

Here I am with...

I get...

so lonely.

And angry.

It's just...

so unfair, you know?

Just so f*cking unfair.

Why him?

Why me?

I knew some guys in the third.

Same thing.

I.E.D. Ambush.

They cut off his head!

They cut off his f*cking head!

I'm sorry, I didn't know.

Look.

You're upset.

You're in pain.

I'm gonna help you.

But...

You gotta give me that g*n.

I can't... I can't...

I can't have it in the house.

What?

Nothing.

It's OK now.

Yeah, it's OK.

Ghost?

I know how it sounds.

OK, who is he?

A guy in your unit?

No, I think he's from the van.

The van?

Checkpoint.

Right.

I didn't get a good
look at the bodies,

before the RPG hit.

He looks like
he could be one of them.

All burnt up.

I'm not a shrink, sweetie.

It does seem natural, though,
if you're having feelings of guilt

- or if you're feeling responsible...
- It just seems so real.

It's not a flashback.
He's just there.

Maybe you should talk
to someone about it.

Right?

I mean, it's just a thought.

When you're ready.

Hey, good-looking.

Ahhh!

What... oh, God.

Nightmare?

Baby, you're burnin' up.

My head hurts.

I'm thirsty.

Grab the thermometer.
You're really hot.

Sir, do you know how many

post-traumatic claims
we process in...

But I've been here
for two hours, all right?

I just want a straight answer.

Well, all I can tell you is
it'll take at least three months.

- Three months?
- Yep.

What the hell am I supposed
to do for three months?

You could always
seek private treatment.

I can barely afford
to feed my g*dd*mn family.

Hey, soldier.
Don't waste your breath.

Dragon lady ain't worth it.

Next!

Same sh*t as Nam.

When the guys come back
post-traumatic.

Right.

You should see Jake Witzky.

Who is he, some private shrink?

Mm...

Sort of. He's at the lodge house.

Jake Witzky.

He'll help you out.

Yeah, thanks.

You know, you better write that down,
'cause your mind ain't quite home yet.

Good. Good.

Hmm.

You take care, Ted.

Help me.

Help me...
Help me... Help me...

I'm so sorry.

I never meant to hurt you.

Carmelita?!

What the hell are you doing
with my daughter?

Get away from him.
I told you not to run around.

You're a sick, sick man.

And what did you do?

Did he touch you?

You touch my little girl,
your a*s is going to jail.

Uh... l'm sorry. I thought
she was someone else.

Police! Police!

I'm sorry.

Help! Help!

Someone, police!

Hello?

Hello?

Uhh!

Help! Help! g*dd*mn it!

Aah!

Aah!

Sorry, I called them.
It's been acting up all day.

- Excuse me.
- Excuse me.

Would you press 3?

Is that your way
of trying to quit?

I could smell it from upstairs.

Sorry, Mr. C.

- I gotta go.
- Yeah.

You better tell
your mom before I do.

Yeah, I will.

I didn't know you were home.

At least that's honest.

Pockets.

Dad?

How many of these
things you got?

Same one.
I got it out of the trash.

I bought it the day
you sent me that picture

of you in the Bradley.

Well, that's sentimental,

but that's not a reason
to start smoking.

Look, I know quitting is hard.

It's easier to do now than later.

Yeah, whatever.

- Excuse me?
- I'm sorry.

Take those off
when you're talking to me.

L... I have a headache, so...

Off!

Jesus Christ.
What the hell happened to you?

Nothing.

- What happened?
- Nothing.

Luke and I took care of it.

That's not what I'm asking.

This kid was being an as*h*le.

An a*s.

And you took care of it.

Yes.
At least I don't need stitches.

What the hell's
the matter with you?

Since when do you solve
problems with your fists?

That's rich, coming from you.

Who exactly do you
think you're talking to?

You want to know what happened?

Here.

Christ.

Punk stuck that on my locker.

It's from weeks ago,
so he was just...

waiting for you to come home.

I'm sorry.

I should have talked to you.

You didn't need to find out
about it like this.

It's not like I didn't already know.

Look...

I know this pissed you off.

Beating the crap out of some guy
doesn't solve anything.

So what are you saying...
I ignore it?

Yeah.

I can't do that.

And neither could you.

You should've tried, Max.

No. Bullshit.
I know you.

You didn't go over there
to win hearts and minds.

You went over there
to kick their asses

so that they'd know
that they couldn't

just come over here
and... and blow us up!

Max.

It's been a hard
year for both of us.

So let's put it
behind us and move on.

Put some ice on that.

Now, you better write that down
because your mind ain't quite home yet.

- Hey!
- Oh, sh...

- Jesus H. Christ.
- What are you doing?

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry.

- You went to the library.
- Yep.

Tessa got these
from the hospital.

She says to take one
right before you go to bed

and you'll sleep like the...

baby. You'll sleep like a baby.

It won't make any difference.

OK.

You know, I don't... l...

I don't mean to sound,
um, insensitive,

but when do you plan
on going back to work?

To work.

I was counting on your paycheck

when you got back, and...

we're running out of money.

Something's happening to me.

I know that, and l...

It's not just the...

I'm seeing things.

And some of them are real.

They are real.

And I think we have
to be very, very careful.

Sweetie, you need help.

You know, professional help.
Not just a half-assed...

g*dd*mn it!

I need you to believe me.

I need to go to work.

I've got bills to pay.

g*dd*mn it is right.

# Like a gamble here #

# This is no joke #

# This is live from Iraq #

# Where we prayin'
we make it home #

# True gutter
for you f*ck #

# Think it's gutter
where you from #

# Here is life by the second #

# This is everything wrong #

# This is not your
beef on the block #

# This is not... #

# It's more than g*nf*re #

# They shootin'
rockets and missiles #

# This is up armor kits man #

# With bulletproof windows #

# We sleep with... #

# Blankets #

# And Kevlar pillows #

# In a country... #

# Wherever there is a soldier #

# There is shrapnel flyin' #

# 59 of us April 4th #

# Eight of us dyin' #

# This is your thug turned punk #

# This is... #

- Yo, man. You lost?
- Yo, money. What's up?

Yo, money, what you
lookin' at man?

What? What? What?

Do something.
Do something.

We're closed.

Are you Jake Witzky?

You have the eyes.

I'm sorry?

The eyes.

X-ray eyes, right?

Uh, well, I'm just looking
for a guy they said was here.

Last door on the right.

Thanks.

Cover charge.

I'm thinking 20.

Look, uh, here's 40.

Why don't you...

keep an eye on my car?

Young entrepreneurs' club
on the corner?

Don't worry.

Those boys know better
than to mess with our guests.

Thanks.

No!

No!

Don't sh**t!

Hah. You think
I can't see you in there?

Whoa.

I got ya, buddy.

I see ya met Alice.

She has a sick sense of humor.

Once she gets inside,

she can make you see
anything she wants.

I said the door on the right.

Come on in, Teddy.

Close the door!

Before you let
all the roaches out.

Let me guess...

You see dead people.

Yeah.

Sit. Sit.
You're making me nervous.

What does it want?

I don't know.

You don't know?
What, it hasn't told you yet?

It doesn't talk.

See, that's where
you're wrong, Ted.

They all talk.
You're just not listening.

Some talk like you and me.

And some, the ones
that suffered the most,

they speak with the same violence
that k*lled them.

What?

What?

Oh, sorry.

I don't get many visitors.

- Are you...
- No.

I'm as alive as you are, Mr. Cogan.

Just got a little carried away.

Fresh-squeezed.

Trust me.

You need the fluids.

Thanks.

You know, when I was a kid,
they just talked to me, you know?

But the older I got, the harder it was
for them to come through.

They got more annoyed.

Mean as hell.
Drove me a little nuts.

And one day I kinda lost it and...

Tssst!

Needless to say, puberty sucked.

No, see, that's it. That's it!

You're going about this totally wrong.
I can f*ck' smell it on you.

What are you talking about?

The fear, man.

The fear short-circuits your brain.

Stops you from thinkin',
from listening.

It's got you on the run.

But you gotta face it.

You gotta welcome it.

- Welcome it?
- Yes!

Because the longer you wait,
the more pissed off it gets.

And the anger drives it.

It gives it the power to affect things,
like physical things.

Then... then, it can really hurt you.

So think.
What does it want?

It wants me dead.

I k*lled it.

I... gave the orders
to have his family k*lled.

Good, good. That's good.
But there's something more,

something... something
he wants you to do

to make it right, maybe.
What is that, Ted?

- I don't know.
- Oh, think!

You got to focus.

You are a receiver now.

Nothing, and I mean nothing
is random anymore.

Not for you.

Examine every part of your life.

Every detail.
You find out what it wants and do it.

Fast.

It won't stop with you.

It'll destroy everything
and everyone around you.

Empty that pocket.

What?

It wants your family.

Hello?

Oh, my God.

Yeah, I have to go.

Find out what it wants!

Welcome it!

Excuse me.
Max Cogan. He's my son.

Oh, I'm so sorry.

It's 406, just down the hall.

She's dead.
Sammi, she... she's dead.

Sammi's dead!

Max?

Don't... don't hurt
my boy, please.

Ted?

He's alive?

He's in a coma.

And they don't know
when he's going to wake up

or... if.

What happened?

Oh... uh...

Luke was driving,
and Max and Sammi

were in the backseat...

- Is Luke...
- Yes.

I mean, they don't
even know what happened.

No one was drinking,
and there was nobody else on the road.

I mean, the... the... the car, it just...

it just swerved into a pole.

Just like that?

All by itself?

I mean... well, you...
you should talk to him,

because the doctor said

that he might be able to hear us.

It'd be really good for him
to know that you're here.

I'm so glad you're back home.

OK.

I have to go check on April.

I'll be back soon.

Max?

Max, it's your dad.

I'm gonna take care of it.

Aah!

Nothing is random anymore.

Not for you.

Examine every part of your life.

Every detail.

- I brought you, uh...
- I'll be right back.

Where are you going?

July 3.

Oh, my God.

He's not even Iraqi.

He's just some
college kid from up north.

Burnt to death, f*ck' animals.

So... what does this
have to do with you, Ted?

I don't know.

That's what I want to find out.
I figure if I go up there, maybe...

No... no, what?

Yeah, I'm going
to borrow the car for a bit.

No, no, no.

No, Ted. He was found south
of f*cking Rockford,

that's, like, two hours
away from here.

Look.

Jesus Christ, did you
do that to yourself?

Yes.
No, he...

He died in a fire.

They speak with the same violence
that k*lled them...

What are you talking about?

- It's a message.
- What message?

He was beaten and burned.

All the things
that are happening to me.

- It all fits. I gotta figure this out.
- Oh, my God.

- You see...
- You're sick.

- It did this to Max.
- OK, stop it.

- It's not going to leave us alone...
- Please, just... never!

Do you understand?
I've gotta make this right.

If I don't, I don't think
Max will make it.

Ted, please.

OK.

Sammi?

Ahhh...

Aah!

Aah!

Unh!

Hey!

Hey!

Unh.

Aah!

Max?

This is for our dads,
you piece of sh*t.

No!

How is he?

Where are all the machines?

He woke up.

When?

Friday.

- Friday? Today is...
- Sunday, Ted.

You've been gone for three days.

Three days.

I lost track of time.

Look, I, um...

I think that once we get him
home, maybe you and I should...

Max has done something terrible.

What are you talking about?

I went to Rockford.

L... I saw it. L...

Dad?

Sweetie.

- Hi.
- You're back.

Mom was going mental.

How are you?

I'm fine.

I want to go home.

I know, I know.

The doctor said
you're not ready yet.

I went to Rockford.

- Shut up, Ted.
- Why did you go there?

Forget it. Daddy's not feeling well.

How could you do it?

I mean it, leave him alone!

What do you mean?

How did you know?

I'm sorry.

Lock it!

Should we sweep our tracks?

It's all so messed up.

We were all there.

Sweetie, that's just, uh...
It's just a nightmare.

Dr. Sanders said that it's natural...

We buried Sammi's dad
the day before.

And they kept telling us
that there was like

a 90% chance that you
would never make it out of the coma.

And even if you did,
that you'd be...

a vegetable.

You remember
they said that, Mom?

I was pretty...

screwed up.

Sammi, too.

She just wanted to get drunk,

lose her head, you know?

We were all in a foul mood,

a bad place.

And that song,

that song we kept
playing didn't help.

# Every day's like a gamble here #

# This is no joke #

# This is live from Iraq #

# And we praying
we make it home... #

Anyway, on the way back,

there was this place
we always used to hang.

But this time, someone
was already there.

We were all pretty loaded.

We are not alone.

Oh, hang on.

I think he needs help.

Hey! Hey, you need a hand?

Oh, hi.

Yeah, uh,

you guys got a tire jack
by any chance?

You from around here?

I go to school down the road,

and the light's just so
beautiful here today...

You an exchange student?

No, I'm from Highland Park.

You guys?

- Let me check.
- Thanks, man.

Rough day.

Well, look what I've got here.

Oh, man, thank you so much.
I appreciate this.

- It's your lucky day.
- Wow, amazing.

Lifesaver.

OK.

Hey, Max.

What?

Next time you guys come this way,
drinks are on me, all right?

Yeah, whatever.
We're outta here.

What?

You know, our dads aren't fighting
for oil, you piece of sh*t.

They're fighting
to drag your sorry asses

out of the Middle Ages.

What are you... what is...

Oh, you mean because of the...

No, no, I don't mean any disrespect.

I totally support...

f*ck you, Osama.

Hey, I'm an American.

Yeah, right.

See you.

Come on, guys,
what are you...

You're going
to leave me here?

Wish you had
your camel now, don't you?

c**t.

What the f*ck did you say?!

Hey.

Hey, hey.

Get off me.

Hey!

Hang on.

Hang on.

- Aah!
- Ow!

# Every day
is like a gamble here #

# This is no joke #

# This is live from Iraq #

# And we praying
we make it home #

# True gutter for you f*ck #

# Think it's gutter where you from #

# Here it's life by the second #

# This is everything wrong #

# This is not
your beef on the block #

# This is not that simple #

# Here it's more than g*nf*re #

# They shootin'
rockets and missiles #

# This is up armor kits #

# With bulletproof windows #

# We sleep with body armor blankets #

# And Kevlar pillows #

# In a country where when
anybody's talking #

# They lyin' #

# And wherever
there is a soldier #

# There is shrapnel flying... #

No more.

We should chop off his head.

Like they did to my dad, right?

No, then we'd need an ax.

f*ck.

Let's burn the f*ck.

Let's just get out of here.

Max, give me your lighter.

I'll do it.

No. No.

I looked at him,

and I thought about you

dying in some shitty hospital

halfway across the world.

Dying to protect people like him.

And I wanted to do something.

Hit back.

Hard. For you.

So l...

We...

Dumped him into...

I'm scared.

It's OK, sweetheart.
It's OK. Shh, shh.

Is this true?

And you saw this?

Oh, my God, this is insane.

Oh...

OK, what do we do now?

I don't know.

Did, um...

Did...

Did you touch anything?

What?

In Rockford.

Did you touch anything?

Did you leave anything behind?

Are you asking me if I left evidence?

Well, yes, you're a solider.
Your fingerprints are on file.

What if somebody
goes back and they check?

Jesus Christ.

Look, we need to get a plan.

We need to get
our stories straight. We...

- We need to get a lawyer.
- No, no, no, no.

We tell no one.

Molly...

He and his friends
k*lled a man.

Yes, they did,

and now they're all gone,

and he's still alive.

No one else
has to know about this.

Right.

Well, what else
do you suggest, huh?

I don't know.

But he committed a m*rder.

Yeah, well, so did you,
g*dd*mn it.

You know, so did you.

You blew up a van
of innocent people

with a family inside

and you got a f*cking medal
for it, Teddy.

So don't you dare go
all moral on me, OK?

You're not going to sacrifice my son
to alleviate your g*dd*mn guilt.

I mean, he's just a boy,

and he almost died
in that car crash.

Isn't that enough for you?

Yeah.

- But...
- But what?

But what?

It won't be enough for him.

For who?

Him.

He's my son.

I need you to calm down.

I want to make it right.

I want to make it right.
Talk to me.

What do you want me to do?

Tell me what you want.

Ted, Ted, Ted, Ted.

Oh, my God, oh, my God,
you're burning up.

I'm going to go get the doctor.
Stay there. Don't move.

Can somebody help me, please?

My husband's gone into
some kind of shock.

- OK, OK, what room?
- He's right here in the hallway.

OK, come on.

Ted, the nurse is here.

- Sir?
- Help me.

What seems to be the problem?

Help me.

Ted, what's wrong?

Stop me.

Stop me, g*dd*mn it!

No!

Security, security!

Unh!

Mom?

No, no, no, stop it!

k*ll me.

No, please, please,
please, please.

No, oh, my God!

Dad?

Your dad's all right, sweetie.

Mom? Mom!

Mom!

No!

Don't...

Don't...

Don't hurt my boy, please.

Mom!

Mom!

I had to do it.

I had to turn you in

or he would have
k*lled you, too.

I wasn't going
to let that happen.

Max.

I hope someday
you can forgive me.

Molly.

Did you make it right?

I mean, does all this
make it right?

I don't know.

I think so.

But I'm not sure.

That's good.

Well...

Bye, sweetie.

Don't go.

Molly.