August: Osage County 2013

The title card sets the scene: a sweltering August in rural Oklahoma, where the sun beats down relentlessly, mirroring the turmoil that brews beneath the surface of the Weston family. The patriarch, Beverly (a once-celebrated poet whose demons have long since consumed him), hires Johnna, a young Cheyenne woman with a kind heart and a gentle touch, to tend to his ailing wife Violet, a strong-willed matriarch struggling with oral cancer and addiction. As the days pass, tensions simmer just below the surface, waiting to boil over like the Arkansas River in springtime.

It’s not long before Beverly vanishes from the scene, leaving behind only the faintest whisper of his whereabouts - a mystery that will haunt the family for the duration. Violet’s sister Mattie Fae arrives with her husband Charles Aiken, their awkward son Little Charles in tow, while their middle daughter Ivy finds herself caught between her longing for her cousin and her inability to bear children after a hysterectomy. Meanwhile, eldest daughter Barbara, fresh from Colorado with her estranged husband Bill and their 14-year-old daughter Jean, brings with her the weight of secrets and the scars of a complicated past.

As the family gathers for Beverly’s funeral, the news of his passing is met with shock, grief, and a healthy dose of relief. But it’s not long before Violet’s addiction-fueled truth-telling takes center stage, reducing each member of her family to tears and tantrums. It’s a cathartic moment, one that will ultimately lead to Barbara’s explosive confrontation with her mother - a turning point that will send shockwaves through the Weston household.

Later, as the dust settles, Violet shares a tender tale about her own childhood, one that reveals the cruelty she endured at the hands of her own mother. It’s a poignant reminder that some wounds never fully heal, and that the scars they leave can run deep - like the gullies carved out by the Arkansas River over centuries.

As Little Charles pours his heart out to Ivy with a tender ballad, Mattie Fae’s scathing criticism cuts through the air like a cold wind. Her husband’s frustration boils over, and he threatens to abandon her if she continues to suffocate their son with her icy indifference. But just as it seems things can’t get any worse, Mattie Fae drops a bombshell on Barbara, revealing that Little Charles is not only their nephew but also the product of an illicit affair between Beverly and herself - a secret she’s kept hidden for far too long. This explosive revelation crushes Ivy’s hopes of being with Little Charles, and she vows never to return.

That same night, Steve and Jean indulge in a joint, but things take a dark turn as Steve becomes increasingly aggressive and invasive. Johnna is awoken by their raucous conversation and intervenes, attacking Steve with a shovel when he attempts to assault Jean. The commotion rouses Barbara, Bill, and Karen, who rush outside to find chaos. As the situation spirals out of control, Barbara slaps Jean, prompting Bill to take his leave with Jean, abandoning Barbara in the process. Meanwhile, Karen remains oblivious to her doomed relationship and departs alongside Steve.

In a subsequent heart-wrenching conversation, Ivy tries to confide in her mother about her feelings for Little Charles, but Barbara deflects the truth, desperate to shield Ivy from the harsh realities. Violet then breaks the devastating news to Ivy - that Little Charles is, in fact, her brother - a secret she’s kept hidden all along. Crushed by this revelation, Ivy disappears into the night, vowing never to return.

As the drama reaches its crescendo, Violet and Barbara engage in a final, brutal confrontation. Violet finally opens up about her own complicity in Beverly’s disappearance, revealing that she was contacted by him just after he left home but chose to do nothing until it was too late. The weight of this revelation is crushing, and Barbara is left with no choice but to abandon her mother, realizing that Violet is beyond salvation.

Alone and adrift, Violet turns to loud music for comfort, only to become overwhelmed by grief and seek out Johnna’s solace. Meanwhile, Barbara drives west across the plains, tears streaming down her face as she contemplates her own lost path. The open road stretches out before her like an endless expanse of uncertainty, with signs pointing toward Wichita, Salina, and Denver - a journey that promises to be as difficult as it is necessary.