Runner (2022) Movie Script

1
RUNNER
I saw the properties once,
a long time ago.
And I remembered
them last night in a dream,
woke up,
and called an old friend,
in the middle of the night.
He must have thought I was nuts.
Said they were still there,
still there.
Just as they always were.
If I could just get him to be interested,
a spark.
Where's my case?
Dammit, did you move my case?
I'll go soon to confirm the houses.
Yeah, a little stability soon.
Right.
Right.
Soon.
I know they are here.
Let's go.
We're going to church.
- We've never been to church.
- There is someone I gotta talk to.
Whose are they?
Your mother's.
Christ is our light.
The darkness has never put it out.
Go out and love and good will.
Do not fear the darkness.
Shine as lights in the world.
Glory of God.
- Amen.
- Amen.
Amen.
Please rise and open your
book of hymns to page 15.
Nearer, my God, to Thee
Nearer to Thee
E'en though it be a cross
That raiseth me
Still all my song shall be
Nearer, my God, to Thee
Nearer, my God, to Thee
Nearer to Thee
Excuse me!
Big big deal coming in.
Someone wants to purchase
eight or nine properties.
If this goes through,
the sale will be one of the biggest.
I heard you were looking to invest,
a side project of sorts.
This is a bad time.
I thought you would want to be
the first to know.
- It's Sunday. I'm with my wife.
- Right.
I can call you tomorrow.
Eight okay?
- Nine.
- Nine.
Sure nine.
Why didn't you sing?
I'm going to the tavern.
Want another round?
It's a quarter of six.
I better get going.
You going in tomorrow?
I've never missed
a day of work in my life.
Where's he going tomorrow?
The sanitarium?
- What'd he say?
- It's got nothing to do with you.
Hello? Haas?
Haas?
Where are my keys?
I'll get us out of here fast.
Haas?
Hello, Howard Billman.
Rows and rows of houses, Howard.
Along the Mississippi River.
Two and three bedrooms,
kitchens overlooking the water.
We can take them
as they are and flip them.
Put in new kitchens, tiles,
refurbish the floors.
We agreed that you'd call on Monday.
- I'm with my family...
- We can call them any name you like.
Any name.
What's the word about the heavens?
I can't remember.
Dammit I can't remember!
Please, please.
You know,
throughout my life
I questioned your God.
I thought I saw him once
when I was a young man.
But then I never saw him again.
What's an average man like me?
To him?
Just like that
he came to me.
In the middle of the night.
And...
And like an offering,
he reminded me of the houses.
Time to go.
Ruth is probably wondering.
- Goodnight.
- Goodnight.
- See you tomorrow.
- See you tomorrow.
No one was home.
Where was she?
What's it matter?
If she'd have been there.
Would he have lived?
Your father wanted
to be buried in Illinois.
In the town where he was born.
Since you are his only living relative,
we have contacted the place of burial
on your behalf.
I called the gravesite and
they do indeed have a plot for him.
And are able to take care of
receiving and holding the body.
It wasn't easy to do so,
but he can be transported by train.
Since you are recently 18 it is your
decision whether or not you want to go
or have someone go in your stead.
You don't have to make
a decision right away
whether or not you would
like to accompany him.
But we will need to know
in a couple of days.
To be clear,
your father was in enormous debt.
And I am making these arrangements
as a personal favor.
What about the houses?
The houses he proposed were
probably a scam.
Most everything he did was.
I'm sorry to say,
but your house has been in foreclosure
and you will need
to start considering your options.
Rain is heading this way.
We'll have to postpone until tomorrow.
Where's the gravesite?
Not too far from here.
Take a left
and it's on the right.
Do you have someplace to go?
There's an inn down the road.
He'll have a place for you.
And it's just...
you?
Yes.
Twenty a night.
Baggy.
Haas.
Rose.
What brings you to Illinois?
I'm here to bury my father.
I...
Make sure to watch your things.
Then there's a... Mrs. Cohan?
No. Living with children,
as before the wedding.
How awful.
Collision at twelve-mile drive.
You can never tell what private
tragedies people have had can you?
I mean, when you first meet them.
- Need a ride?
- I can walk.
It's about to pour.
Where are you going?
The inn.
Where's that at?
It's just down the road.
I'm going that way.
You could...
just get on the handle bar.
I'm Will.
Haas.
Haas.
It's a nickname.
What's it mean?
Rabbit or Runner.
In German.
What's your real name?
Hannah.
I should probably get going.
I got work tomorrow.
Thanks for the bike.
Sure.
Where did you get it?
I bought it.
I guess the birds aren't here yet.
My wrestling coach in high school
used to call me "Squints"
because I can't really see
without my glasses
and I was always out there squinting.
- Are you from here?
- No, I'm here working.
Trying to help my family back home.
Where's your family?
Out west, in Wyoming.
Do you miss them?
Yeah I miss my cousins,
my mom, my uncle Pop.
But that's about it.
I just met the wrong people.
Yeah.
I always tell people a dark
cloud passed over my town
and just never left.
Do you like where you are from?
I don't know any place else.
I was about to move to a house
on a river.
What's stopping you from doing that?
Now?
Whenever you want.
It's too wet to bury him.
The graves are full of water.
How long does it take to dry?
About a day or two.
We have an expression around here.
The river rises,
but it also falls.
Did they bury him?
Not yet.
Alright.
If you need anything.
Natural beauty is not hard to see,
it's hard to believe.
Learn more about
your real estate options...
Then Jesus came like a stranger
in the night
Praise the Lord, I saw the light
I saw the light, I saw the light
No more darkness, no more night
Now I'm so happy no sorrow in sight
Praise the Lord, I saw the light
Hi mom.
How's it going?
I'm doin alright.
There was this pretty heavy storm
that hit the other night.
Saw this girl walking
on the side of the road.
Picked her up right before the rain.
It was quiet at first
almost as if you could hear
a single blade of grass sway,
and then all of a sudden
trees were knocking...
Yeah, coming back from work.
I got offered a boat job.
From some guy in Billings.
It's on the Mississippi.
I wandered around...
I wandered so aimless,
life filled with sin...
So aimless life...
Filled with sin.
I couldn't let the...
- I think it's I wouldn't.
- I wouldn't let the...
- I wouldn't let my dear savior...
- Savior in...
I saw the light.
Then...
One night He came...
- Like a stranger...
- Like a stranger in the night...
- Night?
- Yeah.
I saw the light, I saw the light.
Ok, you might need to like,
serve it to yourself.
Here, I'll throw it to you.
So sorry.
Do you think it's more of a happy
or a sad song?
I'd probably listen to it
when I'm feeling
like coming off of being
sad to happy.
I don't know.
Like what?
Like I was lost and I found my way.
Or something like that.
Like that's the kind of mood
that it, like...
Do you want to go back home?
Sure.
I won't be back there
for a while though.
I got a job as a deckhand.
Starts the first week of spring.
Do you want to do it?
Yeah, it should be fun.
The site is ready
for tomorrow.
If you could pass it on to the girl.
We'll have to bury him soon.
Before it rains again.
Is that his daughter?
Yes.
She was at the train.
We'll have to start soon.
There's music at Wayward tonight.
Miss?
I'm leaving.
I've got to find you those houses.
I'm glad I met you.
I'm glad I met you too.
Why the long face?
Hey.
Hey!
You fucking deaf?
Where are my keys?
Shit.
I don't blame you, Gillian.
I don't blame you at all,
you should leave me.
Why don't you say it, honey?
It's all true.
I haven't done any one of the big things
I planed to do for you.
We're right were we started.
We're still struggling.
I've let you down all around, honey.
I wish I could do something
to help you two...
I needed you an awful
lot these last few days,
but you've been miles away.
I've been entirely alone.
Right here in this room with you.
She's worn out.
Where has she been?
North, to bury her father.
Must have been painful.
She's alone now.
- I can't imagine.
- What it would be like.
To be alone.
While you were away, I had
time to look at your father's estate.
In a matter of weeks,
the house will belong to the bank.
I tried to see if there was
something I could do,
but at this point it's a question
of finances.
Is there anyone who can help you?
Peace be with you.
Peace be with you.
He is the father who welcomes home
the prodigal son who has wandered far.
He is the father who prepares a meal
when others would simply ignore.
I don't know what his obsession
was with me.
He would call all hours of the night
asking me to invest.
I have little to my name.
A few cows maybe.
This might be a lot to take in,
but someones got to...
Someone's got to tell you.
Your father wasn't completely there.
His roof wasn't nailed tight.
I'm sitting in my room
with a single bed.
My room's just below the deck with
a view overlooking the water.
Boats like ours, go up and down
the river, all hours of the day.
We hear their horns early in the
morning before the sun even rises.
Along the river,
there's a few old factories that
chug out smoke
in the middle of the night,
so nobody can see it.
But I can see it.
I couldn't do it.
It's alright.