The Year of the Dog (2022) Movie Script
1
[Matt Sighs]
[Matt]
Withdrawal is like dying
and rebirth happening at once.
[muffled high-pitched ringing]
[Matt]
But with no family
to lovingly send you off
or to greet you with big smiles
and open arms,
-a drinker like me...
-[groans]
[dramatic music]
[Matt]
...is always alone.
[calm music]
There was no garden
when I was a child
So I learned what was edible
from the toxic and wild
Now I sow seeds
Now I pull weeds
Now I pay tithes
-Though the Lord prefers
my brother's
-[beeping]
No one's good at love
except for babies
[horn honking]
[Fred]
Matt, Matt get in.
-[Matt groans]
-[Fred] Look like you could use
a cup of coffee, huh?
-[Matt] I could use a beer.
-[tires screeching]
It was a joke, you literal
prick, it was a joke.
It's a, it's a seatbelt.
Yeah, I know what it is.
[sighs] Thanks, Papa Fred.
[sighs]
-Nice.
-Onward, valet. Onward.
[Fred]
Tell me about your,
your big plan.
Punching a bartender, huh?
-Worked, didn't it? It worked.
-Oh.
Oh, 48 hours, Matt. That's it.
Ye-- you, you don't have
no room to get cocky here.
Why are you mocking that?
-[scoffs]
-How am I being cocky?
Come on, Matt.
One day at a time,
one minute at a time,
one second at a time.
Shoot, this car don't move
until the metal's in the groove.
[somber music]
I need you to understand
that this is, this is the time.
-There might not be
another chance.
-No chance.
-Why?
-Because your plans
don't work for me.
They would
if you commit to them.
I've had 20 successful
sponsees, man.
-Twenty.
-I know that because
you've mentioned it a lot.
Go home now
and you'll be drunk in an hour.
Dude, stop.
Or dead in a month.
What the, happened to all
that positive self-talk
you were so good at?
[sighs]
Okay, Matt. What's your plan?
Step one, get sober.
Check.
Step two,
I will finish the hutch.
I'll start that tomorrow.
And then step three, um,
I will stay sober...
...for 30 days...
[scoffs] ...so that I can see
my mom, uh...
...before she dies.
Matt, I'm, I'm sorry.
I didn't know it was that bad.
Listen, listen, I've,
I've got that cabin.
-That little cabin
next to our house.
-Yeah.
-You know the one
I'm talking about, right?
-I do.
-Yeah.
-Why don't you come out there
and finish the hutch?
Rachael's not even there.
She's,
she's back East with family,
all right? She's, uh...
I don't wanna live on a farm.
[sighs]
It's not a, it's not a farm.
What do you mean, "It's not
a farm?" You have chickens.
Matt, sobriety is something
that you can't do on your own.
Sobriety is something
that I have to do on my own.
[Fred sighs]
Matt, think big picture.
I am.
I am, I'm just thinking
differently than you.
[Matt sniffing]
[somber music]
[breathing heavily]
[groans softly]
Oh.
[sighs]
[Matt's Mom]
Dear Matt,
well, the doctors finally
hit their last option.
They moved me to hospice.
It's not so bad,
there's a TV in my room.
I haven't seen you in 15 years,
and you'd think by now
I'd give up on my stubbornness
because the idea
of not seeing you
before I kick the bucket
hurts more than all
the surgeries combined.
But I'm holding on
to what I can hold onto,
my final dream.
Get sober
and come say goodbye.
I love you.
Mom.
[calm music]
-[Matt exhales]
-[dog barking]
[Matt sniffles, sighs]
[exhales]
[exhales]
[Matt breathing heavily]
We're doing this.
Yeah, Matt.
-Thirty days.
-Thirty days.
Thirty days.
-[exhales]
-We're gonna talk about
that ugly hat you're wearing.
Deal.
[Matt]
My whole life...
...unable to rest...
...in pursuit of some
unavowed dream...
...masked in this insane
compulsive desire to self-bleed.
Multiple vices brought my way,
but not the kind that
takes one's breath away,
but the kind that tears
one's self away.
-[knocking at door]
-[roosters crowing]
[Fred]
Let's get after it.
Morning, morning.
Uh, uh, morning, oh, Oh.
[Fred]
Did I disturb you?
[scoffs] No, no,
the knock did. Okay.
-[sighs]
-Some leftover benzos.
-Oh, thanks man.
-I got plenty of coffee
in the truck.
[burps, groans] I don't really
feel like hearing how big
a piece of shit I am,
right now,
to be honest with you.
[groans]
Matt, I get it,
you don't like meetings.
Yeah.
I need you to show up.
[sighs]
It's a reasonable request.
-Yeah, yeah, yeah, it is.
-[footsteps receding]
-[door closing]
-It's a reasonable request.
[dog barking]
[horn honking]
All right, I'll pick you up.
-[Matt] Wait,
you're not coming in?
-I already went.
-That figures.
-All right.
-I got a favor to ask you, man.
-What's that?
I'd like to ask you
not to wear that hat.
Uh, what do you mean?
-I'm Lakota.
-I know.
So basically you're a walking
billboard for a stereotype
about native people.
Matt, we're not Braves
or Redskins,
or-- we're not even Indians.
-We're real people just--
-I, I know.
Just wear this instead, please.
This hat is symbolic of
real players,
and real people,
and a real team
that was part of my childhood.
I'm not, it's not a, a,
a racist thing.
All right. Imagine you're a,
you're a kid...
-Yeah.
-...off the reservation, and
you, and, and you come to a game
and you idolize these people
and you want to be
a professional baseball player,
and, and, and you get there
and, and you see people,
adults, dressed up like,
like what they think...
you're supposed to look like.
What they think, in their mind,
an "Indian" looks like,
and, and, and they're going
[Fred vocalizing]
act-- acting like idiots.
That affects us.
Like I, I'm not saying
that that's great,
I don't get how
it affects you though.
That affects my self-esteem.
That affects
these kids' self-esteem.
I'm not a mascot.
I'm not a goofy cartoon
or a, or a chant,
or, or, we don't do
the Tomahawk chop.
That makes a difference
in how we feel about ourself,
that affects kids' self-esteem.
Okay.
-Thank you.
-Yep, yep.
You win, you win.
[sighs]
Uh, are you picking me up after?
I'll be here.
-Thanks, man.
-I got you.
My father was a violent man.
He was a marine...
...sniper scout,
Pacific Theater during
World War II.
He took Iwo Jima, Saipan,
Tinian, Roi-Namur,
and the Marianas.
And...
...he had this hair trigger
temper when he drank...
...and God forbid,
you were in his line of fire,
'cause that wasn't
gonna be a good day.
When I was a boy,
I had this dog named Caesar...
...and he was my buddy,
you know, my pal.
In a scary world,
he was like my champion.
And then, uh, one day my dad...
...just went into one
of his c.#00ff00ragers/c and...
I was sitting there
with Caesar petting him.
And... he beelines it
right at us, you know?
And I thought, "Oh, he's going,
he's gonna lay into me, man."
And then, you know,
with one hit...
...he snapped his spine in half.
I'll never forget
the sound he made...
...'cause I, I knew that was it,
and he was dying.
So, I put my head...
against his chest and pet him.
You know, that... [exhales]
was the only thing I could do.
I've done a lot
of forgiving since then,
I'm gonna tell you
that was a hard one.
[people sighing]
-[man 1] All right.
-[man 2] That was tough, man.
[indistinct talk]
You know, the pulls are
a great community event.
-Meet a lot of good people.
-What are they?
Uh, dog pulls,
train your sled dogs?
So, like mushing and all that?
Yeah, something like that.
It's kind of tough being
the new guy in the group, huh?
[scoffs softly]
It was tough for me too
in the beginning,
but you know, I kind of
stick out around here.
Why? Because you don't drink?
Well, no, I, I'm a guest
from Al-Anon.
So, you're fine.
Well, not fine, but you know,
alcoholism, it's,
it's a family disease.
Not if they're not around.
Listen, I'm in Al-Anon
and I give my number out,
so you know,
if you're interested...
No, I'm good.
All right, well,
I'll let you get back to it
and, uh, it's great meeting you.
[peaceful music]
[Matt breathing heavily]
[groans softly]
[sighs]
[chickens clucking loudly]
[roosters crowing]
[chickens clucking louder]
[peaceful music]
-I need this.
-He's a stray.
So am I, and look
how much you like me.
You remember Kevin,
you remember Kevin?
He asked his sponsor
for a little job,
and, and his sponsor sent him
out to the garden
to pick some dandelions,
just a little bit
of light weeding.
He marches through the river,
over the woods,
catches the bus one hour
one way just to drink.
-Sorry, what does that have
to do with me?
-Stress, Matt.
Stress. This dog is stress.
-You don't need
stress right now.
-I'm not asking permission.
-This is my house, man.
-Then I will leave your house.
Do you see what you're doing?
Do you even hear what
you're doing right now?
Matt, if I let him stay
and things go wrong,
you have your excuse, and if...
-I'm listening.
-...if I stand my ground...
...you have your excuse.
He was licking chickens.
-[dog sneezes]
-That's not cute.
That's brain damage.
-[dog sneezes]
-Hmm.
-See?
-Bless you. [chuckles]
That's how
he protests absurdity.
After my dad died...
...my Newfoundland that I had,
his name was Basil...
...was how that I knew
that my world had not ended.
And when he died, the care
that had been in my home
was completely gone.
So, I would scrape my knee
and it wasn't,
"Hey, are you okay?"
It was, "Put a band aid on it
and move on."
I need this.
[sighs]
How about we give it a week?
-One week, Matt.
-Deal.
There's one problem.
[sighs] What now?
[chuckles softly]
We have to name him.
This, this is your new dog.
You pick.
Okay. Yup'ik.
-[chuckles] Oh, Matt.
-Yeah, yeah.
-Really?
-Yeah, really.
It's a great name,
you named him.
It's great. It's great.
Heartfelt.
-[Matt chuckles]
-[Yup'ik sneezes]
That's right. You know,
you know the smells.
[peaceful music]
[Yup'ik whining]
-[Yup'ik barks]
-[Matt] Shut up!
[Yup'ik whining]
-[Yup'ik barks]
-Shut up, shut up. Shut up,
shut up, shut up.
-[Matt groans]
-[Yup'ik whining]
[yelps]
[gentle acoustic music]
I don't wanna count
All the times
I've been punched in the face
At least you're housebroken.
I remember the special ones
-Come on, let's go.
-It was armistice day
Yup'ik, let's go.
-Hey.
-I don't care to recall
All the reasons
I had it coming
I'd never call karma a bitch
But call is a woman
Yeah, yeah. Hey, hey.
And I don't long to list
All the names
I've whispered in bed
It's like rattling off
deities
The words become
hollow and dead
And I don't count vendettas
Towards treacherous
partners in crime
I try to measure the value
[Matt]
I blame my mom for the way
she shut down after my dad died,
-[Yup'ik barking]
-The truth was somehow
too straight forward.
He crashed into a tree
on his way to work.
Broad daylight, no alcohol,
no other cars involved.
[Yup'ik barking]
I don't like feeling
vulnerable
[Yup'ik barks]
[distant beeping]
[thuds]
[Yup'ik barking]
Hmm.
-[Fred] Hey, how is
it coming along?
-Great.
It's real great,
real great, real great.
-You're not gonna take him
with you?
-Nope.
[Fred]
Well, he's your dog,
you can't just leave him.
What do you want from me?
I want you to take him with you.
Fine, I'll take him with me
and leave him for the cougars.
Great? Great, great.
["Wish I Were Blind"
by The Xray Eyes]
Wish I were blind
Might have to find
some guide light in my life
[exhales]
-If I were blind
-[sighs]
Wouldn't have to close
my eyes when...
Yup'ik!
You're on your own asshole!
I spent four years behind
the wheel of a Chevy sedan
Highways and dirt roads
I've been down every one
And all that I've learned
Is your left arm gets tan
If you drive in the sun
And then you get burned
Wish I were blind
Wouldn't have to stay
inside all the time
If I were blind
Wouldn't have
to close my eyes
When I go outside
just to get by
See projections of faces
on faces like cataract screens
Like composite sketches
of criminals
Memories inked
from prejudice drawn
[Matt breathing heavily]
Hey, you all right? Good.
All right, here, go ahead,
go ahead, go ahead.
Go ahead, go ahead, okay.
Good, yeah, yeah, good, good.
[breaks squeak]
-[Julie] Hey.
-Hey.
I have a package for Fred.
Uh, yeah, I'll sign
for it. Uh...
-You can sign here.
-Great, oh.
Wow, you guys got
dumped on out here.
-Yeah, yeah it's Montana. It'll
probably be gone tomorrow with.
-[chuckles]
-Oh, I love your husky.
-Uh, he's a pound puppy.
[both laugh]
He's an Alaskan Husky
with some Siberian in him.
-[Julie chuckles]
-Seriously?
Yep, third generation
dog musher right here.
People still do that?
Well, sure I mean,
I don't anymore,
but there are a lot of them
out there.
-Yeah.
-Well, huskies can look
kind of muddy
'cause they're not really
a "breed" breed,
but they're
kind of a special dog,
bred for power, speed,
and endurance.
-Not for looks. Right?
-[chuckles]
-Definitely not.
-Yeah.
But this guy's an epic athlete.
-Wait.
-Um, what's the name?
Uh, Yup'ik.
-Yeah.
-Your name is Yup'ik?
-No, I'm Matt, he's Yup'ik.
-Oh. [chuckles softly]
I, what kind of parent would
name a kid Yup'ik, right?
Yeah, that's a good question,
Uh, I'm Julie.
-Hi.
-They're great sled dogs,
but they're also,
they love to pull.
There's nothing in the world
an Alaskan Husky loves
more than pulling.
I, I don't know. Is that what
those signs are around town with
like the... big prize money...
-Yeah. Oh.
-...thing?
Where are you from?
Uh, I grew up
in Whitefish mostly...
-and then I was in, uh,
Glendive for a bit...
-Hmm.
-...and Miles City.
-Yeah, fancy boy. [chuckles]
Yeah that's, that's me,
that's me.
Um... well, hey, I, I gotta go.
Hey, uh, what do I do,
uh, if I want to have him
pull like you're saying?
Uh, harness him up.
I don't, actually--
Uh, what does that mean?
It means fancy boy,
put a harness on him.
Uh, I work at Murdochs
this weekend. Come by.
I'll hook this guy up.
Okay.
[gentle music]
All right. Come on,
we'll try this. All right.
Okay, okay.
What's happening here?
[mumbling]
So we, like this.
Come on, come on,
come on, you're good.
I'm just gonna take
this off of you.
[sighs]
[sighs]
Okay, ready, okay?
Good boy, it's okay, it's okay.
Yeah, here we go, here we go.
Good job. Here we go.
[barking]
["History of the Night Lamp"
by William Stafford]
They tracked her
from the sea
Cut her open on the beach
A rich man boiled
her body fat
A poor man ate her meat
Adventure and the industry
The best part of a century
Were not for
new technologies
The whales would be extinct
And it was all for the light
To read the bible at night
Or to learn a piece of music
In the parlor...
-[Fred] More weight!
-[barks, yelps]
-Come here.
-Come on, Yup'ik.
[barking]
-[Fred] Come on.
-[Matt] Atta boy.
[dramatic music]
-[yelps]
-[Fred] What was that?
He almost pulled it.
-Wow, good job. Good job,
good job buddy.
-What? Good boy!
-Ugh. [laughs]
-Good Yup'ik, yeah, yeah.
Are you getting cold?
Hm? Are you getting cold?
-Matt, the parking brake was on.
-Wait, what?
The parking break was on.
No. What, what, what?
[people cheering]
[people in the crowd]
Yeah! Woo-hoo.
[calm music]
[toy squeaking]
Okay, yeah, we--
Sorry, we can't afford it buddy.
-[Julie] Let's see.
-[objects thud softly]
-[electronic beeping]
-[printer clanking]
[Julie]
Yup'ik!
[gaps] You made it.
I'm gonna give you a treat.
I just need to ask you
about the, the dog pulling.
-Weight pulling. Uh...
-Weight pulling.
...mushing's more my specialty,
but you should talk to this guy.
He's the best.
He, his dogs are legend,
and he's lived here a long time.
A native guy from Alaska.
-Okay.
-Uh, he's got
really good stories.
-You should ask him
about Nugget.
-Nugget, okay, Nugget.
Did you hook him up?
-[sighs] Yeah.
-I told you.
-Right.
-Hey also, the weight pull's
just outside.
Um, give it a go. If he pulls
weight, you qualify for state.
-Cash or card?
-Uh, let's do card please.
Also, uh, make sure that you mix
it with water when you feed him,
it prevents bloat.
[Matt]
Okay.
Yeah.
Your total is $71.37.
Okay.
[electronic beeping]
[beeping]
I'm sorry. It didn't go through.
Just gimme my card back,
it's, it's like an old card.
I think the stripe
is actually bad on it.
-How much do you have?
-I have money,
I'm just finishing up
a project right now, so...
Mm, 42 bucks, perfect.
I told you I'd hook you up.
Don't worry about it,
employee discount.
Um, gimme Greg's card.
I can show you our dogs.
I've just been out
of the game a while.
[somber music]
[mumbles]
Good boy.
I'm sorry, we're finished.
Uh, can I just
get my dog out there?
-Come to our next pull.
-Wh-- when is that?
[Rick]
Qualifier's in Butte next week.
Could we just practice?
[sighs] Not today.
You're taking this kind
of seriously, aren't you?
I am?
Yeah, I'm just asking
to see what my dog can do.
I'll spare you the suspense.
-Excuse me?
-It's a little dog. [laughs]
[mumbles] c.#00ff00I'm sorry./c
-Greg said I should stop by.
-Greg sent you?
-Yeah, Greg Peters.
-Mm-hmm.
Hey,Greg-ums, guy here
says you sent him over.
-Hey, Matt, right?
-Yeah.
-[Greg] Good to see you again.
-[Matt] Yeah, you too.
Yeah, I think he's worth
checking out.
-[scoffs] He ever pulled?
-Sure.
Yeah, he's young.
He's got feet like clown shoes.
-Let's get a rig on him,
see what he can do.
-Are you serious?
[Rick laughs]
All right, make sure it's snug.
[Rick]
We had a big malamute in there
last run of the day.
Sampson, you may have seen him.
Your dog's a little smaller.
-It's funny, that's,
that's real funny, yeah.
-[Rick laughs]
-So what'd you name him?
-Uh, his name's Yup'ik.
-Really?
-[Matt] Hey, come here, here.
And how'd you come about that?
That's kind of a joke.
I gotta see this,
don't wanna jinx the next pull.
Uh, he's superstitious.
Into the Zodiac
and stuff like that.
[Matt]
Yeah, that seems
pretty on brand for him.
[Greg]
Come on, Yup'ik.
Come on, come on. Go, go, go.
Hey Greg, just so this
kid doesn't kill his dog,
we should probably take
the weight down a little bit.
How much is on there?
Uh, Sampson's original 2100.
Oh, let's knock it down to 500,
just to give him a feel for it.
Yeah, well he almost
pulled a car earlier.
-Yeah?
-[Matt] Yeah.
You never set your dog
up to fail, it shames him.
This guy's a total amateur.
We were all amateurs once.
That trust is a difficult
thing to earn back.
Yeah, and I know something
about that.
Oh, okay.
-Yeah.
-Well, here's how it works,
Each of those bricks
is 50 pounds.
After each successful pull,
the weight goes up 100 pounds.
You are starting at 2100 pounds.
All right?
-[Matt] Okay.
-So you're gonna go down to the
end of the lane, that's 16 feet.
Your time starts when you call
your dog or when your dog makes
a move off the line.
-Thirty seconds for him to get--
-You've got 30 seconds to get
the front of the sled
-across that line.
-[Matt] Okay, got it.
You're on, Sparky.
Okay. Yup'ik, come.
You're right.
He's really strong.
-[laughs]
-Prick.
[sighs]
Yup'ik, come.
He's not interested.
The dog just won't listen, man.
Yup'ik, not "the dog".
"Not the dog,"
does that really matter?
Yes. When you call Yup'ik,
mean it.
I do mean it.
Remember a time
when you had fun with him.
-Remember a time
when I had fun with him?
-[Greg] Yes.
Breathe into that,
it's very simple.
[peaceful music]
Stay in that place.
[Greg]
When you're ready, call him.
Yup'ik, come.
-Wait, wait, wait, wait.
-When he puts his head
down, you leave him.
[Matt]
Wh-- Sorry, why are you
yelling at me?
Because you are a moron.
[Matt]
You work at a doggy
weight pull, man.
How often do you think
your wife brags about you?
-[Yup'ik whimpers]
-Oh, yeah?
[barks]
[sled dragging]
Oh shit. Quick, quick, come,
come, yep, good, good.
Nine seconds.
-Not bad.
-Yeah.
Yeah, you know?
Hey, so, I, I just wanted to say
that I'm going through kind of
a, a rough patch.
Yeah, I get it.
Yeah, look...
...bring this with you
to the qualifier.
It'll get you in for free.
It's got my name on it.
Right, so you think
he can qualify?
I wouldn't get too excited
just 'cause you got him
to cross the line once,
doesn't mean you can
do it again. [scoffs]
Good luck, champ.
Matthew...
...Yup'ik is a very
special name.
It's a Yup'ik word,
spelled Y-U-P-I-K,
and it's sacred.
He's a sensitive dog...
...and you will have
to become sensitive, too.
Lean into that connection, okay?
You're doing a good job.
Okay, Yup'ik come.
I thought we had a deal,
I lean in and you respond.
[sighs]
What's the problem?
[soft whimper]
I'm sorry
about the car earlier, okay?
I didn't mean
to shame you with it.
[barks]
[singing]
I met you
[guitar music playing]
And everything changed
The crazy fighting
Never in vain
Just two
Lost souls
Running from pain
[music fades]
[humming]
[sighs]
[humming]
So, you wanna make sure
and make eye contact with him.
And go very slowly.
Make sure that
he's following the treat.
[chuckles softly]
-Okay, you try.
-Okay.
-So, I make eye contact.
-With Yup'ik.
With Yup'ik, right,
right, and go slowly.
Yes.
Okay, slow.
[peaceful music]
Okay, just toss it to him now.
Just toss it to him?
Yeah, just pop it up in the air.
Just pop it up in the air,
all right.
-What if I hit him?
-He'll catch it. It's a treat.
[cheerful flute music]
[church bell tolls]
[water gushing]
So, just like baseball,
it's all about the fundamentals.
So, sit.
[upbeat instrumental music]
The path that can be spoken
is not the eternal path
The way they can be named
is not the eternal way
Don't call no, not, don't
None can show
how to stay the way
Trouble follow thought
Like a cart follow ox
Off path in the bramble
Subtle is the walk
You cut your foot and curse
It hurts
I know
But there is a better place
To put your other foot
Step forward and continue
The strength is within you
If you need to borrow shoes
I've got a pair
I could lend you
They probably won't fit you
And you need to go
your own way
I'm coming with you 'cause
I'm feeling kind of feng shui
Don't call, no, not, don't
None can show
how to stay the way
Now is the time of power
[somber music]
[breathing heavily]
Dang, how much bacon can he eat?
I'm pretty sure he's bottomless.
So, you all race ready?
About as ready we're ever
gonna be, I guess. [laughs]
[Fred sighs]
[sighs]
[sighs]
[breathing heavily]
[melancholic music]
[dogs barking]
[Matt]
Wait, your mom was a musher?
She trained
with Susan Butcher for years.
I don't know who that is.
It's just a four time
Iditarod winner.
-She's pretty.
-Well, that's where I get it.
-What's with the hat?
-It's called an ushanka,
and it's Prada for mushers.
Do you have one?
Nah, it's for serious mushers.
And, and you're not
a serious musher?
I love it. I don't know,
it, it's kind of my mom's
thing, hard to live up to.
Well, yeah,
especially without a...
-...u-- [clears throat] U--
-Ushanka.
Ushanka, ushanka, okay.
What about your dad?
[sighs]
Carpenter, technically.
Which is a noble profession.
[sighs] In my dad's case,
he was mostly an unemployed
and resentful house husband.
My mom had this dream and
she was living it and he didn't.
He did manage to keep
the dogs alive though.
I'd come out here
occasionally to help out.
So, that's my sob story,
what about you?
How many days sober?
I can be a bit much.
Yeah, I don't really
like to talk about it.
You got it.
[sighs deeply]
So, I was thinking
I'd like to take you
and Yup'ik dog sledding.
I think you'd love it.
[sighs]
-Um...
-If not, I understand.
I appreciate your help
with him so far.
Like, really.
-I'm not--
-Hey, this doesn't have
to be a thing.
Thought you could use a friend.
It's just a dog sled ride.
[Fred]
Hola, amigo.
Dang, the hutch's looking
pretty good.
Yeah, she's coming along,
coming along.
Got you something.
-What's this?
-Just a small,
-small present.
-Got me a bowling ball?
-It's a necklace.
-Yes. [laughs]
-Heavy.
-It's a sweater.
[chuckles] You opened it?
I had to, man,
I had to look at it.
A sweater, it's a sweater.
Whoa, whoa, whoa.
-[Matt sniffles]
-[Fred] Two days away.
It makes no damn sense to me
why they're your favorite team.
-I think I got the font
as close as I could get it.
-[chuckles]
We didn't have
a team in Montana...
...and my dad loved them.
And it was my thing with him.
-Whew.
-That's why, huh? Your dad.
-Okay, now I understand.
-Oh.
I just couldn't put the team
name on there 'cause I--
-Well, you know.
-I know. I do know.
-But I got a baseball on there.
That's the symbol.
-[laughs]
That relationship between
you and your dad, Matt,
-that's what's important.
-Yeah.
I just don't wanna miss
the chance to get it to you
before the big race.
[indistinct crowd chatter]
I'd like to register
my dog, please.
You have to have
your pull dog with you.
Can I just have my bib please?
-[Tina] You're quite rude.
-It's okay, Tina,
he's an acquired taste.
[Tina]
Yeah, some people
just weren't raised right.
You have a problem
with authority, kid.
Come on, let's go.
[dogs barking]
-[Matt] Hey. Hey.
-[bystander] Hey,
rat pull's next week, bud.
Rat pull's in your pants, buddy.
Crowd can get a little rowdy
at these things,
don't take it personal.
Let's get one thing straight...
-Mm.
-...I don't need your help.
Oh, whatever you say.
Here, here, here.
-Number?
-Uh, 88.
-You're up next.
-Okay.
Eighty-eight. It's a lucky
number, astrologically.
The stars are
in your favor, pal.
Stop, stop, stop. I can't
do this zodiac astrological
bullshit, okay?
I'm trying to concentrate and
you're just yapping in my ear.
Accept the help or don't,
but stop complaining.
You sound like a little bitch.
[sighs]
[gentle music]
[announcer]
Our defending champion,
weighing in at a robust
-One hundred
and forty-two pounds.
-[crowd cheering] Yeah.
Malamute, Alaskan freight dog.
He has size, heart, pure will.
That's your competition.
He's won state the last three
years and beat last year's
national record.
-You're up.
-Okay, Yup'ik, come on.
Come on.
Dog goes on the scale, not you.
[Matt]
Hey, get up here, come on.
[crowd laughing]
Next up, we have Yup'ik
weighing in at
a svelte, featherweight
44 pounds.
[crowd laughing and cheering]
All right, guys,
thank you all for coming.
We got a really
quick event today.
Each dog has 30 seconds
to pull 1500 pounds
across the line.
Cross the line,
they qualify for state.
[crowd cheering]
[bystander 1]
Come on, Sampson.
[bystander 2]
Sampson, let's go, let's go.
[crowd cheering]
[upbeat music]
[bystander 2]
You got this, come on!
Sampson, hey, come on.
[bystander 2]
Let's go, let's go.
[crowd cheering]
That's seven seconds,
that's a new qualifying record.
[owner]
Come on, good boy, good boy.
You may die along the road
Yes, you may die
along the road
To the tower you could go
Not many gonna make
it through those woods
-Not many gonna make it
Through those woods
-[dog whimpers]
[crowd cheering]
[crowd]
Yeah! Woo.
Nope, they died
Along the road
They all die along the road
You, too, may die
along the road
Yup'ik, Yup'ik, come, come here.
Yup'ik, come here.
Yup'ik, come.
Yup'ik.
[Yup'ik whimpers]
[sighs]
[dramatic music]
[clears throat softly]
Ah, Yup'ik, come.
Come. Ah!
Come! Come!
You do that shit at state,
I'm gonna kick your ass.
So, we're not gonna
be carpooling together,
is that what you're saying?
Hey.
[weight pull supervisor]
That was disgusting.
-Another lecture, okay.
-The-- Hmm,
-the only reason
you're not disqualified...
-Mm-hmm.
-Hmm-mm.
-...is 'cause your friend was
going around telling everyone
how stupid you are,
and I happen to agree with him.
Pull that at state
and you're disqualified.
-Great.
-[phone ringing]
[Matt's Mom]
Hi, it's me, leave a message.
[Matt]
Hey, Mom, it's Matt. Um,
What do you say after 15 years?
[chuckles] Oh.
I made it.
I'd like to see you. Uh...
Oh, uh, call me back?
[exhales]
Good, good, good.
Stay here, stay here.
-Hey, hey.
-[phone ringing]
-Hi, this is Matt.
-[Denise] Hi Matt, I'm Denise,
I'm one of your mom's
hospice nurses.
-Hey, champ--
-Hey, did you get a letter
from my mom?
Um...
-...oh, uh, yeah. Hey.
-Where is it?
-Where is it? Where is it?
-Sit down!
-Sit down.
-Get your hands off me.
I've had enough of this.
-Get your ass down.
-So have I.
-Where, oh, fuck, where is it?
-[bottles clinking]
-Where is it?
-It's on top of the hutch.
[breathing heavily]
You're so close
to 30 days, Matt.
[crying]
I understand why you're upset.
And it's just that
you were doing so, so good.
I asked you to be my sponsor,
because you had a willpower
that I didn't have
And I trusted you man.
And I shouldn't have,
because you are scared shitless
of being out of control.
And you lied to me.
And for as long as
I've known you,
you have taken the easy way out.
Hey, that's what makes these
last 30 days so exceptional.
There's no shortcuts
to sobriety, Matt,
'cause believe me,
you would've found them by now.
Your mom's death
isn't your fault.
[sniffles]
And where's your wife, Fred?
No, don't do this.
You talk about your life
like it's Eden.
So where is she?
Did she leave you for some
guy who'd let her choose
what day of the week she wanted
to wash her underwear?
You keep talking to me like
this, you can't stay here.
We'll be gone tomorrow.
Great.
Great.
[door slamming]
[sniffles]
[wind buffeting]
Fuck. Get in there.
[Yup'ik whimpers]
[exhales]
-[Matt] Come here, come.
-[taps on floor]
[door knocking]
Surprise!
Fred invited me for pizza.
I thought, well,
we thought we'd celebrate.
I get that you're lonely,
but I don't want this.
What is it
that you don't want, Matt?
My friendship,
a human connection,
this card that I brought?
-Let's be specific.
-I don't want any of it.
I'm going through shit
right now.
I don't have anybody.
I just drove an hour here
to celebrate with you.
Get out.
Get out.
[Yup'ik whimpering]
Matt, Matt, I think
something's wrong.
Get out.
-Seriously.
-[shouts] Seriously, get out!
[sighs]
[melancholic music]
[breathing heavily]
[loud thud]
-[screaming]
-[glass shattering]
[wood crunching]
[grunting]
[melancholic music continues]
[doorbell rings]
[sniffles] Hey.
[exhales]
[exhaling sharply]
[somber music]
[Matt]
When I was ten,
a storm destroyed our deck.
And my dad was excited.
He couldn't wait to tear it out
and rebuild the damn thing.
He made me get up early
for weeks to help him,
he was even whistling
while we worked.
Man, I was so mad at him
for being so cheerful
about building the stupid deck.
I hated every hammer swing
and every nail
and every board we replaced.
We finished on a Sunday right
before he got paged into work,
and I was mad about that too,
him leaving.
And I hated that beeper noise.
And that was the last time
I saw him.
[somber music]
It's ruined.
No, Matt,
nothing's beyond repair.
[breathes deeply]
[exhales]
Um, so, this is
a peace offering.
[Yup'ik whimpering]
Here.
[low dramatic music]
[heart monitor beeping]
-[Matt exhales]
-[Yup'ik whimpers softly]
-He's gonna be okay, right?
-[vet 1] We're gonna do
everything we can for him.
[Yup'ik whimpering]
[vet 2]
Well, it's not the antifreeze.
Wait what? So,
so what's wrong with him?
[vet 2]
We're unsure at this time,
but as soon as we
can figure it out,
we'll let you guys know.
[electronic beeping]
[Fred sniffles]
You were right.
You needed him.
I'd give anything
to have the fun you two do.
[sniffles] He's my buddy, man,
he's my buddy.
[sighs heavily]
Matt, I need to tell you
something.
I don't know, know if I can
do another talk right now.
[exhales] I need this.
Okay.
[sighs]
[sobs softly]
[exhales] Matt, I drank.
That's why Rachael
went to her sister's.
Thank you for telling me.
Matt, I don't wanna
be your sponsor anymore.
Oh.
I just wanna be your friend.
I, I could use both.
It's gonna be a while,
we need you to go home.
[Matt]
I, I would like to stay here.
Go home and get some rest,
we'll call you
as soon as he's up.
Let's go get some coffee.
I, I can't believe this,
but I want to go somewhere else.
Uh, I'm Matt,
and I'm an alcoholic.
-[crowd] Hey, Matt.
-Hey.
About a month ago after, uh,
a short bender, um...
[exhales]
...I, uh, found out
[clears throat]
from a doctor that
I was throwing up my stomach.
And that if I didn't stop
drinking, I would die.
I went from the appointment
to the bar...
[scoffs]
...uh, ready to drink
the place dry.
A couple of drinks in,
I opened up a letter that...
...I had received that day,
and I found out that my mom...
...was going into hospice.
She'd refused to see me
until I was 30 days sober,
um, it'd been 15 years.
So, I, uh, really smartly, um,
decided to punch a bartender...
...so I could get thrown into
jail, um, 'cause I know that,
knew that that's the only chance
I had [clears throat]...
... to get sober.
That was my sobriety plan.
After my, uh,
after my dad had died,
I had a teacher who encouraged
me to write poetry
as a way to process my feelings.
So I'm gonna read
something I wrote.
Um, [sniffles] I'm not really
good at this kind of thing.
Um, it's called Broken Soul.
[somber music]
"My whole life, unable to rest,
in pursuit of some
unavowed dream,
masked in this insane
compulsive desire to self-bleed.
Multiple vices brought my way,
but not the kind that
takes one's breath away,
but the kind that tears
one's self away." [sniffles]
"My dad died and left me with
no life coming through my eyes
and my mom's gone now too.
In those moments
when I realize this,
my mind goes one way, but then
my body refuses to own it,
and my insides are rupturing
on the brink about to explode."
[sniffles]
"But it's not what you think.
It's pain and it's old.
A broken heart in a broken soul,
trying to escape." [sniffles]
"But my mind's a square peg
and my body's a round hole.
If I had a broken bone
or something visible,
I think people
would be less critical.
But you have a broken spirit
and the support, it's minimal.
And now I see the illusion,
an unexpected sunrise
unraveled the confusion.
Wholeness happens in a flash
and it's not extraordinary
because it lasts.
The beauty,
lives in that moment of
accepting the past is the past."
[somber music]
[crowd]
Thanks, Matt. Thanks, Matt.
[quietly]
Thanks, Matt.
[breathing deeply]
[hopeful music]
[Matt quietly]
Hey, how are you?
You're okay.
-[Yup'ik whimpers]
-It's okay.
It's okay, it's okay,
it's okay.
Yeah, it's okay.
Uh, ooh, it's okay,
it's okay. Oh.
Oh, buddy.
All right, let's get
the patient over here.
See what we're working with.
Come here. [tutting]
Yeah, that's it, come here.
Come here. You know me.
Come here. Come on.
Hi.
-See what we got here.
-Yeah.
Whoa, buddy, what kind of voodoo
doctor put this together?
[Yup'ik whimpers softly]
I mean, it was the best
I could do.
-You did this?
-Yeah.
-Wow.
-Yeah.
Okay.
Yeah, I'll show you
what we got here.
-What is that?
-It's the real deal, buddy.
-Yup'ik version
of Neosporin and--
-Looks like pomade.
-Okay.
-Yeah, it's the good stuff, man.
What exactly did the vet say?
Uh, he told me that, uh,
he had gas get into his stomach
and it flipped.
Yeah. That usually happens
to big horses,
and... dogs about his size
and... pull dogs.
But, listen here,
let's get you over here
'cause you need to learn
how to do this.
[peaceful music]
Call him.
And you're sure this is okay?
Yes, he will let you know
what he needs
and what he doesn't need.
Unlike you, he's not conditioned
to hide the way he truly feels.
[quietly]
Okay.
-Yup'ik come.
-Argh.
I need you to be here.
Here. Look around you.
I need you to be here
with the mountains,
be here with the snow.
The relationship between human
being and dog is ancient.
The pathway is there, he's just
waiting for you to use it.
Yup'ik come.
[sighs]
-Here, take this.
-All right.
Ah, see what you just did?
-Oh.
-That is reflex.
I need you to be here.
Be here in this moment
with this.
Now, I'm gonna do it again
at the same tension,
but just go with it.
-Stop staring at the lead,
look at me.
-[chuckles softly]
Just go with it, be here.
Very good.
It needs to be from here.
Everything you do
needs to be from here.
This is what your life
is missing.
Try it again.
[peaceful music]
Yup'ik, come.
Good boy, hi, hi. Good boy.
Okay. That's so good.
Hey... [tutting]
...come here. Come here. Slow,
gentle, gentle, gentle.
You knucklehead.
All right. Yeah, okay. Sit.
Good, good. Okay.
Okay, good. Yeah.
Just watch yourself.
Okay, and what about this?
[peaceful music continues]
[peaceful music continues]
[peaceful music continues]
[Matt grunting]
I'll need your signature.
[Matt]
Hey.
Hey, Yup'ik,
I brought you something.
-Can I give him a treat?
-[Matt] Yeah.
I heard about your mom,
I'm sorry.
Yeah, that was rough, um,
thank you, thank you.
Uh, I'm, uh, sorry.
Um...
I was hurting a lot
and I was so focused on me
and I, I don't know, I, I didn't
listen to you... about the food.
I didn't listen to you
about him.
That night, he got sick.
I just didn't listen
and... I didn't care.
And I went after you.
You know, we're all just trying.
Yeah.
Look...
...I'm sorry that I pushed.
I've never been great
at boundaries.
I, I don't want boundaries.
I, I, I know boundaries
are good for us, but...
...the truth is I don't
know what's good for me.
But I think you are.
And I actually got this
for... you.
For me? Mm.
So, you didn't reply to my text
messages, which is fine, uh,
like I understand. Um,
I needed a way
to apologize in person
and so this was my, my plan.
[chuckles softly]
I thought it might
inspire you in some way.
[peaceful music]
Can I give you a hug?
Definitely.
[Julie]
Mm.
I'm going home for a bit.
-Because you have a ushanka now?
-[laughs]
No, I miss the dogs.
-[chuckles]
-But they'll love my new look.
[both laugh]
Uh, Julie?
Yeah?
If, if...
...if I come out sometime
can we go dog sledding?
Yeah, I'd like that.
Me too, me too.
Yeah, yeah.
[soft knocking]
-What's this?
-It's everything I borrowed.
My one year of community college
included a finance class,
so interest is included.
-Are you gonna have
enough to live off of?
-We'll make it work.
You use this for the pull.
Matt, I don't need it right now.
-I'm not gonna have him pull.
-Why?
He's healed,
I saw him out there.
He is, but I'm not.
And I was reckless with him
before. I was an idiot.
And I'm overwhelmed.
Uh, you know what they say?
One day at a time.
Music to my ears.
The Pull's the day after
the memorial, um anyway, so.
You need support at the service?
We're okay.
[Yup'ik snorts]
My, uh, mom and I had
a complicated relationship,
[grunts softly]
This was the last letter
that she wrote me...
...the day that she passed away.
"Dear Matt...
...I want you to know
it is so hard
to say what I have to say
to you now...
...knowing this may be
my last chance to do so.
I know it is hard for you
to believe...
...but I love you...
...and have always loved you.
I remember
when you were born..."
[sniffles]
"...they brought you to me.
"I looked into your sparkling,
weird little eyes
while I held you
for the first time."
[exhales]
"They were overbrimming
with light and life.
I love that line by
Leonard Cohen, where he says...
...'Ring the bell
that still can ring.
Forget your perfect offering.
There is a crack,
a crack in everything.
That's how the light gets in.'
You and your sister came
to your father and me
miraculously to give us life.
And that will always remain
somewhere where everything
that matters happen."
[exhales]
"Love, Mom."
[paper crinkling]
[sniffles]
[sighs]
[door creaking]
[sighs]
[sighs]
I never wanna do that again.
[laughs]
Well, a tree could fall
or we could have an earthquake.
-And there's no final success,
so you can forget that.
-Dad.
[pager beeping]
Argh, I gotta go to work.
Here's the thing...
...we don't leave things broken.
[sighs]
[peaceful music]
Matty.
[upbeat rock music]
[crowd cheering]
[announcer]
Yes, ladies and gentlemen,
it's our first pull of the day
and it's a great one.
Fifteen hundred pounds from
our pit bull terrier, Sebastian,
let's add on another
hundred pounds.
Dreams will eat away
at your souls
Get off your feet
to get on your knees
Crying for forgiveness
While you won't even see
But I'm optimistic
Well, I'm optimistic
Well, I'm optimistic
[announcer]
Next up, we have Yup'ik,
our very own chihuahua.
[somber music]
[lead clicking]
Ladies and gentlemen,
here we go.
Let's see what
this little guy can do.
Okay, all right.
Come.
Yup'ik, come.
[melancholic orchestral music]
[barks]
[crowd cheering]
Good, good, yeah, yeah,
come, come.
[announcer]
Mighty Mouse has done it, okay.
[upbeat rock music]
[Yup'ik barking]
[crowd cheering]
[crowd cheering]
[muted voice]
Long gone, wild and free
Let's be the ones
who open our own eyes to see
Finally, we need
to save ourselves, yeah
[horn blaring]
I'm optimistic
I'm optimistic, yeah
Well, I'm optimistic
Yes I am, yes we can
[crowd cheering]
[horn blaring]
[crowd cheering, applauding]
[horn blaring]
And it looks like our trio
is down to two.
Up next, we have
the Alaskan Assassin,
the Mighty, Mighty Mouse
coming up.
If he pulls this off,
he will be the first dog
under 50 pounds in our history
to pull off 2,500 pounds.
[energetic music]
[crowd cheering]
[whimsical music]
[crowd cheering]
[barking]
[whimpering softly]
[crowd chanting]
Yup'ik, Yup'ik, Yup'ik, Yup'ik,
Yup'ik, Yup'ik, Yup'ik.
Yup'ik, Yup'ik, Yup'ik, Yup'ik,
Yup'ik, Yup'ik, Yup'ik, Yup'ik.
-Come on.
-[crowd] Yup'ik, Yup'ik, Yup'ik.
[crowd cheering]
[announcer] Okay, we have
Sampson up, attempting
a monstrous 2,600 pounds.
If he succeeds,
this will be the most weight
pulled by a dog
in a competition
in the last two years.
He is attempting to pull
a walrus across the ice, folks.
[crowd cheering]
[Sampson's owner]
Come on Sampson, good boy,
good boy.
[whimpers softly]
[Sampson's owner]
Come on, good boy.
Come on, good boy.
Good boy. Come on, Sampson.
[horn blaring]
[announcer]
I don't believe it folks.
If Toothpick can pull
2,600 pounds,
he will be our new champion
and record holder for the year.
[inspirational music]
[inspirational music continues]
[muted voices]
[muted voice]
Yeah. Yeah.
[Fred]
Yeah, baby!
Ahh!
-Oh.
-Thank you.
-I'm proud of you guys.
-Thanks, man.
Woo-hoo, and you, Yup'ik,
you did so good.
-You did so good.
-He's a little diva now.
So, you gotta be,
you gotta show respect.
You know, when you see him.
-I didn't have a chicken
to lick for him, but--
-Yeah, funny. [laughs]
I'll see you guys
back at the ranch?
Yeah, yeah, we--
It's a farm.
-It's not a farm bro.
-You have chickens, man.
What the fuck?
[exhales]
-So, how does it feel?
-[chuckles]
Uh, pretty hard to describe.
[chuckles]
You know, Yup'ik...
...means "Real person,
one who comes into themselves."
Well, he, uh...
he did that today.
So did you.
Julie, uh, told me to ask you
about Nugget a while ago.
Oh, she did, huh?
Well... Emmett Peters,
his lead dog
in the second Iditarod,
was a Siberian named Nugget.
She was 12 years old,
pregnant, had cancer.
They broke the Iditarod
record by six days.
She was the greatest
sled dog ever.
And Emmett,
that was my grandfather.
Well, Sampson,
that dog you just beat,
he's Nugget's great,
great, great grandson.
That's pretty epic, my friend.
Come on.
Come on.
Let's go.
[chuckles softly]
[Rick]
Matt,
I wanted to catch you
to say congratulations,
in person.
-Yeah.
-I'm sorry for what?
-[scoffs]
-[chuckles]
I, I need to tell you that,
that you were right about me.
-Stop.
-No, you were.
We've all been through
hard times.
We've all needed a break, man.
Yeah, and I also thought you
should know
since you gave me so much shit
for my love of the metaphysical.
-It's weird, man.
-Hey, hey. [chuckles]
I, I just wanted
your ungrateful ass to know
that according
to the Chinese Zodiac,
this is the year of the dog.
Wait, what?
Wait are you serious?
[Matt]
If there is a cure
for addiction,
it is someone you care for
saying, "You're not alone...
...I love you."
The opposite of addiction
is not sobriety.
The opposite of addiction,
and maybe any suffering,
is connection...
...to yourself...
...to a passion...
...to a partner...
...or to a scrawny dog
with a sacred name.
["Real Peach" by Henry Jamison]
Well, nighttime passes
But the dark remains
And I was feelin'
like a little child
But I am loathe
to place blame
On that lioness-esque woman
Who will go here unnamed
She was looking in me
for a lion
When she found it so tame
Oh, oh
On that erstwhile
May morning
I took the six downtown
to Spring
And I was writing
something elegiac
That I never learned to sing
But I think it was this song
Just four years premature
And I remember
crossing out the line
All is fair in love and war
Well, if all is fair
In love and war
Then I don't know
what we are fighting for
'Cause my baby
she's a real peach
Even when the night come
crashin' down
Real peach
And the nighttime rolls away
all right
And we're comin' back to
the demon-killing work of love
My God
Well, nighttime passes
And the dark retreats
I hand it over
to my upper angel
Who visits me in sleep
We're in the field beyond
the right and wrong
And the fallacy of form
Well, you can call it
what you wanna call it
I just say that all is
fair in love and war
Well, if all is fair
In love and war
Then I don't know
what we are fighting for
So, if we don't care
to fight no more
Let's go upstairs
and let's shut the door
'Cause my baby
she's a real peach
Even when the night
come crashing down
Real peach
And the nighttime rolls away
all right
'Cause my baby
she's a real peach
Even when the night
come crashing down
Real peach
And the nighttime rolls away
all right
And we're comin' back to the
demon-killing work of love
My God
Illuminate
And if all is fair
in love and war
Then I don't know...
[man]
Good, this is all in
the realm of fun and games.
[woman]
Sorry, guys, this is
my first time hazing.
[all laugh]
[man]
You did great.
One drunk away from, uh,
-losing that--
-One, one drink,
-one drink away from a drunk.
-What?
-One--
-One drink [laughs]
-One drink away from a drunk.
-[burps]
Oh, excuse me, sorry.
[man]
Uh, why don't you have
a drink with us?
-I'll just...
-No, no, come have a drink.
-That's really a good-looking
dog, like is, is-- yeah.
-Yeah, he's so cute.
-Mm.
-Mm.
-What, wha-- what's his name?
Oh, my God.
-Oh, my God.
-That's a cute dog. My God.
-[chuckles]
-[Matt] It's Yup'ik.
-Yup'ik?
-[Matt] Yeah.
-Like toothpick?
-You pick that yourself?
-[all laughing]
-That's okay, sit.
-[director] Then, he walks off.
-Okay, look now.
-You're so good.
[Fred]
I'll take the plates and,
and if you would like,
-I'll, I'll wrap them up here
and, and, we'll--
-I'll help you clear.
Um, at this time I'd like to...
...offer the podium to anyone
who'd like to come share?
-[crew] Yeah,
lay down in the grass.
-That's so good.
That's so good, you're so good.
You're so good.
Yeah, yeah. I know.
[Matt Sighs]
[Matt]
Withdrawal is like dying
and rebirth happening at once.
[muffled high-pitched ringing]
[Matt]
But with no family
to lovingly send you off
or to greet you with big smiles
and open arms,
-a drinker like me...
-[groans]
[dramatic music]
[Matt]
...is always alone.
[calm music]
There was no garden
when I was a child
So I learned what was edible
from the toxic and wild
Now I sow seeds
Now I pull weeds
Now I pay tithes
-Though the Lord prefers
my brother's
-[beeping]
No one's good at love
except for babies
[horn honking]
[Fred]
Matt, Matt get in.
-[Matt groans]
-[Fred] Look like you could use
a cup of coffee, huh?
-[Matt] I could use a beer.
-[tires screeching]
It was a joke, you literal
prick, it was a joke.
It's a, it's a seatbelt.
Yeah, I know what it is.
[sighs] Thanks, Papa Fred.
[sighs]
-Nice.
-Onward, valet. Onward.
[Fred]
Tell me about your,
your big plan.
Punching a bartender, huh?
-Worked, didn't it? It worked.
-Oh.
Oh, 48 hours, Matt. That's it.
Ye-- you, you don't have
no room to get cocky here.
Why are you mocking that?
-[scoffs]
-How am I being cocky?
Come on, Matt.
One day at a time,
one minute at a time,
one second at a time.
Shoot, this car don't move
until the metal's in the groove.
[somber music]
I need you to understand
that this is, this is the time.
-There might not be
another chance.
-No chance.
-Why?
-Because your plans
don't work for me.
They would
if you commit to them.
I've had 20 successful
sponsees, man.
-Twenty.
-I know that because
you've mentioned it a lot.
Go home now
and you'll be drunk in an hour.
Dude, stop.
Or dead in a month.
What the, happened to all
that positive self-talk
you were so good at?
[sighs]
Okay, Matt. What's your plan?
Step one, get sober.
Check.
Step two,
I will finish the hutch.
I'll start that tomorrow.
And then step three, um,
I will stay sober...
...for 30 days...
[scoffs] ...so that I can see
my mom, uh...
...before she dies.
Matt, I'm, I'm sorry.
I didn't know it was that bad.
Listen, listen, I've,
I've got that cabin.
-That little cabin
next to our house.
-Yeah.
-You know the one
I'm talking about, right?
-I do.
-Yeah.
-Why don't you come out there
and finish the hutch?
Rachael's not even there.
She's,
she's back East with family,
all right? She's, uh...
I don't wanna live on a farm.
[sighs]
It's not a, it's not a farm.
What do you mean, "It's not
a farm?" You have chickens.
Matt, sobriety is something
that you can't do on your own.
Sobriety is something
that I have to do on my own.
[Fred sighs]
Matt, think big picture.
I am.
I am, I'm just thinking
differently than you.
[Matt sniffing]
[somber music]
[breathing heavily]
[groans softly]
Oh.
[sighs]
[Matt's Mom]
Dear Matt,
well, the doctors finally
hit their last option.
They moved me to hospice.
It's not so bad,
there's a TV in my room.
I haven't seen you in 15 years,
and you'd think by now
I'd give up on my stubbornness
because the idea
of not seeing you
before I kick the bucket
hurts more than all
the surgeries combined.
But I'm holding on
to what I can hold onto,
my final dream.
Get sober
and come say goodbye.
I love you.
Mom.
[calm music]
-[Matt exhales]
-[dog barking]
[Matt sniffles, sighs]
[exhales]
[exhales]
[Matt breathing heavily]
We're doing this.
Yeah, Matt.
-Thirty days.
-Thirty days.
Thirty days.
-[exhales]
-We're gonna talk about
that ugly hat you're wearing.
Deal.
[Matt]
My whole life...
...unable to rest...
...in pursuit of some
unavowed dream...
...masked in this insane
compulsive desire to self-bleed.
Multiple vices brought my way,
but not the kind that
takes one's breath away,
but the kind that tears
one's self away.
-[knocking at door]
-[roosters crowing]
[Fred]
Let's get after it.
Morning, morning.
Uh, uh, morning, oh, Oh.
[Fred]
Did I disturb you?
[scoffs] No, no,
the knock did. Okay.
-[sighs]
-Some leftover benzos.
-Oh, thanks man.
-I got plenty of coffee
in the truck.
[burps, groans] I don't really
feel like hearing how big
a piece of shit I am,
right now,
to be honest with you.
[groans]
Matt, I get it,
you don't like meetings.
Yeah.
I need you to show up.
[sighs]
It's a reasonable request.
-Yeah, yeah, yeah, it is.
-[footsteps receding]
-[door closing]
-It's a reasonable request.
[dog barking]
[horn honking]
All right, I'll pick you up.
-[Matt] Wait,
you're not coming in?
-I already went.
-That figures.
-All right.
-I got a favor to ask you, man.
-What's that?
I'd like to ask you
not to wear that hat.
Uh, what do you mean?
-I'm Lakota.
-I know.
So basically you're a walking
billboard for a stereotype
about native people.
Matt, we're not Braves
or Redskins,
or-- we're not even Indians.
-We're real people just--
-I, I know.
Just wear this instead, please.
This hat is symbolic of
real players,
and real people,
and a real team
that was part of my childhood.
I'm not, it's not a, a,
a racist thing.
All right. Imagine you're a,
you're a kid...
-Yeah.
-...off the reservation, and
you, and, and you come to a game
and you idolize these people
and you want to be
a professional baseball player,
and, and, and you get there
and, and you see people,
adults, dressed up like,
like what they think...
you're supposed to look like.
What they think, in their mind,
an "Indian" looks like,
and, and, and they're going
[Fred vocalizing]
act-- acting like idiots.
That affects us.
Like I, I'm not saying
that that's great,
I don't get how
it affects you though.
That affects my self-esteem.
That affects
these kids' self-esteem.
I'm not a mascot.
I'm not a goofy cartoon
or a, or a chant,
or, or, we don't do
the Tomahawk chop.
That makes a difference
in how we feel about ourself,
that affects kids' self-esteem.
Okay.
-Thank you.
-Yep, yep.
You win, you win.
[sighs]
Uh, are you picking me up after?
I'll be here.
-Thanks, man.
-I got you.
My father was a violent man.
He was a marine...
...sniper scout,
Pacific Theater during
World War II.
He took Iwo Jima, Saipan,
Tinian, Roi-Namur,
and the Marianas.
And...
...he had this hair trigger
temper when he drank...
...and God forbid,
you were in his line of fire,
'cause that wasn't
gonna be a good day.
When I was a boy,
I had this dog named Caesar...
...and he was my buddy,
you know, my pal.
In a scary world,
he was like my champion.
And then, uh, one day my dad...
...just went into one
of his c.#00ff00ragers/c and...
I was sitting there
with Caesar petting him.
And... he beelines it
right at us, you know?
And I thought, "Oh, he's going,
he's gonna lay into me, man."
And then, you know,
with one hit...
...he snapped his spine in half.
I'll never forget
the sound he made...
...'cause I, I knew that was it,
and he was dying.
So, I put my head...
against his chest and pet him.
You know, that... [exhales]
was the only thing I could do.
I've done a lot
of forgiving since then,
I'm gonna tell you
that was a hard one.
[people sighing]
-[man 1] All right.
-[man 2] That was tough, man.
[indistinct talk]
You know, the pulls are
a great community event.
-Meet a lot of good people.
-What are they?
Uh, dog pulls,
train your sled dogs?
So, like mushing and all that?
Yeah, something like that.
It's kind of tough being
the new guy in the group, huh?
[scoffs softly]
It was tough for me too
in the beginning,
but you know, I kind of
stick out around here.
Why? Because you don't drink?
Well, no, I, I'm a guest
from Al-Anon.
So, you're fine.
Well, not fine, but you know,
alcoholism, it's,
it's a family disease.
Not if they're not around.
Listen, I'm in Al-Anon
and I give my number out,
so you know,
if you're interested...
No, I'm good.
All right, well,
I'll let you get back to it
and, uh, it's great meeting you.
[peaceful music]
[Matt breathing heavily]
[groans softly]
[sighs]
[chickens clucking loudly]
[roosters crowing]
[chickens clucking louder]
[peaceful music]
-I need this.
-He's a stray.
So am I, and look
how much you like me.
You remember Kevin,
you remember Kevin?
He asked his sponsor
for a little job,
and, and his sponsor sent him
out to the garden
to pick some dandelions,
just a little bit
of light weeding.
He marches through the river,
over the woods,
catches the bus one hour
one way just to drink.
-Sorry, what does that have
to do with me?
-Stress, Matt.
Stress. This dog is stress.
-You don't need
stress right now.
-I'm not asking permission.
-This is my house, man.
-Then I will leave your house.
Do you see what you're doing?
Do you even hear what
you're doing right now?
Matt, if I let him stay
and things go wrong,
you have your excuse, and if...
-I'm listening.
-...if I stand my ground...
...you have your excuse.
He was licking chickens.
-[dog sneezes]
-That's not cute.
That's brain damage.
-[dog sneezes]
-Hmm.
-See?
-Bless you. [chuckles]
That's how
he protests absurdity.
After my dad died...
...my Newfoundland that I had,
his name was Basil...
...was how that I knew
that my world had not ended.
And when he died, the care
that had been in my home
was completely gone.
So, I would scrape my knee
and it wasn't,
"Hey, are you okay?"
It was, "Put a band aid on it
and move on."
I need this.
[sighs]
How about we give it a week?
-One week, Matt.
-Deal.
There's one problem.
[sighs] What now?
[chuckles softly]
We have to name him.
This, this is your new dog.
You pick.
Okay. Yup'ik.
-[chuckles] Oh, Matt.
-Yeah, yeah.
-Really?
-Yeah, really.
It's a great name,
you named him.
It's great. It's great.
Heartfelt.
-[Matt chuckles]
-[Yup'ik sneezes]
That's right. You know,
you know the smells.
[peaceful music]
[Yup'ik whining]
-[Yup'ik barks]
-[Matt] Shut up!
[Yup'ik whining]
-[Yup'ik barks]
-Shut up, shut up. Shut up,
shut up, shut up.
-[Matt groans]
-[Yup'ik whining]
[yelps]
[gentle acoustic music]
I don't wanna count
All the times
I've been punched in the face
At least you're housebroken.
I remember the special ones
-Come on, let's go.
-It was armistice day
Yup'ik, let's go.
-Hey.
-I don't care to recall
All the reasons
I had it coming
I'd never call karma a bitch
But call is a woman
Yeah, yeah. Hey, hey.
And I don't long to list
All the names
I've whispered in bed
It's like rattling off
deities
The words become
hollow and dead
And I don't count vendettas
Towards treacherous
partners in crime
I try to measure the value
[Matt]
I blame my mom for the way
she shut down after my dad died,
-[Yup'ik barking]
-The truth was somehow
too straight forward.
He crashed into a tree
on his way to work.
Broad daylight, no alcohol,
no other cars involved.
[Yup'ik barking]
I don't like feeling
vulnerable
[Yup'ik barks]
[distant beeping]
[thuds]
[Yup'ik barking]
Hmm.
-[Fred] Hey, how is
it coming along?
-Great.
It's real great,
real great, real great.
-You're not gonna take him
with you?
-Nope.
[Fred]
Well, he's your dog,
you can't just leave him.
What do you want from me?
I want you to take him with you.
Fine, I'll take him with me
and leave him for the cougars.
Great? Great, great.
["Wish I Were Blind"
by The Xray Eyes]
Wish I were blind
Might have to find
some guide light in my life
[exhales]
-If I were blind
-[sighs]
Wouldn't have to close
my eyes when...
Yup'ik!
You're on your own asshole!
I spent four years behind
the wheel of a Chevy sedan
Highways and dirt roads
I've been down every one
And all that I've learned
Is your left arm gets tan
If you drive in the sun
And then you get burned
Wish I were blind
Wouldn't have to stay
inside all the time
If I were blind
Wouldn't have
to close my eyes
When I go outside
just to get by
See projections of faces
on faces like cataract screens
Like composite sketches
of criminals
Memories inked
from prejudice drawn
[Matt breathing heavily]
Hey, you all right? Good.
All right, here, go ahead,
go ahead, go ahead.
Go ahead, go ahead, okay.
Good, yeah, yeah, good, good.
[breaks squeak]
-[Julie] Hey.
-Hey.
I have a package for Fred.
Uh, yeah, I'll sign
for it. Uh...
-You can sign here.
-Great, oh.
Wow, you guys got
dumped on out here.
-Yeah, yeah it's Montana. It'll
probably be gone tomorrow with.
-[chuckles]
-Oh, I love your husky.
-Uh, he's a pound puppy.
[both laugh]
He's an Alaskan Husky
with some Siberian in him.
-[Julie chuckles]
-Seriously?
Yep, third generation
dog musher right here.
People still do that?
Well, sure I mean,
I don't anymore,
but there are a lot of them
out there.
-Yeah.
-Well, huskies can look
kind of muddy
'cause they're not really
a "breed" breed,
but they're
kind of a special dog,
bred for power, speed,
and endurance.
-Not for looks. Right?
-[chuckles]
-Definitely not.
-Yeah.
But this guy's an epic athlete.
-Wait.
-Um, what's the name?
Uh, Yup'ik.
-Yeah.
-Your name is Yup'ik?
-No, I'm Matt, he's Yup'ik.
-Oh. [chuckles softly]
I, what kind of parent would
name a kid Yup'ik, right?
Yeah, that's a good question,
Uh, I'm Julie.
-Hi.
-They're great sled dogs,
but they're also,
they love to pull.
There's nothing in the world
an Alaskan Husky loves
more than pulling.
I, I don't know. Is that what
those signs are around town with
like the... big prize money...
-Yeah. Oh.
-...thing?
Where are you from?
Uh, I grew up
in Whitefish mostly...
-and then I was in, uh,
Glendive for a bit...
-Hmm.
-...and Miles City.
-Yeah, fancy boy. [chuckles]
Yeah that's, that's me,
that's me.
Um... well, hey, I, I gotta go.
Hey, uh, what do I do,
uh, if I want to have him
pull like you're saying?
Uh, harness him up.
I don't, actually--
Uh, what does that mean?
It means fancy boy,
put a harness on him.
Uh, I work at Murdochs
this weekend. Come by.
I'll hook this guy up.
Okay.
[gentle music]
All right. Come on,
we'll try this. All right.
Okay, okay.
What's happening here?
[mumbling]
So we, like this.
Come on, come on,
come on, you're good.
I'm just gonna take
this off of you.
[sighs]
[sighs]
Okay, ready, okay?
Good boy, it's okay, it's okay.
Yeah, here we go, here we go.
Good job. Here we go.
[barking]
["History of the Night Lamp"
by William Stafford]
They tracked her
from the sea
Cut her open on the beach
A rich man boiled
her body fat
A poor man ate her meat
Adventure and the industry
The best part of a century
Were not for
new technologies
The whales would be extinct
And it was all for the light
To read the bible at night
Or to learn a piece of music
In the parlor...
-[Fred] More weight!
-[barks, yelps]
-Come here.
-Come on, Yup'ik.
[barking]
-[Fred] Come on.
-[Matt] Atta boy.
[dramatic music]
-[yelps]
-[Fred] What was that?
He almost pulled it.
-Wow, good job. Good job,
good job buddy.
-What? Good boy!
-Ugh. [laughs]
-Good Yup'ik, yeah, yeah.
Are you getting cold?
Hm? Are you getting cold?
-Matt, the parking brake was on.
-Wait, what?
The parking break was on.
No. What, what, what?
[people cheering]
[people in the crowd]
Yeah! Woo-hoo.
[calm music]
[toy squeaking]
Okay, yeah, we--
Sorry, we can't afford it buddy.
-[Julie] Let's see.
-[objects thud softly]
-[electronic beeping]
-[printer clanking]
[Julie]
Yup'ik!
[gaps] You made it.
I'm gonna give you a treat.
I just need to ask you
about the, the dog pulling.
-Weight pulling. Uh...
-Weight pulling.
...mushing's more my specialty,
but you should talk to this guy.
He's the best.
He, his dogs are legend,
and he's lived here a long time.
A native guy from Alaska.
-Okay.
-Uh, he's got
really good stories.
-You should ask him
about Nugget.
-Nugget, okay, Nugget.
Did you hook him up?
-[sighs] Yeah.
-I told you.
-Right.
-Hey also, the weight pull's
just outside.
Um, give it a go. If he pulls
weight, you qualify for state.
-Cash or card?
-Uh, let's do card please.
Also, uh, make sure that you mix
it with water when you feed him,
it prevents bloat.
[Matt]
Okay.
Yeah.
Your total is $71.37.
Okay.
[electronic beeping]
[beeping]
I'm sorry. It didn't go through.
Just gimme my card back,
it's, it's like an old card.
I think the stripe
is actually bad on it.
-How much do you have?
-I have money,
I'm just finishing up
a project right now, so...
Mm, 42 bucks, perfect.
I told you I'd hook you up.
Don't worry about it,
employee discount.
Um, gimme Greg's card.
I can show you our dogs.
I've just been out
of the game a while.
[somber music]
[mumbles]
Good boy.
I'm sorry, we're finished.
Uh, can I just
get my dog out there?
-Come to our next pull.
-Wh-- when is that?
[Rick]
Qualifier's in Butte next week.
Could we just practice?
[sighs] Not today.
You're taking this kind
of seriously, aren't you?
I am?
Yeah, I'm just asking
to see what my dog can do.
I'll spare you the suspense.
-Excuse me?
-It's a little dog. [laughs]
[mumbles] c.#00ff00I'm sorry./c
-Greg said I should stop by.
-Greg sent you?
-Yeah, Greg Peters.
-Mm-hmm.
Hey,Greg-ums, guy here
says you sent him over.
-Hey, Matt, right?
-Yeah.
-[Greg] Good to see you again.
-[Matt] Yeah, you too.
Yeah, I think he's worth
checking out.
-[scoffs] He ever pulled?
-Sure.
Yeah, he's young.
He's got feet like clown shoes.
-Let's get a rig on him,
see what he can do.
-Are you serious?
[Rick laughs]
All right, make sure it's snug.
[Rick]
We had a big malamute in there
last run of the day.
Sampson, you may have seen him.
Your dog's a little smaller.
-It's funny, that's,
that's real funny, yeah.
-[Rick laughs]
-So what'd you name him?
-Uh, his name's Yup'ik.
-Really?
-[Matt] Hey, come here, here.
And how'd you come about that?
That's kind of a joke.
I gotta see this,
don't wanna jinx the next pull.
Uh, he's superstitious.
Into the Zodiac
and stuff like that.
[Matt]
Yeah, that seems
pretty on brand for him.
[Greg]
Come on, Yup'ik.
Come on, come on. Go, go, go.
Hey Greg, just so this
kid doesn't kill his dog,
we should probably take
the weight down a little bit.
How much is on there?
Uh, Sampson's original 2100.
Oh, let's knock it down to 500,
just to give him a feel for it.
Yeah, well he almost
pulled a car earlier.
-Yeah?
-[Matt] Yeah.
You never set your dog
up to fail, it shames him.
This guy's a total amateur.
We were all amateurs once.
That trust is a difficult
thing to earn back.
Yeah, and I know something
about that.
Oh, okay.
-Yeah.
-Well, here's how it works,
Each of those bricks
is 50 pounds.
After each successful pull,
the weight goes up 100 pounds.
You are starting at 2100 pounds.
All right?
-[Matt] Okay.
-So you're gonna go down to the
end of the lane, that's 16 feet.
Your time starts when you call
your dog or when your dog makes
a move off the line.
-Thirty seconds for him to get--
-You've got 30 seconds to get
the front of the sled
-across that line.
-[Matt] Okay, got it.
You're on, Sparky.
Okay. Yup'ik, come.
You're right.
He's really strong.
-[laughs]
-Prick.
[sighs]
Yup'ik, come.
He's not interested.
The dog just won't listen, man.
Yup'ik, not "the dog".
"Not the dog,"
does that really matter?
Yes. When you call Yup'ik,
mean it.
I do mean it.
Remember a time
when you had fun with him.
-Remember a time
when I had fun with him?
-[Greg] Yes.
Breathe into that,
it's very simple.
[peaceful music]
Stay in that place.
[Greg]
When you're ready, call him.
Yup'ik, come.
-Wait, wait, wait, wait.
-When he puts his head
down, you leave him.
[Matt]
Wh-- Sorry, why are you
yelling at me?
Because you are a moron.
[Matt]
You work at a doggy
weight pull, man.
How often do you think
your wife brags about you?
-[Yup'ik whimpers]
-Oh, yeah?
[barks]
[sled dragging]
Oh shit. Quick, quick, come,
come, yep, good, good.
Nine seconds.
-Not bad.
-Yeah.
Yeah, you know?
Hey, so, I, I just wanted to say
that I'm going through kind of
a, a rough patch.
Yeah, I get it.
Yeah, look...
...bring this with you
to the qualifier.
It'll get you in for free.
It's got my name on it.
Right, so you think
he can qualify?
I wouldn't get too excited
just 'cause you got him
to cross the line once,
doesn't mean you can
do it again. [scoffs]
Good luck, champ.
Matthew...
...Yup'ik is a very
special name.
It's a Yup'ik word,
spelled Y-U-P-I-K,
and it's sacred.
He's a sensitive dog...
...and you will have
to become sensitive, too.
Lean into that connection, okay?
You're doing a good job.
Okay, Yup'ik come.
I thought we had a deal,
I lean in and you respond.
[sighs]
What's the problem?
[soft whimper]
I'm sorry
about the car earlier, okay?
I didn't mean
to shame you with it.
[barks]
[singing]
I met you
[guitar music playing]
And everything changed
The crazy fighting
Never in vain
Just two
Lost souls
Running from pain
[music fades]
[humming]
[sighs]
[humming]
So, you wanna make sure
and make eye contact with him.
And go very slowly.
Make sure that
he's following the treat.
[chuckles softly]
-Okay, you try.
-Okay.
-So, I make eye contact.
-With Yup'ik.
With Yup'ik, right,
right, and go slowly.
Yes.
Okay, slow.
[peaceful music]
Okay, just toss it to him now.
Just toss it to him?
Yeah, just pop it up in the air.
Just pop it up in the air,
all right.
-What if I hit him?
-He'll catch it. It's a treat.
[cheerful flute music]
[church bell tolls]
[water gushing]
So, just like baseball,
it's all about the fundamentals.
So, sit.
[upbeat instrumental music]
The path that can be spoken
is not the eternal path
The way they can be named
is not the eternal way
Don't call no, not, don't
None can show
how to stay the way
Trouble follow thought
Like a cart follow ox
Off path in the bramble
Subtle is the walk
You cut your foot and curse
It hurts
I know
But there is a better place
To put your other foot
Step forward and continue
The strength is within you
If you need to borrow shoes
I've got a pair
I could lend you
They probably won't fit you
And you need to go
your own way
I'm coming with you 'cause
I'm feeling kind of feng shui
Don't call, no, not, don't
None can show
how to stay the way
Now is the time of power
[somber music]
[breathing heavily]
Dang, how much bacon can he eat?
I'm pretty sure he's bottomless.
So, you all race ready?
About as ready we're ever
gonna be, I guess. [laughs]
[Fred sighs]
[sighs]
[sighs]
[breathing heavily]
[melancholic music]
[dogs barking]
[Matt]
Wait, your mom was a musher?
She trained
with Susan Butcher for years.
I don't know who that is.
It's just a four time
Iditarod winner.
-She's pretty.
-Well, that's where I get it.
-What's with the hat?
-It's called an ushanka,
and it's Prada for mushers.
Do you have one?
Nah, it's for serious mushers.
And, and you're not
a serious musher?
I love it. I don't know,
it, it's kind of my mom's
thing, hard to live up to.
Well, yeah,
especially without a...
-...u-- [clears throat] U--
-Ushanka.
Ushanka, ushanka, okay.
What about your dad?
[sighs]
Carpenter, technically.
Which is a noble profession.
[sighs] In my dad's case,
he was mostly an unemployed
and resentful house husband.
My mom had this dream and
she was living it and he didn't.
He did manage to keep
the dogs alive though.
I'd come out here
occasionally to help out.
So, that's my sob story,
what about you?
How many days sober?
I can be a bit much.
Yeah, I don't really
like to talk about it.
You got it.
[sighs deeply]
So, I was thinking
I'd like to take you
and Yup'ik dog sledding.
I think you'd love it.
[sighs]
-Um...
-If not, I understand.
I appreciate your help
with him so far.
Like, really.
-I'm not--
-Hey, this doesn't have
to be a thing.
Thought you could use a friend.
It's just a dog sled ride.
[Fred]
Hola, amigo.
Dang, the hutch's looking
pretty good.
Yeah, she's coming along,
coming along.
Got you something.
-What's this?
-Just a small,
-small present.
-Got me a bowling ball?
-It's a necklace.
-Yes. [laughs]
-Heavy.
-It's a sweater.
[chuckles] You opened it?
I had to, man,
I had to look at it.
A sweater, it's a sweater.
Whoa, whoa, whoa.
-[Matt sniffles]
-[Fred] Two days away.
It makes no damn sense to me
why they're your favorite team.
-I think I got the font
as close as I could get it.
-[chuckles]
We didn't have
a team in Montana...
...and my dad loved them.
And it was my thing with him.
-Whew.
-That's why, huh? Your dad.
-Okay, now I understand.
-Oh.
I just couldn't put the team
name on there 'cause I--
-Well, you know.
-I know. I do know.
-But I got a baseball on there.
That's the symbol.
-[laughs]
That relationship between
you and your dad, Matt,
-that's what's important.
-Yeah.
I just don't wanna miss
the chance to get it to you
before the big race.
[indistinct crowd chatter]
I'd like to register
my dog, please.
You have to have
your pull dog with you.
Can I just have my bib please?
-[Tina] You're quite rude.
-It's okay, Tina,
he's an acquired taste.
[Tina]
Yeah, some people
just weren't raised right.
You have a problem
with authority, kid.
Come on, let's go.
[dogs barking]
-[Matt] Hey. Hey.
-[bystander] Hey,
rat pull's next week, bud.
Rat pull's in your pants, buddy.
Crowd can get a little rowdy
at these things,
don't take it personal.
Let's get one thing straight...
-Mm.
-...I don't need your help.
Oh, whatever you say.
Here, here, here.
-Number?
-Uh, 88.
-You're up next.
-Okay.
Eighty-eight. It's a lucky
number, astrologically.
The stars are
in your favor, pal.
Stop, stop, stop. I can't
do this zodiac astrological
bullshit, okay?
I'm trying to concentrate and
you're just yapping in my ear.
Accept the help or don't,
but stop complaining.
You sound like a little bitch.
[sighs]
[gentle music]
[announcer]
Our defending champion,
weighing in at a robust
-One hundred
and forty-two pounds.
-[crowd cheering] Yeah.
Malamute, Alaskan freight dog.
He has size, heart, pure will.
That's your competition.
He's won state the last three
years and beat last year's
national record.
-You're up.
-Okay, Yup'ik, come on.
Come on.
Dog goes on the scale, not you.
[Matt]
Hey, get up here, come on.
[crowd laughing]
Next up, we have Yup'ik
weighing in at
a svelte, featherweight
44 pounds.
[crowd laughing and cheering]
All right, guys,
thank you all for coming.
We got a really
quick event today.
Each dog has 30 seconds
to pull 1500 pounds
across the line.
Cross the line,
they qualify for state.
[crowd cheering]
[bystander 1]
Come on, Sampson.
[bystander 2]
Sampson, let's go, let's go.
[crowd cheering]
[upbeat music]
[bystander 2]
You got this, come on!
Sampson, hey, come on.
[bystander 2]
Let's go, let's go.
[crowd cheering]
That's seven seconds,
that's a new qualifying record.
[owner]
Come on, good boy, good boy.
You may die along the road
Yes, you may die
along the road
To the tower you could go
Not many gonna make
it through those woods
-Not many gonna make it
Through those woods
-[dog whimpers]
[crowd cheering]
[crowd]
Yeah! Woo.
Nope, they died
Along the road
They all die along the road
You, too, may die
along the road
Yup'ik, Yup'ik, come, come here.
Yup'ik, come here.
Yup'ik, come.
Yup'ik.
[Yup'ik whimpers]
[sighs]
[dramatic music]
[clears throat softly]
Ah, Yup'ik, come.
Come. Ah!
Come! Come!
You do that shit at state,
I'm gonna kick your ass.
So, we're not gonna
be carpooling together,
is that what you're saying?
Hey.
[weight pull supervisor]
That was disgusting.
-Another lecture, okay.
-The-- Hmm,
-the only reason
you're not disqualified...
-Mm-hmm.
-Hmm-mm.
-...is 'cause your friend was
going around telling everyone
how stupid you are,
and I happen to agree with him.
Pull that at state
and you're disqualified.
-Great.
-[phone ringing]
[Matt's Mom]
Hi, it's me, leave a message.
[Matt]
Hey, Mom, it's Matt. Um,
What do you say after 15 years?
[chuckles] Oh.
I made it.
I'd like to see you. Uh...
Oh, uh, call me back?
[exhales]
Good, good, good.
Stay here, stay here.
-Hey, hey.
-[phone ringing]
-Hi, this is Matt.
-[Denise] Hi Matt, I'm Denise,
I'm one of your mom's
hospice nurses.
-Hey, champ--
-Hey, did you get a letter
from my mom?
Um...
-...oh, uh, yeah. Hey.
-Where is it?
-Where is it? Where is it?
-Sit down!
-Sit down.
-Get your hands off me.
I've had enough of this.
-Get your ass down.
-So have I.
-Where, oh, fuck, where is it?
-[bottles clinking]
-Where is it?
-It's on top of the hutch.
[breathing heavily]
You're so close
to 30 days, Matt.
[crying]
I understand why you're upset.
And it's just that
you were doing so, so good.
I asked you to be my sponsor,
because you had a willpower
that I didn't have
And I trusted you man.
And I shouldn't have,
because you are scared shitless
of being out of control.
And you lied to me.
And for as long as
I've known you,
you have taken the easy way out.
Hey, that's what makes these
last 30 days so exceptional.
There's no shortcuts
to sobriety, Matt,
'cause believe me,
you would've found them by now.
Your mom's death
isn't your fault.
[sniffles]
And where's your wife, Fred?
No, don't do this.
You talk about your life
like it's Eden.
So where is she?
Did she leave you for some
guy who'd let her choose
what day of the week she wanted
to wash her underwear?
You keep talking to me like
this, you can't stay here.
We'll be gone tomorrow.
Great.
Great.
[door slamming]
[sniffles]
[wind buffeting]
Fuck. Get in there.
[Yup'ik whimpers]
[exhales]
-[Matt] Come here, come.
-[taps on floor]
[door knocking]
Surprise!
Fred invited me for pizza.
I thought, well,
we thought we'd celebrate.
I get that you're lonely,
but I don't want this.
What is it
that you don't want, Matt?
My friendship,
a human connection,
this card that I brought?
-Let's be specific.
-I don't want any of it.
I'm going through shit
right now.
I don't have anybody.
I just drove an hour here
to celebrate with you.
Get out.
Get out.
[Yup'ik whimpering]
Matt, Matt, I think
something's wrong.
Get out.
-Seriously.
-[shouts] Seriously, get out!
[sighs]
[melancholic music]
[breathing heavily]
[loud thud]
-[screaming]
-[glass shattering]
[wood crunching]
[grunting]
[melancholic music continues]
[doorbell rings]
[sniffles] Hey.
[exhales]
[exhaling sharply]
[somber music]
[Matt]
When I was ten,
a storm destroyed our deck.
And my dad was excited.
He couldn't wait to tear it out
and rebuild the damn thing.
He made me get up early
for weeks to help him,
he was even whistling
while we worked.
Man, I was so mad at him
for being so cheerful
about building the stupid deck.
I hated every hammer swing
and every nail
and every board we replaced.
We finished on a Sunday right
before he got paged into work,
and I was mad about that too,
him leaving.
And I hated that beeper noise.
And that was the last time
I saw him.
[somber music]
It's ruined.
No, Matt,
nothing's beyond repair.
[breathes deeply]
[exhales]
Um, so, this is
a peace offering.
[Yup'ik whimpering]
Here.
[low dramatic music]
[heart monitor beeping]
-[Matt exhales]
-[Yup'ik whimpers softly]
-He's gonna be okay, right?
-[vet 1] We're gonna do
everything we can for him.
[Yup'ik whimpering]
[vet 2]
Well, it's not the antifreeze.
Wait what? So,
so what's wrong with him?
[vet 2]
We're unsure at this time,
but as soon as we
can figure it out,
we'll let you guys know.
[electronic beeping]
[Fred sniffles]
You were right.
You needed him.
I'd give anything
to have the fun you two do.
[sniffles] He's my buddy, man,
he's my buddy.
[sighs heavily]
Matt, I need to tell you
something.
I don't know, know if I can
do another talk right now.
[exhales] I need this.
Okay.
[sighs]
[sobs softly]
[exhales] Matt, I drank.
That's why Rachael
went to her sister's.
Thank you for telling me.
Matt, I don't wanna
be your sponsor anymore.
Oh.
I just wanna be your friend.
I, I could use both.
It's gonna be a while,
we need you to go home.
[Matt]
I, I would like to stay here.
Go home and get some rest,
we'll call you
as soon as he's up.
Let's go get some coffee.
I, I can't believe this,
but I want to go somewhere else.
Uh, I'm Matt,
and I'm an alcoholic.
-[crowd] Hey, Matt.
-Hey.
About a month ago after, uh,
a short bender, um...
[exhales]
...I, uh, found out
[clears throat]
from a doctor that
I was throwing up my stomach.
And that if I didn't stop
drinking, I would die.
I went from the appointment
to the bar...
[scoffs]
...uh, ready to drink
the place dry.
A couple of drinks in,
I opened up a letter that...
...I had received that day,
and I found out that my mom...
...was going into hospice.
She'd refused to see me
until I was 30 days sober,
um, it'd been 15 years.
So, I, uh, really smartly, um,
decided to punch a bartender...
...so I could get thrown into
jail, um, 'cause I know that,
knew that that's the only chance
I had [clears throat]...
... to get sober.
That was my sobriety plan.
After my, uh,
after my dad had died,
I had a teacher who encouraged
me to write poetry
as a way to process my feelings.
So I'm gonna read
something I wrote.
Um, [sniffles] I'm not really
good at this kind of thing.
Um, it's called Broken Soul.
[somber music]
"My whole life, unable to rest,
in pursuit of some
unavowed dream,
masked in this insane
compulsive desire to self-bleed.
Multiple vices brought my way,
but not the kind that
takes one's breath away,
but the kind that tears
one's self away." [sniffles]
"My dad died and left me with
no life coming through my eyes
and my mom's gone now too.
In those moments
when I realize this,
my mind goes one way, but then
my body refuses to own it,
and my insides are rupturing
on the brink about to explode."
[sniffles]
"But it's not what you think.
It's pain and it's old.
A broken heart in a broken soul,
trying to escape." [sniffles]
"But my mind's a square peg
and my body's a round hole.
If I had a broken bone
or something visible,
I think people
would be less critical.
But you have a broken spirit
and the support, it's minimal.
And now I see the illusion,
an unexpected sunrise
unraveled the confusion.
Wholeness happens in a flash
and it's not extraordinary
because it lasts.
The beauty,
lives in that moment of
accepting the past is the past."
[somber music]
[crowd]
Thanks, Matt. Thanks, Matt.
[quietly]
Thanks, Matt.
[breathing deeply]
[hopeful music]
[Matt quietly]
Hey, how are you?
You're okay.
-[Yup'ik whimpers]
-It's okay.
It's okay, it's okay,
it's okay.
Yeah, it's okay.
Uh, ooh, it's okay,
it's okay. Oh.
Oh, buddy.
All right, let's get
the patient over here.
See what we're working with.
Come here. [tutting]
Yeah, that's it, come here.
Come here. You know me.
Come here. Come on.
Hi.
-See what we got here.
-Yeah.
Whoa, buddy, what kind of voodoo
doctor put this together?
[Yup'ik whimpers softly]
I mean, it was the best
I could do.
-You did this?
-Yeah.
-Wow.
-Yeah.
Okay.
Yeah, I'll show you
what we got here.
-What is that?
-It's the real deal, buddy.
-Yup'ik version
of Neosporin and--
-Looks like pomade.
-Okay.
-Yeah, it's the good stuff, man.
What exactly did the vet say?
Uh, he told me that, uh,
he had gas get into his stomach
and it flipped.
Yeah. That usually happens
to big horses,
and... dogs about his size
and... pull dogs.
But, listen here,
let's get you over here
'cause you need to learn
how to do this.
[peaceful music]
Call him.
And you're sure this is okay?
Yes, he will let you know
what he needs
and what he doesn't need.
Unlike you, he's not conditioned
to hide the way he truly feels.
[quietly]
Okay.
-Yup'ik come.
-Argh.
I need you to be here.
Here. Look around you.
I need you to be here
with the mountains,
be here with the snow.
The relationship between human
being and dog is ancient.
The pathway is there, he's just
waiting for you to use it.
Yup'ik come.
[sighs]
-Here, take this.
-All right.
Ah, see what you just did?
-Oh.
-That is reflex.
I need you to be here.
Be here in this moment
with this.
Now, I'm gonna do it again
at the same tension,
but just go with it.
-Stop staring at the lead,
look at me.
-[chuckles softly]
Just go with it, be here.
Very good.
It needs to be from here.
Everything you do
needs to be from here.
This is what your life
is missing.
Try it again.
[peaceful music]
Yup'ik, come.
Good boy, hi, hi. Good boy.
Okay. That's so good.
Hey... [tutting]
...come here. Come here. Slow,
gentle, gentle, gentle.
You knucklehead.
All right. Yeah, okay. Sit.
Good, good. Okay.
Okay, good. Yeah.
Just watch yourself.
Okay, and what about this?
[peaceful music continues]
[peaceful music continues]
[peaceful music continues]
[Matt grunting]
I'll need your signature.
[Matt]
Hey.
Hey, Yup'ik,
I brought you something.
-Can I give him a treat?
-[Matt] Yeah.
I heard about your mom,
I'm sorry.
Yeah, that was rough, um,
thank you, thank you.
Uh, I'm, uh, sorry.
Um...
I was hurting a lot
and I was so focused on me
and I, I don't know, I, I didn't
listen to you... about the food.
I didn't listen to you
about him.
That night, he got sick.
I just didn't listen
and... I didn't care.
And I went after you.
You know, we're all just trying.
Yeah.
Look...
...I'm sorry that I pushed.
I've never been great
at boundaries.
I, I don't want boundaries.
I, I, I know boundaries
are good for us, but...
...the truth is I don't
know what's good for me.
But I think you are.
And I actually got this
for... you.
For me? Mm.
So, you didn't reply to my text
messages, which is fine, uh,
like I understand. Um,
I needed a way
to apologize in person
and so this was my, my plan.
[chuckles softly]
I thought it might
inspire you in some way.
[peaceful music]
Can I give you a hug?
Definitely.
[Julie]
Mm.
I'm going home for a bit.
-Because you have a ushanka now?
-[laughs]
No, I miss the dogs.
-[chuckles]
-But they'll love my new look.
[both laugh]
Uh, Julie?
Yeah?
If, if...
...if I come out sometime
can we go dog sledding?
Yeah, I'd like that.
Me too, me too.
Yeah, yeah.
[soft knocking]
-What's this?
-It's everything I borrowed.
My one year of community college
included a finance class,
so interest is included.
-Are you gonna have
enough to live off of?
-We'll make it work.
You use this for the pull.
Matt, I don't need it right now.
-I'm not gonna have him pull.
-Why?
He's healed,
I saw him out there.
He is, but I'm not.
And I was reckless with him
before. I was an idiot.
And I'm overwhelmed.
Uh, you know what they say?
One day at a time.
Music to my ears.
The Pull's the day after
the memorial, um anyway, so.
You need support at the service?
We're okay.
[Yup'ik snorts]
My, uh, mom and I had
a complicated relationship,
[grunts softly]
This was the last letter
that she wrote me...
...the day that she passed away.
"Dear Matt...
...I want you to know
it is so hard
to say what I have to say
to you now...
...knowing this may be
my last chance to do so.
I know it is hard for you
to believe...
...but I love you...
...and have always loved you.
I remember
when you were born..."
[sniffles]
"...they brought you to me.
"I looked into your sparkling,
weird little eyes
while I held you
for the first time."
[exhales]
"They were overbrimming
with light and life.
I love that line by
Leonard Cohen, where he says...
...'Ring the bell
that still can ring.
Forget your perfect offering.
There is a crack,
a crack in everything.
That's how the light gets in.'
You and your sister came
to your father and me
miraculously to give us life.
And that will always remain
somewhere where everything
that matters happen."
[exhales]
"Love, Mom."
[paper crinkling]
[sniffles]
[sighs]
[door creaking]
[sighs]
[sighs]
I never wanna do that again.
[laughs]
Well, a tree could fall
or we could have an earthquake.
-And there's no final success,
so you can forget that.
-Dad.
[pager beeping]
Argh, I gotta go to work.
Here's the thing...
...we don't leave things broken.
[sighs]
[peaceful music]
Matty.
[upbeat rock music]
[crowd cheering]
[announcer]
Yes, ladies and gentlemen,
it's our first pull of the day
and it's a great one.
Fifteen hundred pounds from
our pit bull terrier, Sebastian,
let's add on another
hundred pounds.
Dreams will eat away
at your souls
Get off your feet
to get on your knees
Crying for forgiveness
While you won't even see
But I'm optimistic
Well, I'm optimistic
Well, I'm optimistic
[announcer]
Next up, we have Yup'ik,
our very own chihuahua.
[somber music]
[lead clicking]
Ladies and gentlemen,
here we go.
Let's see what
this little guy can do.
Okay, all right.
Come.
Yup'ik, come.
[melancholic orchestral music]
[barks]
[crowd cheering]
Good, good, yeah, yeah,
come, come.
[announcer]
Mighty Mouse has done it, okay.
[upbeat rock music]
[Yup'ik barking]
[crowd cheering]
[crowd cheering]
[muted voice]
Long gone, wild and free
Let's be the ones
who open our own eyes to see
Finally, we need
to save ourselves, yeah
[horn blaring]
I'm optimistic
I'm optimistic, yeah
Well, I'm optimistic
Yes I am, yes we can
[crowd cheering]
[horn blaring]
[crowd cheering, applauding]
[horn blaring]
And it looks like our trio
is down to two.
Up next, we have
the Alaskan Assassin,
the Mighty, Mighty Mouse
coming up.
If he pulls this off,
he will be the first dog
under 50 pounds in our history
to pull off 2,500 pounds.
[energetic music]
[crowd cheering]
[whimsical music]
[crowd cheering]
[barking]
[whimpering softly]
[crowd chanting]
Yup'ik, Yup'ik, Yup'ik, Yup'ik,
Yup'ik, Yup'ik, Yup'ik.
Yup'ik, Yup'ik, Yup'ik, Yup'ik,
Yup'ik, Yup'ik, Yup'ik, Yup'ik.
-Come on.
-[crowd] Yup'ik, Yup'ik, Yup'ik.
[crowd cheering]
[announcer] Okay, we have
Sampson up, attempting
a monstrous 2,600 pounds.
If he succeeds,
this will be the most weight
pulled by a dog
in a competition
in the last two years.
He is attempting to pull
a walrus across the ice, folks.
[crowd cheering]
[Sampson's owner]
Come on Sampson, good boy,
good boy.
[whimpers softly]
[Sampson's owner]
Come on, good boy.
Come on, good boy.
Good boy. Come on, Sampson.
[horn blaring]
[announcer]
I don't believe it folks.
If Toothpick can pull
2,600 pounds,
he will be our new champion
and record holder for the year.
[inspirational music]
[inspirational music continues]
[muted voices]
[muted voice]
Yeah. Yeah.
[Fred]
Yeah, baby!
Ahh!
-Oh.
-Thank you.
-I'm proud of you guys.
-Thanks, man.
Woo-hoo, and you, Yup'ik,
you did so good.
-You did so good.
-He's a little diva now.
So, you gotta be,
you gotta show respect.
You know, when you see him.
-I didn't have a chicken
to lick for him, but--
-Yeah, funny. [laughs]
I'll see you guys
back at the ranch?
Yeah, yeah, we--
It's a farm.
-It's not a farm bro.
-You have chickens, man.
What the fuck?
[exhales]
-So, how does it feel?
-[chuckles]
Uh, pretty hard to describe.
[chuckles]
You know, Yup'ik...
...means "Real person,
one who comes into themselves."
Well, he, uh...
he did that today.
So did you.
Julie, uh, told me to ask you
about Nugget a while ago.
Oh, she did, huh?
Well... Emmett Peters,
his lead dog
in the second Iditarod,
was a Siberian named Nugget.
She was 12 years old,
pregnant, had cancer.
They broke the Iditarod
record by six days.
She was the greatest
sled dog ever.
And Emmett,
that was my grandfather.
Well, Sampson,
that dog you just beat,
he's Nugget's great,
great, great grandson.
That's pretty epic, my friend.
Come on.
Come on.
Let's go.
[chuckles softly]
[Rick]
Matt,
I wanted to catch you
to say congratulations,
in person.
-Yeah.
-I'm sorry for what?
-[scoffs]
-[chuckles]
I, I need to tell you that,
that you were right about me.
-Stop.
-No, you were.
We've all been through
hard times.
We've all needed a break, man.
Yeah, and I also thought you
should know
since you gave me so much shit
for my love of the metaphysical.
-It's weird, man.
-Hey, hey. [chuckles]
I, I just wanted
your ungrateful ass to know
that according
to the Chinese Zodiac,
this is the year of the dog.
Wait, what?
Wait are you serious?
[Matt]
If there is a cure
for addiction,
it is someone you care for
saying, "You're not alone...
...I love you."
The opposite of addiction
is not sobriety.
The opposite of addiction,
and maybe any suffering,
is connection...
...to yourself...
...to a passion...
...to a partner...
...or to a scrawny dog
with a sacred name.
["Real Peach" by Henry Jamison]
Well, nighttime passes
But the dark remains
And I was feelin'
like a little child
But I am loathe
to place blame
On that lioness-esque woman
Who will go here unnamed
She was looking in me
for a lion
When she found it so tame
Oh, oh
On that erstwhile
May morning
I took the six downtown
to Spring
And I was writing
something elegiac
That I never learned to sing
But I think it was this song
Just four years premature
And I remember
crossing out the line
All is fair in love and war
Well, if all is fair
In love and war
Then I don't know
what we are fighting for
'Cause my baby
she's a real peach
Even when the night come
crashin' down
Real peach
And the nighttime rolls away
all right
And we're comin' back to
the demon-killing work of love
My God
Well, nighttime passes
And the dark retreats
I hand it over
to my upper angel
Who visits me in sleep
We're in the field beyond
the right and wrong
And the fallacy of form
Well, you can call it
what you wanna call it
I just say that all is
fair in love and war
Well, if all is fair
In love and war
Then I don't know
what we are fighting for
So, if we don't care
to fight no more
Let's go upstairs
and let's shut the door
'Cause my baby
she's a real peach
Even when the night
come crashing down
Real peach
And the nighttime rolls away
all right
'Cause my baby
she's a real peach
Even when the night
come crashing down
Real peach
And the nighttime rolls away
all right
And we're comin' back to the
demon-killing work of love
My God
Illuminate
And if all is fair
in love and war
Then I don't know...
[man]
Good, this is all in
the realm of fun and games.
[woman]
Sorry, guys, this is
my first time hazing.
[all laugh]
[man]
You did great.
One drunk away from, uh,
-losing that--
-One, one drink,
-one drink away from a drunk.
-What?
-One--
-One drink [laughs]
-One drink away from a drunk.
-[burps]
Oh, excuse me, sorry.
[man]
Uh, why don't you have
a drink with us?
-I'll just...
-No, no, come have a drink.
-That's really a good-looking
dog, like is, is-- yeah.
-Yeah, he's so cute.
-Mm.
-Mm.
-What, wha-- what's his name?
Oh, my God.
-Oh, my God.
-That's a cute dog. My God.
-[chuckles]
-[Matt] It's Yup'ik.
-Yup'ik?
-[Matt] Yeah.
-Like toothpick?
-You pick that yourself?
-[all laughing]
-That's okay, sit.
-[director] Then, he walks off.
-Okay, look now.
-You're so good.
[Fred]
I'll take the plates and,
and if you would like,
-I'll, I'll wrap them up here
and, and, we'll--
-I'll help you clear.
Um, at this time I'd like to...
...offer the podium to anyone
who'd like to come share?
-[crew] Yeah,
lay down in the grass.
-That's so good.
That's so good, you're so good.
You're so good.
Yeah, yeah. I know.