I Know This Much Is True

What's on your mind?

This book my grandfather wrote.

My mom, her whole life,

just thought he was this wonderful guy.

Turns out he's not.

Do you think that you're like him?

Your grandfather betrayed his brother.

No! No! You're hurting him!

He's fucking cursed,

we're all fucking cursed.

Don't pamper this boy.

Is my real father alive?

I caught him breaking into your brother's room.

I want my brother out of there by the end of the week.

Everybody thinks it's wrong

for him to go with you.

I'm not giving up on my brother.

Hey, you know what? We'll come back in a couple months

and we'll go raspberry picking

over the hill there. Remember?

The raspberry leaves are poison.

They ground it up and they put it in my tea

when I was in the hospital.

They were trying to kill me there.

They're not poisonous, buddy.

Wow.

All these big old Chinkapin Oaks.

Look at 'em, Thomas.

Just the same as when we were kids, right?

It's like they've always been massive,

even when we were little.

You remember her?

Penny Ann Drinkwater.

Dominick: Hey, did you, uh...

did you see her brother a lot when you were down there?

Down where?

Dominick: In Hatch. The janitor.

Ralph Drinkwater.

Remember, you said you saw him once?

You want to see the Falls?

A holy place.

What?

I said it's a holy place.

Do you believe in God?

I wish I did, man.

Jesus Christ is your savior, Dominick.

He loves you, forgives you.

I know.

You know, someone told me once that this-- this river is life.

And all it's doing is flowing from the past into the future.

And just passing us as it goes.

Let's walk down to the water.

No, no, it's too cold. Come on, let's go.

I'll bring you back when it's warm.

In June, when the laurels are blooming.

We'll walk around. Come on, are you hungry?

I'm hungry. Let's get some food.

TV Announcer: Ladies and gentlemen, rock and roll.

Fuck you, Grandpa.

Okay. Great.

You ready, pal? Let's get you...

put some pajamas on you, okay?

Hands up.

Okay, man. Give me a hand here.

No pun intended.

Okay.

Thank you.

Thank you for taking care of me.

Yeah.

Thank you.

Lay down, bud.

Snug like a bug.

You need anything?

-Water. -Some water?

Okay.

Hey, buddy.

Buddy, I got your water.

Thomas?

Hey, Thomas?

Hey, Thomas?

Thomas?

Thomas?

Thomas?

Thomas?

Fuck.

Thomas.

Thomas.

Thomas!

Thomas!

Thomas!

Officer: We got a call about a missing person.

-Dominick: Yeah, my brother. -We're here to help you.

Who's this? Is this your brother?

No, no, that's my father, stepfather.

Where the hell is he? Where is he?

Officer: He's missing, but we're gonna take care of it.

We're gonna get out there and we're gonna look for him.

-When are you gonna do this? -We're gonna find him.

Any specific places that he likes to hang out at?

Yeah, the Falls.

Jesus. Jesus Christ!

Dominick: Thomas!

Thomas!

Ray: Tommy!

Dominick: Thomas!

Thomas!

Come out!

Ray: Tommy! Tommy!

Tommy!

Dominick: In deep water,

in the plunge pool of the waterfall,

they found him.

He'd been stuck under the forces of the current

for hours, they said.

The rocks had banged him up pretty bad.

There were scratches all over his face, Ray told me.

He was the one who went down and identified the body.

I found something!

Dominick: Accidental, they ruled.

Funeral Director: Before I start the funeral arrangements,

I'd like to gather some information for the death certificate.

So I have his name as Thomas Birdsey.

Uh, his date of birth?

December 31st, 1949.

Did he ever serve in the armed forces?

-No. -Okay.

Highest level of education.

Uh, 12th grade. He had a year of college.

Okay, so some college.

And his marital status?

None. Single.

Single. Never married. Okay.

Now, what did Thomas do for an occupation?

-He didn't work. -Well, he, he had a job.

He had a little job. But, uh, he was-- he was in and out of--

he was in and out of state hospitals,

mental hospitals, but he had a-- he had a little,

he had a coffee cart.

Okay, how about I'll put down "disabled" then.

-Yeah, that's fine. -Is it? Okay.

That's fine, and I need the birth name of his father.

Ray: We don't know that.

-Yeah, we don't know who his father is. -I'll put down unknown.

-Mm-hmm. -Okay.

You've reached Ralph Drinkwater,

tribal pipe-keeper of the Wequonnoc nation.

Hello, Ralph, it's, uh, Dominick Birdsey.

Uh, I'm just calling...

to let you know my brother's funeral is this week.

Uh, Thursday, 11:00 at the Boswell Avenue Cemetery.

It's just gonna be a 20-minute service.

It's not a big deal if you don't make it.

Thanks, Ralph.

Dessa: Hello?

Dess?

Oh, Dominick.

Oh, my God. I'm so sorry.

Are you okay?

Yeah, just wanted to invite you to

his funeral.

I-- my sister told me about it already.

I, I was gonna be there...

anyway, of course.

Thanks.

-Dominick. -Dominick: Yeah?

I know...

that you spent your whole life trying to save him.

And I failed.

Dessa: It wasn't your fault, Dominick.

Yeah, whose fault was it?

No one's. You couldn't save him.

No one could.

You were an amazing brother to him.

He knows how much you love him.

Okay, thanks.

Dominick.

Please take it easy on yourself, okay?

Dominick: Okay.

Dessa: I'll see you at the service.

Okay, bye.

Father Lavie: "The Lord is my Shepherd. I shall not want.

"He maketh me to lie down in green pastures.

"He leadeth me beside the still waters.

"He restoreth my soul.

"He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness

"for His name's sake.

"Ye, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death

"I shall fear no evil, for Thou art with me.

"Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.

"Thou preparest a table before me

"in the presence of mine enemies.

"Thou anointeth my head with oil, my cup runneth over.

"Surely goodness and mercy