A disturbed man looks back at his past as he faces an uncertain future in this dramatic short subject. Teresa (
Molly Ringwald), a young journalist, is sent on assignment to a state-run mental hospital, where she is to interview Karl Childers (
Billy Bob Thornton), soon to be released after spending 25 years in the facility. While Jerry Woolrich (Jefferson Mays), the hospital's administrator, isn't sure that it's a good idea for Karl to be questioned by a young woman, he allows a compromise -- Teresa will be permitted to hear Karl tell the story of how he came to be committed, but she can't ask him questions. Teresa is then ushered into a dimly lit room, where Karl relates the harrowing tale of his miserable childhood and how, at the age of 13, he killed his mother and her lover with a kaiser blade. Star and screenwriter
Billy Bob Thornton and director George Hickenlooper originally produced this short film in hopes of expanding the story into a full-length feature; the award-winning
Sling Blade followed three years later, but by that time, Thornton had opted to direct the film himself. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide