Crazy in Alabama

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In the summer of 1965,

when I was 13..

...I thought I knew everything

about life and death.

Our parents died when we were little.

My brother, Wiley, and I lived way

out in the country with our meemaw.

We'd hardly ever been off the place...

...but we were happy.

Then one day...

...Aunt Lucille blew into town...

...and nothing was ever the same.

He said, "Kiss my butt, Lucille.

You're not going anywhere. "

He said that I couldn't go,

that he would never give me a divorce.

He said he would come and find me,

and he would knock some sense into me.

All I'm asking is for you to look

after my kids for one lousy month.

You know, I've never asked you

for anything.

And I've been waiting my whole life

for this chance.

And now...

...I'm gonna take it.

Do you hear me?

I'm gonna take it.

He said no...

...when he should've said yes.

Mama...

...I killed him.

Cut his head off.

So when did you do it?

Last night.

I put rat poison in his coffee.

You must be crazy.

He said that it was the worst coffee

that I ever made.

And I offered to pour it out

and make fresh.

And he said no.

I was always wasting his damn money...

...and he just drank it right down.

You must be crazy, Aunt Lucille.

All I know is you only got

one life, Peejoe.

You can't sit around waiting

for your next life to start.

Not when you see your big chance

about to pass you by.

-But did you have to--?

-I had to make sure he was dead.

I shouldn't have told you

all this, Peejoe.

I don't want anybody to know

what I did or where I'm going.

So you just forget all about it.

Just block it out of your mind. Okay?

Thattaboy.

I knew I could trust you.

You've always been

my special buddy, you know?

Aunt Lucille said the only good thing

Uncle Chester ever gave her...

... was her kids, all seven of them.

And now she meant to leave

them all here.

Poor old Meemaw, all in a tizzy,

running to call Uncle Dove...

...because he was used to dead people.

He'd know what to do.

Mama, there's nothing to do.

It's already been done.

Come here, babies.

Dove is the coroner.

He's got connections.

And maybe you won't

have to go to jail.

You can tell them--

You can tell them

it was self-defence, honey.

They won't even try to understand.

Come here, Nana. Don't be ridiculous.

They will put me in the electric chair

if they catch me.

But they're not gonna catch me.

I love you, my baby, so much.

Meemaw said Aunt Lucille's life

was one long dream of the movies...

... with herself in all the best parts.

That was one reason

I was in love with her.

Honey, you really need

to see a doctor.

You try and get some rest, Mama.

Peejoe, remember?

You promised. Bye.

I promised, all right.

But keeping her secrets

was the last thing on my mind.

I thought about what she did

with the knife...

... Uncle Chester gave her

for Christmas.

I felt all cold inside...

... like I'd jumped into

a swimming pool full of boiling water.

I couldn't believe this was the

Aunt Lucille who used to rock me...

...hold me and sing me to sleep.

We'd heard about mean old Uncle

Chester as long as I could remember.

One minute she was married to him...

...and then the next minute,

she was gone with his head.

Uncle Dove!

Peter Joseph.

Come here.

What you doing out here

by yourself?

They were all crying and stuff

in there. I couldn't stand it.

Where's Lucille?

Gone.

What'd she do with Chester?

I don't know.

She said she hid him somewhere.

Well, hell, that was thoughtful.

Listen, son.

I may need your help.

You and Wiley.

You wanna go with me?

-I never been anywhere before.

-Well, it's about time, then.

What do you say?

I don't know. Meemaw needs us.

I'm sorry, sweet pea.

I should've told you.

Y'all gonna go stay with Dove now.

-But for how long?

-I don't know.

It's all just been too much

for me right now.

And her young'uns need me

worse than you do.

You said we could always stay here.

Quiet! Don't be contrary.

This has been a hard day.

Don't worry, Mama.

He'll be all right.

Dove...

...Lucille didn't mean to do

what she did.

She's just....

Lord, I don't know.

She's a good girl.

She's just...

...confused.

Well, if she calls,

tell her to stay where she is.

I'll come get her.

Oh, Mama.

Try to get some rest.

You look tired.

She say who she's gonna see

out there in California?

That agent fella?

I don't want them to catch her,

Uncle Dove.

It's awful what she did,

but it won't make it...

...better if they put her

in the electric chair.

Maybe that won't happen...

...if we can bring her back

before she does anything else.

His name was Harry Hall.

Now, Uncle Dove?

Let it rip.

Wiley thought it was the coolest thing

in the world to ride in a hearse...

...as long as you were riding

up front.

But for the first time,

I felt like an orphan...

... with a capital "O"

I counted for nothing.

I belonged to nobody.

There's no need for this circus, John.

She did it.

I told you she did it.

Chester Vinson is a mean man.

Anybody deserved killing....

You know my boys never get

any action around here.

This is first-degree murder.

This is big.

We've known each other

since we were yea high.

You gotta help me out here.

We're talking about my sister.

She's out of her mind.

She doesn't know what she's doing.

Which boy did she talk to?

Peter Joseph, shake hands

with Sheriff Doggett.

He's a material witness.

I'll wanna talk to him.

He'll be with me.

If y'all know where she's headed,

you tell me now.

I'll try and bring her in safe.

I have no idea.

I just came by to pick up his body.

We searched every inch.

He ain't here.

You check the basement?

The basement.

Don't come down here.

Come on. Come on.

Jesus!

Where's his head?

He ain't got one.

Oh, baby sister.

What have you done?

I give my wife one just like it

for Christmas.

Oh, my God!

An all-points bulletin

for a 1964 Ford Galaxy sedan.

Bright red. Suspect's name

is Lucille Vinson...

...age 34.

Aunt Lucille told me she stayed up

the whole night packing.

I was the only one that knew

who it was she packed up...

... in a plastic freezer container...

... in a brown paper bag...

... on the back seat of her car.

Lucille.

Chester?

Lucille.

What do they want?

They wanna register to vote.

That's their latest thing.

Why don't they let them?

Negroes aren't allowed.

Not in Alabama. You know that.

Yeah, I know it.

It just don't seem fair.

They're just people like us.

You're right. It's not fair.

It's just the way things are.

I reckon Aunt Lucille had

more than one chance...

... to lighten her load.

It's not deep enough.

But I guess after 13 years

of being married...

... it's kind of hard to let it go.

Whoa! Look it!

What do you think?

It's so creepy.

I can't believe this is your house.

It belongs to the funeral company.

We just live here.

If you died in Industry,

and you were white...

... Croaker-Moseley Funeral Home

was where you'd come...

...before you went

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