| Director | Marc Forster |
|---|---|
| Genre | drama film, melodrama, romance film |
| Runtime | 111 min |
| Country | United States |
| Budget | $4 million |
| Box office | $45 million |
Hank Grotowski, a widower, and his son, Sonny, are correction officers in a Georgia prison. They reside with Hank's father, Buck, an ailing, racist retired correction officer whose wife committed suicide. When Willie and Darryl Cooper, friends of Sonny's who are Black, come by the house, Hank frightens them off with a shotgun at the behest of Buck.
Hank is the prison's deputy warden, whose work is to oversee the execution of convicted murderer Lawrence Musgrove. Musgrove is visited by his wife Leticia and son Tyrell before his execution. While at home, overwhelmed by her husband's impending death as well as numerous personal and financial difficulties, Leticia lashes out at her son for his obesity, resorting to physical and emotional abuse. The night before the execution, Hank tells Sonny that a "monster's ball" is held by the correction officers, a get-together of those who will participate in the execution. While Musgrove waits to be taken, he draws a sketch of Sonny and Hank. The proceedings prove too much for Sonny, who while leading Lawrence to the electric chair, vomits, and then collapses. Following the execution, Hank confronts Sonny in the prison's bathroom and assaults him for ruining Musgrove's last walk.
The next morning, Hank attacks Sonny in his bed and orders him to leave the house. Sonny grabs a revolver from under his pillow and holds his father at gunpoint. The confrontation ends in their living room with Sonny asking his father if he hates him. After Hank confirms that he does and always has, Sonny takes his own life by shooting himself in the chest after stating that he always loved him. A shocked, ashamed, and devastated Hank buries Sonny in the back garden. He subsequently resigns as deputy warden, burns his uniform in the backyard, and locks the door of Sonny's room. He later purchases Clement's gas station in an attempt to provide a distraction in his retirement. The Coopers offer condolences to Hank, which he accepts.
One rainy night, Hank is driving and sees Tyrell lying on the ground by the side of the road, with Leticia calling for help. After some hesitation, Hank stops. Leticia claims that Tyrell was struck by a car; Hank drives them to a hospital, where Tyrell dies from his injuries. At the suggestion of the authorities at the hospital, Hank drives Leticia to her home, where she appears distressed by the fact that the police are going to conduct an autopsy on her son to confirm his cause of death. A few days later, Hank gives Leticia a ride home from the diner where she works. They begin talking in the car about their common losses, and she invites him in. Hank finds out that Leticia is Lawrence's widow, though he does not tell her that he participated in her husband's execution. They drown their grief with alcohol and have aggressive sex.
Hank eventually offers to give Leticia Sonny's truck, which had been fixed up by the Coopers and their father, Ryrus. She finally accepts after initial discomfort. When Leticia stops by Hank's home with a present for him, she meets Buck, who insults her and implies that Hank is only involved with her because he enjoys sex with black women. Leticia, offended by the remarks, refuses to interact with Hank. After Hank is made aware of Buck's actions, he finally stands up to his father and commits him to a nursing home. He then renames the gas station Leticia's, and when asked he replies that it is his girlfriend's name.
Leticia is evicted from her home and Hank invites her to move in with him. While he is out, she discovers Lawrence's drawings of Sonny and Hank, discovering Hank's involvement in her husband's death. She is angered at first by the revelation, but numbed by her suffering, she stays. The film ends with the two of them eating ice cream together on the back porch as Hank states that he thinks they'll be okay.