Forward/Backward (2009)

Clayton lost his wallet, and he hasn't paid the water bill. Which wouldn't be so bad, except he also lost his job sweeping up at the theater. Small, East Texas towns like Reklaw don't have too many jobs for guys with a brain injury, slight paralysis and an occasional lack of good judgment. And no, in case you were wondering, he ain't retarded. FORWARD/BACKWARD tells the story of Clayton Miles, brain injury survivor and East Texas charmer. Due to a "vehicular collision at the age of 16," Clayton doesn't walk, talk or think like most people. The untimely death of his uncle means Clayton must come home early from brain injury camp and return to his father, Willie, a truck driver who has essentially given up on his own life. When Clayton's best friend, Josh, gets back from the Marines, Clayton couldn't be happier. He's sure the good old days of drinking, chasing girls and philosophizing have returned. But Josh isn't the same guy who left four years ago. He's no longer satisfied with just living in Reklaw, working for minimum wage and spending his money on beer and cigarettes. Josh dreams of Hawaii, of Willie Nelson concerts, of a life beyond this small East Texas town. And ultimately, despite the responsibility he feels for Clayton, his ticket out of Reklaw becomes painfully clear. For Clayton, it seems that an endless series of accidents, funerals, jobs, screw-ups, well-meaning family members, friends and girlfriends are what make up his life. But also humor and poetry and passion. And if that's not enough, Clayton can always have just one more chance, can't he? FORWARD/BACKWARD is Clayton's story, but it is just as much a story about how the people who encounter Clayton understand him - or don't. As his friends and family grow and change, Clayton remains relatively unchanged. How much of Clayton is his brain injury, and how much is him? Can you even separate the two? Set against the backdrop of a small-town America soon to be rocked by the events of September 11th, the boundary between you and the underworld is only a matter of pumping a little oil, taking a drive down those winding, East Texas roads or signing away your life just for a chance to get out.