Hank, a solitary man living a dull existence in the sleepy Southern town, raises eyebrows when he develops a questionable relationship with Josie, a recently transplanted high school student.
Hank (Dylan McDermott) lives a quiet life. The resident of a sleepy, yet tight-knit klatch of apartments in the middle of rural Texas, he whiles away his existence by fishing in the local lake for dinner, guzzling whiskey, and spending time with his turtles. Occasionally neighbors Martha (Robin Bartlett) and Gordie (Kurt Fuller) check in on him and say hello. Just about the most exciting thing that happens, if you even want to call it that, are the occasional run-ins Hank has with local teen Gator (Daeg Faerch) and his crew.
All of this changes when emancipated teen Josie (Sophie Turner) moves into the apartment across the way from Hank and begins finishing her senior year at the local high school. The interactions are innocent at first. Josie brings a much-needed breath of fresh air to the sleepy berg, inciting lively conversation and even a cook-out. Then Hank and Josie begin to bond. The optics are a little off though. Hank is a 40-something man living alone, and Josie an independent 18-year old that oozes innocent sensuality.
“Then Hank and Josie begin to bond. The optics are a little off…”
It’s impressive how very subtly writer Anthony Ragnone II introduces conflict. Everything seems totally normal until it’s not and by that point, things are too far gone to save. Josie takes its Texas time meandering through the three-act structure that we’ve come to expect and the effect is actually an interesting thing to see happen in retrospect.
