The desert's for starting over

Een heel mooie monoloog uit de voor de rest eigenlijk nogal slappe film "25th hour". Een man weet dat hij de volgende dag naar de gevangenis moet en zijn vader raadt hem aan om te vluchten. Onderduiken en opnieuw beginnen. En já, ik ben zo nerdy geweest om de hele tekst uit te schrijven met behulp van de rewind- en starttoets van de videospeler.

"We'll drive and keep driving, to the middle of nowhere, take that road as far as it takes us. You've never been west of Philly, have you? This is a beautiful country, Monty. It's beautiful out there, looks like a different world. Mountains, hills, cows, farms, and white churches.

I drove out west with your mother one time, before you was born. Brookland to the Pacific in three days. Just enough money for gas, sandwiches, and coffee. But we made it. Every man, woman, and child alive should see the desert one time before they die. Nothing at all for miles around. Nothing but sand, and rocks, and cactuses and blue sky. Not a soul in sight. No sirens, no car alarms, nobody honking at you, no madmen cursing or pissing on the streets. You'll find the silence out there. You'll find the peace. You can find God.

So we drive west. Keep driving till we find a nice little town. These towns out in the desert, you know why they got there? People wanted to get away from somewhere else. The desert's for starting over. Find a bar and I'll buy us drinks. One last whiskey with my boy. Take our time with it, taste the barley, let it linger. And then I'll go. I'll tell you: "Don't ever write me. Don't ever come visit." I'll tell you I believe in God's kingdom and I believe I'll be with you again and your mother but not in this lifetime.

You get a job somewhere, a job that pays cash, a boss who doesn't ask questions and you make a new life and you never come back. Monty, peoply like you, it's a gift. You make friends wherever you go. You work hard. You gonna keep your head down and your mouth shut. You gonna make yourself a new home out there. You'll miss your friends, you'll miss your dog. But you're strong. You got your mother's backbone in you. You're strong like she was. You forget your old life. You can't come back. You can't call. You can't write. You'll never look back. You'll make a new life for yourself and you'll live it, you hear me? Give them a good life, Monty. You'll have a son. Maybe you'll name him James, it's a good, strong name.

And maybe, one day, years from now, long after I'm dead and gone, reunited with your dear mother, you gather your whole family together and tell them the truth. Who you are and where you come from. Tell them the whole story. And then you'll tell them how lucky they are to be there. They all came so close to never happening. This life came some close to never happening."