Dogwood

Charlie Greene is a 75-year-old man in rural Tennessee who is spending his twilight years driving a school bus and ruminating over the shame of a misspent life. We meet him on a typical morning - he goes through his routine of playing Solitaire at the breakfast table and eating a meal prepared by his wife, Inez, before heading out on his bus route. Everything in Charlie’s life is routine. He is mentally and emotionally alone. During the bus ride that morning, Charlie has a brief confrontation with Head, a juvenile troublemaker. They have a silent exchange in which they stare at each other, and Charlie chooses to drop the issue. He is capable of going further, but he controls himself – he is a recovering scoundrel; a reformed man. While at the grocery store with his wife that evening, Charlie runs into an old acquaintance. When the acquaintance asks Charlie about his daughter, he becomes uncomfortable and explains that he has not heard from her in some time. Later, Charlie refuses to discuss his daughter with Inez. One afternoon, Charlie finds a young boy, Rowan, asleep on his bus after all the other kids have been dropped off. He takes Rowan back to school, buying him a candy bar along the way. The next morning, the school principal, Mr. Murphy, informs Charlie that Rowan has been placed in a foster home on Charlie’s bus route, having been taken out of an abusive situation. Mr. Murphy, an old friend of Charlie’s, asks him to invest in Rowan, to take him fishing, let him help out with chores at his farm, etc. Charlie explains to Inez that he will refuse Mr. Murphy’s request to spend time with Rowan, as he is not “the best feller for something like that.” That afternoon, Charlie drops Rowan off at his foster home, and sees that he is a latchkey kid. Charlie does some research on Rowan, visiting the neighborhood he came from and seeing firsthand what a treacherous place it is. Feeling sorry for him, Charlie has a change of heart. Charlie takes Rowan fishing, and then brings him back to his house for dinner. Charlie and Rowan begin spending time together frequently. They go fishing, attend church, and carry out chores on Charlie’s farm. Rowan helps Charlie look in on his shut-in neighbor, an old lady named Stella. Mr. Murphy approaches Charlie and asks how the time with Rowan is going. Charlie answers enthusiastically and is encouraged by Mr. Murphy to continue investing in the boy. When Stella dies suddenly, Charlie explains to Rowan the legend of the Dogwood tree, a fable of redemption. Charlie reveals to Rowan that he has an estranged daughter, and explains that his behavior as an alcoholic years before led to the estrangement. The local Department of Children and Families locates Rowan’s next-of-kin, a distant relative who lives several hours away. The department decides to relocate Rowan to live permanently with this relative, which means he will be unable to spend time with Charlie any longer. Charlie meets with the Department of Children and Families and expresses his desire to adopt Rowan, a request that is quickly denied. Charlie has another confrontation with Head, the troublemaker, and loses control of himself in front of Rowan and the other children on the school bus. This illuminates his initial instinct that he is ill-equipped to take care of a child. Charlie reveals to Inez his denied request to adopt Rowan. He visits the house of his daughter and sits outside in his truck, not permitted to come in. Charlie drives Rowan to his new home, and the two of them share a heartbreaking goodbye. When Charlie comes back several weeks later to visit Rowan, the relative turns him away, citing knowledge of Charlie’s past and the reasons for his estrangement with his daughter. Charlie drives away from Rowan’s new house, watching Rowan chase his truck down the street. Nine years later, Rowan visits Charlie’s house, not having seen him since the day his appointed guardian turned Charlie away. He reflects on the time they spent together, and then searches the property until he finds a headstone with Charlie’s name and date of death engraved.