Wind River
written by Taylor Sheridan
Cory Lambert (Jeremy Renner): I'd like to tell you it gets easier. it doesn't. If there's any... comfort, it's... getting used to the pain, I suppose. Went to a grief seminar in Casper. Did you know that? I don't know why. Just wanted the bad to go away. Wanted answers... to questions that couldn't be answered. The counselor come up to me after the seminar and sat down next to me. And he said something that stuck with me. I don't know if it's what he said, or how he said it. He says, "I got some good news, and I got some bad news. Bad news is you're never gonna be the same. You're never gonna be whole, not ever again. You lost your daughter. Nothing's ever going to replace that. Now the good news is, as soon as you accept that, and you let yourself suffer... you allow yourself to visit her in your mind, and you'll remember all the love she gave you, all the joy she knew." Point is, Martin, you can't steer from the pain. If you do, you'll rob yourself... You'll rob yourself of every memory of her. Every last one. From her first step to her last smile. Kill 'em all. Just take the pain, Martin. You hear me? You take it. It's the only way you'll keep her with you.
Cory Lambert: You want to know how, don't you? Jane Banner (Elizabeth Olsen): I do, but... Cory Lambert: Makes two of us. I was, uh, working as, uh, an outfitter in Pinedale, and there was a big snow. So I found myself with a rare night off. So I go to a motel, call the wife and say, "Why don't you come up and stay for the night?" And when you got two... two kids and you're on the mountain half the year, it's... you don't get much time together. So we had Emily look after Casey. He was five at the time. She was 16.
I guess word got out that we were out of town. So some school friends came over. Then some more friends. Then, uh... and then some people came over that weren't friends. So a little gathering turned into quite the party, I guess. Then, uh... I don't know. You know, there's a lot I don't know. Got that phone call the next morning. (clears throat) From Natalie. Saying that Emily was missing. She was worried, naturally. They were best friends. You know, we tried to be very careful with Emily. Tried to plan for everything. She was such a good girl. But we let our guard down. Really, I tell you, you know, you may have kids one day. You cannot blink. Not once, not ever. (sniffles)
There was a guy moving sheep over by the Wind River. He's the one who found her. Some 20 miles from our house. They don't know how she got there or what happened. Autopsy couldn't tell us much, 'cause the coyotes got at her pretty good...
You know, I'm-I'm sor... I'm sorry, it's not... I'm sorry. (shuddering breath)