[Reggae music playing]
♪♪
Benny? Ben?
Hi, honey.
Honey, I'm going to go on the booze cruise
with my friend Trevor in 20 minutes.
I'm sorry, but they don't let minors on board, okay?
It should just be for an hour,
and I'll meet you right back here.
Don't wander off, okay?
Fine. Love you.
[Music playing over headphones]
♪♪
This place is truly a paradise.
Who could ask for better weather?
Was that your mother?
Why?
She'll be back soon, so don't try anything funny.
[Chuckles] You think I'm some kind of a perv?
No, nothing of the sort.
Quite frankly, though, I am fond of both genders.
I take great delight in the P.
Legal aged P, I might add.
What are you listening to?
Run DMC.
You seem pretty astute in popular culture.
You know Black culture?
Yeah.
That's good. That's good.
One should know his enemy better than his enemy knows himself.
That's from "The Art of War" by Sun Tzu.
It's a mandatory read for my mentees.
Mentees? Yes.
I'm here on business,
conducting some recruiting, so to speak.
Where's your father?
I don't see him much,
not since him and my mom got divorced.
He has a new family,
two little kids and a Labrador named Max.
That's too bad, kid. I'm sorry to hear it.
What's your name?
I'm Ben.
[Music playing over headphones]
Ben. Hey. I'm sorry.
I'm just getting some work done.
You okay? No, I'm not okay.
[Tearfully] Nothing is okay.
They killed him. Who?
They killed Thaddeus.
Sarah found out last night.
[Sniffles] Sarah...
I need you to tell me exactly what you know.
What happened?
It's okay. I told him everything.
♪♪
[Birds chirping]
[Ominous music playing]
♪♪
Venus, are you sure Thaddeus is dead?
I looked at him with my own two eyes.
He's with the ancestors.
Whoever Thaddeus told, he knew that person would talk.
We're not safe here.
What the hell are we going to do?
We have no guns, no manpower.
Listen, many of you are of Haitian descent.
The same blood as Terror.
The same blood as Toussaint Louverture,
the leader of the Haitian Revolution
when they defeated the mighty and powerful France
and their leader, Napoleon.
Our African ancestors fought them with rocks, glass,
and their bare hands.
Theirancestors were our greatest weapons.
True, but that was a long time ago.
Weneed guns.
What are they doing here?
Oh, Celia. I'm sorry.
I'm sorry about Thaddeus and your son.
We just want to help.
Hendrix is my friend, Ms. Celia.
Celia, they're here to help.
They're one of us.
They are notone of us.
They can come and go as they please.
This family was sent here for a reason.
Their ancestors led them here.
Venus...
where were those mystical ancestors
and our powers when they murdered Thaddeus?
♪♪
I apologize for disturbing this sacred moment, sir,
but I have some alarming news.
They're striking, sir, in protests of the young man --
the cooks, the cleaning staff, they're revolting.
And many of our guests are leaving.
How would you like to proceed?
Do you know what your job is, Freeman?
Yes. Yes I do, sir.
I am your eyes and ears in the field.
To protect the peace under attack by any means possible.
In chess, we call that protecting.
You must always be two,
even three moves ahead of your opponent at all times.
It keeps you from making desperate decisions.
Right? Yes.
Now, who's causing this ruckus?
There is one in particular, sir.
I believe my initial concerns have come to fruition.
They call her Venus, and my insiders tells me
she has taken a liking to the DuVernays,
particularly the daughter.
And she was close friends with Michelle.
She is the instigator.
She is the one inspiring the others to revolt.
Venus...
You let a woman like that get too loud,
it enables them to quickly and easily cause shame,
and you'll never see it coming,
because you'll underestimate them.
That piece of candy that you've been wiggling
in front of their face for so long?
Mm-hmm. It's no longer sweet.
And that's the moment they decide to strike
and get their power back.
♪♪
Neutralize the situation.
Bring the Messiah to me.
And, Freeman...
cut the cell tower.
Tell our guests that we're having some Wi-Fi issues
and undergoing some maintenance.
Yes, sir.
♪♪
Thank you guys for showing up.
You know how important this is for us
and I'm so glad that you showed up.
You know, we've got to let them know
that they can't just treat us any kind of way.
You know, we're more than just staff.
Another person joining the cause.
We're glad to see you.
Yeah.
I was just letting them know this is a great first step.
Okay. Okay? So n--
[Siren chirps]
Are we ready for this?
Don't worry.
♪♪
Oh, my God.
♪♪
You've all been instructed to return back to work immediately.
This is the man who killed Thaddeus in cold blood.
I witnessed it with my own eyes.
This man right here.
If you don't shut your fat lips,
I'm gonna give you something to scream about.
You think that you could talk to me any kind of way
because you have a badge?
I am not afraid of you.That's it.
You're under arrest. Hand behind your back.
[Indistinct yelling]
Stand down!
Stand down. If you don't stand down,
you're all gonna be arrested and deported.
Get down.
[Indistinct yelling]
Stop resisting!
You're gonna kill her, please!
[Indistinct yelling continues]
You can't do that with a police officer -- resisting!
Stop resisting.
-Please.
Stop resisting.What are you doing?
You can't do this! Get up! What are you doing?!
You cannot do that! Get off of her!
Back the fuck up!
-Everybody calm down. -Stop resisting!
We're not going anywhere. She is not resisting.
Back the fuck up!We are here at Lake Levi.
Stand down!
Get off of her!
Piece of shit!
Back the fuck up!
[Indistinct yelling continues]
I know who you are.
♪♪
She's not resisting!
Get off of her!
The world is gonna -- Touch me if you want.
Touch me if you want to. I dare you.
And I'm gonna do everything in my power
to make sure the world sees this, you piece of shit.
Get out of here!
Don't you look at my daughter. You better get out of here.
Touch me if you want to!
It's okay. It's okay.
It's okay, sweetheart.
♪♪
Mommy, she's not moving.
This wasn't supposed to happen.
She's not moving. -Venus.
Venus, please wake up.
I'm so sorry. Please. Venus.
Why?
It wasn't supposed to happen like this.
I know, baby. I know, baby.
It's okay.
[Knock on door]
[Laughing]
Wow.
Wow!
So this is how the rich folk live?
[Chuckles]
Yeah.
This is one hell of an apartment.
I wonder who paid for it.
[Both laugh]
My, oh, my, oh, my.
You truly never cease to amaze me.
You are the ideal cadet for our mission.
What we got here? Books.
"Black Reconstruction in America"
and "The Souls of Black Folk,"
both by W.E.B. Du Bois.
Yes, they're reading assignments for class.
[Inhales deeply]
They're quite the breed of people, aren't they?
Now, I am so excited
to see you ascend so quickly.
Your instructors have told me that you have excelled
exponentially.
Hey, tell me about that -- that missionary trip
that you did in Ethiopia.
Oh, sir, it was amazing.
You know, many argue it's the birthplace of modern man
and the original Garden of Eden.
I don't mean to be rude, Ben,
but I got a -- I got a schedule here,
so I do need to talk to you about this accident report
that concerns your mother's passing.
It appeared that it was just a faulty wiring
connected to the boat.
What about all the people who said it was a bomb?
Those people are Jamaicans,
and they're warm and lovely people,
but they tend to be dramatic, Ben.
No, it was a very thorough investigation.
It was an accidental death. I'm sorry, son.
[Pats leg]
[Clears throat] Look, Ben.
Things are changing rapidly, okay?
They are trying to change the 1991 Civil Rights Act.
They're trying to pass that.
And that will ensure that your children
will not get equal protection under the law.
Ben, they're coming for us.
They're coming for our jobs, our way of life.
Anything they get their little Black, slimy hands on.
What?
If I were to play devil's advocate,
they were promised land and resources
and equal protection as Americans
under the 14th amendment.
Doesn't that mean anything to you?
Young man, it's about survival.
Do you know who and what you are?
You are becoming a novelty, an endangered species.
The white American male is diminishing.
They're fading off from the --
I don't mean to lecture you, Ben,
but who plucked you out of obscurity?
Huh? Who took care of you?
Who mentored you?
Man, you are like a son to me.
Have I not been like a father to you?
Yes, sir, you are, but...
But what?
Is there something wrong with admiring
and respecting a group of people
who have faced an insurmountable level of injustice,
and yet still remain resilient?
I mean, is it not admirable? I...
I mean, the --
the contribution to society in all facets.
Ben, you will soon learn
the hard truths of this world.
Now, your instructors inform me
that you're ready for phase one of your combat training.
Combat train-- Sir, if I recall,
I didn't sign up for the military.
The organization has mentored me tremendously
with my studies and my pursuit
for a PhD in African American studies.
But what role does combat training
play in me becoming a professor?
My precious Ben, how naive you are.
When that day arrives and it will come sooner than later,
we will need all hands on deck.
And those...academics, they will not have the luxury
of sitting their elitist asses on the sidelines.
You get that?
I guess.
You guess.
Do you play golf? No, sir.
Oh, come on, Ben, that's blasphemy.
Hey, I'll get us a tee time for Friday.
I'll take care of everything. We good?
Okay.Alright.
We'll smoke a cigar on Friday?
-Okay. -Good.
I'll give you a call.
[Door opens]
[Door closes]
[Birds chirping]
You know, Jacob, you're a really smart kid.
How did you get so good at fishing?
Me and my dad always went.
It was his favorite thing to do.
Is it weird fishing with me?
No. Not really.
Can I ask you a question?Yeah.
Was your daddy as cool as you?
No.
My dad left my mom and I when I was 11.
Oh. I'm sorry.
No, no, you should not have done that.
That is not okay.
I cannot believe you snuck out there without me.
You could have gotten hurt or worse.
What if I hadn't shown up?!
Mom, this is such bullshit.
No! Watch your mouth.What is going on?
They tried to kill Venus in broad daylight.
Are you kidding me? What were you doing over there?
I thought we agreed it was best to stay by the house.
Are you serious?
Ben, what the hell are you talking about?
A woman almost dies, and that's all you have to say?
You know, you're always talking about
the Black plight in America.
But now that it's actually time for action,
you want to play dumb. Very hypocritical, Ben.
Please don't take that tone with me.
Hey, hey, hey, everybody calm down.
I just came home to drop Sarah off.
I need to get back out there and make sure she's okay.
Mom, please don't go back out there.
Will you listen to your son?
Clearly, he's the only one thinking straight.
Wow. Okay, look, Mom, if you're going back,
I need to go with you. I can help you.
I saw the fear in those rangers' eyes. Okay?
What -- What are you talking about?
There's a way things have to be, Ben.
Some of us were ordained by God to keep order.
We were chosen.
Wait. So if you all are ordained,
what does that make me?Oh, my God, enough of this.
Okay, you two, back in the house.
You're not my dad.
You don't get to tell me what to do.
Sarah. Baby, please go. Mom...
Go. Go now.
Whatever.
Now, Ben, I understand that you are frustrated,
but you do not --What, Janice?
I've been saying we need
to get out of here, okay? For their safety
and to clear our minds and figure out
exactly what is happening here.
We need to leave already. This isn't worth it.
It is to me.
Ben, this property is my inheritance.
This is for my children and my children's children.
Sarah's right. We are called.
I don't know how else to explain that to you.
I can't do it anymore. I am staying.
Now, whether or not you want to stay is up to you.
What do you want to do?
Why do you insist on being so hard-headed?
Hard-headed?
Mom? Are you guys okay?
Yes. Hard-headed.
You think you know everything, but I'm telling you, you don't.
Okay? You know about as much as a cockapoo.
What the hell did you just call me?
It's a parrot owl.
They're considered to be
the top dumbest animals in the world.
Wow.
Ben: That's not...So now I'm a dumb bird?
No, honey. I'm sorry.
That's what you think of your wife?
I'm sorry. That's not what I -- Fuck you.
Jacob: Okay, guys, can we please stop fighting?
We're a family.
No. No, Jacob.
You guys are a family.
I don't think I've ever been a part of this family,
nor will I ever be.
Your mother has made that very clear.
And whatever mission you guys are on,
it's evident I'm not a part of it.
♪♪
[Hip-hop music playing]
♪♪
[Indistinct yelling]
♪♪
[Cellphone ringing]
What's up?
Infant, baby, how are you?
I'm good. What's up?
Don't you think you're being a bit hasty?
No. Well, hey, I got love
for the both of you.
I mean, I'm the one who put you together, right?
I don't give a fuck.
Okay, uh, maybe she took things too far.
If -- If this whole thing was a hoax...
Nigga, fuck Chee Chee.
I'm done.
[Sighs] Fine.
Case closed. I won't bring it back up.
But, dude, you're overthinking shit.
No, I'm not overthinking shit.
Oh, these beats...
they're just making me angry.
I don't know, man. It's creepy.
And I'm still fucked up about that kid
shooting up that school.
Listen, you are not responsible
for some loony kid
who happens to listen to your music
and goes off and shoots up a school.
That's the thing, bro. I amresponsible.
I'm connected to everything I put out.
I'm not tormenting my soul anymore.
I'm responsible for everything I think
and put into the universe.
Man, this shit's starting to feel
like some Illuminati shit.
What the fuck is going on?
Dude? What's with the Deepak shit?
You want to be a monk now? Listen. Infant --
Nigga, don't call me "Infant" no more.
I'm a grown-ass man.
You know what? You're fired.
Are you sure you want to do thi--
♪♪
[Cellphone rings]
[Sighs]
I was unable to pull him back.
He's gone.
Yes. He's going AWOL.
[Call ends]
♪♪
[Children screaming]
♪♪
[School bell rings]
Enjoy your weekend.
[Gunfire, children screaming]
♪♪
[Door slams][Janice whimpers]
[Footsteps approaching]
[Floorboard creaks]
[Creaking continues]
Young man: Come out, Mrs. DuVernay.
I know you're there.
[Sniffles]
♪♪
Nashawn.
No. No, you cannot save them, Miss DuVernay.
They don't see me like you do.
I am tired of being picked on
and beat on and laughed at
and outcasted.
It's already too late.
You don't have to do this.
I'm sorry, Miss DuVernay.
♪♪
[Gun cocks, thuds]
[Gasps]
[Breathing heavily]
Please.
Man: 911. What's your emergency?
[Insects chirping]
♪♪
[Birds squawking loudly]
♪♪
[Gunshot]
Everybody up against the wall! Wake the fuck up!
Everybody against the wall. Wake up.
Wake up!
Up against the wall.
Get up! Move!
Get the fuck up against the wall!
Line up now! Line the fuck up!
Up against the fucking wall!
Where is she?
Where is she?!
I will kill... every last one of you.
Where is she?!
♪♪
[Gunshots]
[Bird squawks loudly]
[Gunshots continue]
Man: I know where she is.
♪♪
This is our break room over here.
Oh, Janice. Hey.
Ben, this is Janice DuVernay.
She is one of our best teachers here.
And she happens to be my best friend.
She teaches science.
Janice, this is Ben Cheatham, right?
That's correct. Yes. Okay. Today is his first day.
I'm orienting him around,
and he's gonna be teaching African-American studies.
Interesting.
Um...Janice.
Yes. Nice to meet you.
Yeah, I get that look a lot.
It's nice to meet you as well, Janice.
Yes.Okay.
You go ahead and have your lunch, and we'll circle back
in, like, an hour or so. Okay? Great.
Alright. Cool. Enjoy. Thanks.
Excuse me, Janice?
Would you mind if I join you?
Oh, no. Please.
[Knocking on door]
[Knocking continues]
Man: Janice DuVernay!
[Knocking continues]
Janice DuVernay, I need to speak with you.
What are you doing here?
You scared the shit out of us.
There's no time. We need to leave at once.
You and your family are not safe here.
Are you out of your mind?
Miss DuVernay, there is no easy way to say this.
Your life and your family's life
is in danger.
The kidnapping, the protests, the deaths.
This place is a powder keg.
They know who you are, and they're coming for you.
And you don't want to be here when they arrive.
Jacob: Uh, Mom.
Baby, not now, Jacob.
Who's coming for us?
If Papa Dean hadn't told you,
they call themselves The System.
They're the descendants of those
who murdered your ancestors
and took over what was then known as Freeman Lake.
They're a dangerous and powerful organization.
And they will stop at nothing to destroy you.
But... I don't understand.
You and my grandfather said to stand my ground,
to stand firm.
And now you're telling me to run?
Papa said that you would take care of us
even if it meant your life.
I did.
Of course, I would.
But there have been some unforeseen chain of events
and it's just no longer safe.
Besides, you won't have to leave the grounds.
There is a new-construction built home
in the underdeveloped section of Lake Levi.
I've written out directions to it.
Follow the directions exactly as they are written.
Don't deviate.
They'll take you directly to the house.
Now, the key is under the third gnome statue
on the left side of the driveway.
You'll be safe there until we sort this out.
And then I'll return for you.
This is crazy.
I just -- I don't --
What about Ben? He doesn't know where --
I'll find your husband and I'll bring him back to you,
I promise. But for now,
you and the children must leave
before it is too late.
♪♪
Man over radio: We have a sighting of the suspect.
♪♪
Woman: Get back! Back! Get back! Get back!
Get back, get back!
Get back! Stay away!
Get back!
Get back! Back!
[Panting]
Back! Get back! Stay away!
Get back! Back!
♪♪
Sarah: We're coming up on this turn, Mom.
You need to slow down. Okay.
GPS is saying that when we get to the next fork,
you need to stay left. Okay? Okay, good.
Mom, there's something I need to tell you.
What is it, Jacob?
I'm trying to concentrate on the road.
The man at the house.
There's something funny with him.
Who? That's just it.
I'm not really sure, but I think I saw him arguing with Ben.
I wanted to tell you, but --
Mom, you need to slow down. Okay?
We're coming up on the turn, and GPS is saying stay left.
Okay? You have to stay turned to the left. Okay.
Mom, stop! You're gonna hit her!
Who? Mom, stop!
Baby, what is it?
What is it? Oh, my God. You have to stop!
Aah!
[Car crashes]
[Steam hissing]
♪♪
Mom. Sarah.
Sarah, please.
Mom! [Crying] Mom, wake up.
Mom, please. Please.
Oh.
Mom, please wake up.
Mom! Sarah. Sarah.
Sarah, you okay? Yeah.
-Mom? -Mom.
Jacob: Mom.
♪♪
Hey, wait! No! You have to help us.
You did this. You have to fix this.
You have to fix her. Wait. No!
Fix who?
No. Wait. No, no, no. You have to help us. Please.
Wait.
Mom, please wake up.
Please. You have to be okay.
What are you doing?
♪♪
Mom?
♪♪
Mom. Mom, we're here. Mom, we're here.
Them kill Bob Marley!
[Speaks indistinctly]
Wow, that's truly tragic.
Well, young man, I should get going.
Truly was a pleasure to meet you. Ben?
Ben Cheatham.
What an irony.
Do you know who Ben Cheatham is?
Ben Cheatham was a leader in the Confederate Army.
And here you are, a young man named after him
on the island of Jamaica,
listening to Run-D.M.C. and Bob Marley.
He must be doing somersaults in his grave.
You'll be hearing from me soon enough, Ben Cheatham.
How? You don't know where I live.
Don't worry, son, I'll find you.
Wait. What's your name?
The name is Charles Marshall.
It's a pleasure to meet you, Ben.
You too.
[Sighs]
[Cellphone rings]
It's done.
Good.
But I'm afraid all is not done.
You see, your family is still alive.
They survived the accident.
No, I-I thought Freeman took care of it.
I am so disappointed in you, Ben.
From the time you were just a little boy
left to fend for yourself in the beaches of Jamaica...
no father,
a mother who leaves you for some --
some local Mandingo.
And I come in and I rescue you.
I take you under my wing, and I mentor you.
And I give you purpose.
Sir, I have no influence over her.
You know, I'm not sure I ever did.
She doesn't listen to me.
Ben...
the patriarch of this family was removed
to avoid any strong influence or structure.
You were then placed in a cell to simply monitor
and isolate her, nothing more.
All that was required of you
was to distract her from her identity,
her true identity.
And if I wanted this type of fiasco,
we would have kept her mother alive.
And her grandfather wouldn't be ailing
from some mystery illness, would he?
Distraction serves as our greatest weapon, Ben.
But, no.
Here you are teaching a stepson
fucking swimming lessons.
♪♪
I've got to ask you a question, son.
Have you turned?
Are you in love with her?
Well, I can't let you off that easy, boy.
You see, the DuVernays will not infiltrate my territory.
I am the steward of this land.
I don't care how you do it.
I want them dead.
Every last one of them.
Mother, daughter, son.
You got 24 hours.
Am I clear?
Yes, Lord Admiral.
Copy.
♪♪