A Little Prayer

Bill, a Vietnam veteran who has lived in suburban Winston-Salem, North Carolina, for decades with his wife, Venida, confronts the limits of patriarchal power while parenting his adult children, both of whom are experiencing personal difficulties. Their son David, is a PTSD-stricken veteran whom Bill suspects of cheating on his wife Tammy. Tammy and Bill have a special bond for a father and daughter-in-law and appear to completely understand each other, so when he believes his son has strayed, he is at a loss for how to proceed. Meanwhile Patti, their wilder child, unexpectedly arrives with their granddaughter Hadley, having left her opioid-addicted husband Cassius for the third time. Bill’s every thought is consumed by worries about these three adult children. The heartbreak he so desperately wants to spare them from is something he struggles with, as does how to best support them in their challenges. He attempts to maintain his composure in the face of chaos and eventually discovers the limits of patriarchal interference, for better or worse. (Sony Pictures Classics)