Sling Blade

Rated 8.0/10 on IMDb. Academy Award winner for Best Adapted Screenplay. Independent Spirit Award — Best First Feature. Karl Childers is a simple, gentle man who has spent most of his life in a psychiatric hospital since committing a terrible act as a boy. Released back into the world, he finds unexpected belonging in a small Arkansas town — befriending a fatherless boy and his mother. But when the mother's violent, abusive boyfriend enters the picture, Karl is placed on a collision course with his past. Written, directed, and starring Billy Bob Thornton. Free with ads.