Lewellen lives with her stern, religious grandmother, Grannie, who has taken it upon herself to raise the girl, as neither of Lewellen's parents can provide her a stable home. Her father, Lou, loves her and tries to please her, giving her gifts such as Elvis Presley recordings. Although he battles with alcoholism, he tries his best to give Lewellen a stable home. He even tries to provide a motherly figure in Lewellen's life by dating a mysterious girlfriend, Ellen, who promised one night to rescue Lewellen from life in the rural South should the relationship falter. We later learn that Ellen is in fact Lewellen's aunt, her mother's sister.Lewellen is able to maintain her innocence by finding consolation in playing with her best friend Buddy, idling away her last pre-teen summer with typical outdoor rural pastimes such as swimming in the pond and exploring the woods, meeting a new friend, Grasshopper, while spending the summer with her grandparents. Lewellen is enchanted by her idol, Elvis Presley, who is making a homecoming tour in the South. Her town is one of the venue stops. Lewellen finds that singing Elvis' music is a way to channel her trauma into something constructive and creative. Charles (Afemo Omilami) acts as a mentor, imparting wisdom of his snake handler religion to explain this emotional channelling to her â in other words, how to create something positive out of something venomous and deadly.Lewellen is challenged by many problems besides living in a "broken home". Ellen leaves one day and breaks Lewellen's heart, burdening her with the responsibility to be a "mother" despite not having one herself. Her father suffers a terrible accident, and is handicapped to the point of infantile retardation, but the thought of Elvis coming to town gives her the resolve to carry on despite this newest of many traumatic circumstances. Buddy tells Lewellen that Wooden's Boy has an Elvis ticket and is willing to give it to her if she does her Elvis dance for him naked. When she finds out the deal, she questions doing such an act for a moment. She then agrees to do so, Wooden's Boy then unzips his trousers, she asks for her Ticket, but Wooden's Boy then rapes her.The sexual assault causes life-threatening emotional trauma, that manifests as an illness. Her loved ones, Charles and Grannie, are distressed by her sudden decline in health. In fits of feverish illness, she hallucinates she is being attacked by venomous snakes, and she also vomits after church. Enraged by hearing the cause of Lewellen's descent into figurative hell, Charles resolves to rescue his young friend from the depths of despair and tries to help her reclaim her stolen paralyzed voice by encouraging her to sing "Hound Dog". He nurses her back to health. Ellen soon returns to the town to keep her promise to Lewellen. Lewellen bids farewell to her father and departs for a better life with her new mother.
Question: What gift does Lewellen receive from her father?, Answer: Elvis Presley recordings Question: What animals does Charles handle?, Answer: snakes Question: Who leaves Lewellen?, Answer: Ellen. Question: Who does Lou date?, Answer: Ellen Question: Whose father suffers a terrible accident?, Answer: Ellen's. Question: What kind of life will Lewellen have with her mother?, Answer: A better life. Question: Who becomes Lewellen's mentor?, Answer: Charles Question: Who is Lewellen's idol?, Answer: Elvis Presley Question: Who does Lewellen depart with?, Answer: New mother Question: What has caused Lewellen's decline in health?, Answer: A sexual assault. Question: Who tells Lewellen that Wooden's Boy has an Elvis ticket?, Answer: Buddy. Question: What does Charles do?, Answer: Snake handler Question: How does Charles try to rescue Lewellen?, Answer: By encouraging her to sing "Hound Dog". Question: Why does Ellen return to the town?, Answer: To keep her promise to Lewellen. Question: Who rapes Lewellen?, Answer: Wooden's Boy. Question: What time of year is the movie set?, Answer: Summer Question: What is the name of Lewellen's father?, Answer: Lou Question: Who is coming to town?, Answer: Elvis. Question: Who tells Lewellen that Wooden's boy had a ticket?, Answer: Buddy Question: What song does Charles encourage his friend to sing?, Answer: Hound Dog Question: What are some of the symptoms of Lewellen's illness?, Answer: She hallucinates that she is being attacked by snakes and she vomits. Question: What new friend does Lewellen meet?, Answer: Grasshopper Question: What is Charles trying to help Lewellen reclaim by encouraging her to sing "Hound Dog"?, Answer: Her stolen paralyzed voice. Question: Who is handicapped?, Answer: Ellen's father. Question: Who is Lewellen spending her summer with?, Answer: grandparents Question: What caused the emotional trauma?, Answer: Sexual Assault Question: What is the name of the friend Lewellen makes?, Answer: Grasshopper Question: What kind of home is Lewellen living in?, Answer: Broken