River of Grass 1995

Cozy is a disenchanted housewife in her thirties, grappling with a profound sense of emotional disconnection from her children. She resides with her father, Jimmy, a somewhat morose crime scene investigator who faces challenges at work, particularly when his boorish boss suspends him for losing his firearm.

Eager for a change, Cozy decides to dress up and ventures out to a bar, where she encounters Lee, a carefree and immature individual lacking ambition. Their meeting takes a wild turn when Lee buys her a drink and persuades her to break into a friend’s house to swim in the pool. During this reckless adventure, he shows her a gun he claims was found carelessly left behind by someone. As they are fooling around with the weapon, they inadvertently attract the attention of the pool’s owner, leading to a chaotic moment where the gun accidentally discharges.

In a panicked state, Cozy and Lee assume they have committed murder and promptly go on the run to evade the consequences. Their escapades take a humorous yet troubling path, including small-time antics such as stealing vinyl records from Lee’s grandmother to cover their fuel costs. While Lee occasionally contemplates committing a serious offense, he ultimately backs out at each turn. One such instance occurs when he opts against robbing a store, only for another individual to do so moments later. Although the thrill of their fugitive lifestyle initially excites Cozy, her feelings of ennui continue to linger.

When Lee mentions having bus tickets to New York, Cozy’s interest is piqued; however, unbeknownst to her, Lee secretly returns these tickets, leaving them both stranded in Florida. The situation becomes more complicated when a police forensics lab traces the gun back to Jimmy, raising the stakes for both Cozy and Lee. Eventually, Lee discovers that the supposed victim is still alive but chooses to withhold this crucial information from Cozy. The police, on the other hand, weigh the option of issuing an APB for the duo, though without a victim, they do not prioritize the case. As Jimmy uses his influence to convince his colleagues to delay their search, Cozy’s sense of dread begins to wane.

One day, when a police officer pulls Lee over at a toll station but merely issues a warning, Cozy’s realization dawns on her: they aren’t in fact wanted for murder. However, the situation escalates when Lee attempts to clarify his prior deceit, resulting in Cozy shooting him in a moment of confusion and driving away. The film concludes with Cozy caught in traffic, a poignant end to her chaotic journey.