Some Folks Call it a Sling Blade

"Some Folks Call it a Sling Blade" is a short film directed by George Hickenlooper and starring Billy Bob Thornton, Molly Ringwald, and J. T. Walsh. It was adapted into the feature film Sling Blade, also starring Thornton, that was critically acclaimed and won Thornton the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. Thornton plays Karl Childers, a mentally retarded man who has been in a mental hospital for the past 25 years for murdering his mother and her lover. On the day of his release, he is interviewed by a reporter, Theresa Tatum (Molly Ringwald), who is writing her article with the intent of examining whether criminals judged to be insane should be released. Before the interview, Tatum is of the opinion that criminals like...