| Director | Jeffrey Blake Palmer |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
The story begins in Boston, Massachusetts in the dead of winter, where Emma (Mela Hudson) picks up a young woman named Judy (Tori Hall), for a ride share to Western Massachusetts so that Judy can surprise her girlfriend Helen (Lauren Kirby), and Emma can hopefully score some money from her mother Brenda (Jane Harte). The two women begin their journey listening to mix tapes, and forcing small talk. Emma hits a pothole on the highway and the glove compartment opens to reveal a gun. Judy becomes extremely uncomfortable and confronts Emma about the weapon. Emma tells Judy that she has to protect herself due to the fact that she lives in her car, and the two get into an argument. The argument dwindles down as the car's check engine light comes on and forces them to stop for a while.
They sit down at a Panera Bread, and Emma tries to call her mother, but there is no answer. As they finish their meals and head back to the car, Judy offers to look under the hood to see what is causing it to overheat. She explains that the car needs oil and coolant, and offers to chip in for this as payment for the ride. As Judy walks off, Emma tries her mother again, but there is still no answer.
As they continue driving towards their destinations, now with heat in the car, they celebrate and Emma expresses her gratitude. Their relationship improves and they become closer to each other. But as Emma arrives in front of Helen's apartment, and says goodbye to her new friend, she is overwhelmed with the feeling of loneliness once again.
Judy quietly sneaks through the door and sits down at the dining room table as she listens to her girlfriend sing in the shower. Without warning, another voice can be heard. Judy suddenly realizes that Helen is being unfaithful and Judy decides to exact her revenge on an oversize Teddy Bear, hacking its head off with a kitchen knife. She arranges the bear's head, along with an upside down box of baked goods she brought as a gift, on the table and leaves.
Emma arrives at her mother's motel where she takes a swig of an alcoholic beverage, and smokes a cigarette before trying the door. When her mother doesn't answer after a moment of knocking, Emma decides to crawl through the window. Once inside, she finds her mother's cellphone on the nightstand, and then proceeds to rummage through her belongings in hopes of finding money. But an unexpected twist awaits her in the bathroom. As she turns the corner, her mother lies on the floor, a victim of a heroine overdose. Emma crumbles and falls to the floor, sobbing and trying to convince herself that her mother is just unconscious. After a moment of screaming for her mother to wake up, she leaves the motel room. Back in her car, she makes a phone call and sirens can be heard in the distance. Afterwards, Emma joins Judy at a cafe and they console each other.
Moments later they sit by a bridge and discuss throwing Emma's gun into the creek below. She steps up to the railing and throws the gun in the water. Emma rejoins Judy in the car and they decide to drive down south and get "umbrella drinks".