Genre: Drama
Director: Lena Dunham
Writer: Sammy-Jo Ellis
Cast: Jenna Ortega, Ben Barnes, Lena Dunham, Yuliya Snigir
Plot: Sara (Jenna Ortega) steps onto the sidewalk as one of the two large doors behind her closes. She appears adrift, calm. She has a cremation urn cradled in one hand, a skateboard in the other. The urn is ornate, scarlet in colour, but it has a length of packing tape going up and over the top, securing the lid. Across the street she spots a homeless woman, picking through rubbish. The woman and Sara lock eyes, a vacant loneliness is in the woman’s stare. Sara can’t look away. The woman simply moves on. Sara sets the urn down on the sidewalk, takes off her backpack and unzips the top. A laptop is pushed aside before the urn is zipped in. Sara puts her earphones in before throwing her skateboard onto the road, and the board becomes part of her. She effortlessly glides on the street.
Sara sits inside an office, across from her deceased mother’s lawyer, Natalie (Lena Dunham). Stern and to the point, she reaches across her desk and places paperwork in front of Sara. The letterhead is visible. It reads, ‘McCormack and Langstrom. Estates and Wills.’ Natalie tells Sara that there is an estate, but there is one condition. Sara shakes her head, she’s already had enough. Natalie tells her that her mother’s ashes will need to be spread at an ancient Greek theatre. Sara is incredulous, asking her to repeat. Natalie repeats it, saying that its fitting for a lifelog theatre actor, she’s heard weirder demands. Sara is taken back asking if this is another test, Natalie shakes her head. Sara struggles to contain her frustration. Then bursting out of her chair. In a huff, Sara grabs the paperwork from the desk, picks up her backpack, her skateboard, and bolts for the door. Natalie yells after her that she will need physical evidence.
Sara skates down a street noticing a pack of teenagers smoking and talking. She stares at them while riding. She doesn’t need a pack, Sara is a lone wolf.
Skateboard in hand, Sara presses the buzzer for an apartment. No answer. She buzzes again. Still no answer. Sara pulls her phone from her back pocket and pulls up “Henry” in her contacts. She puts the phone to her ear. The buzzer for the door goes off, so she proceeds into the apartment lobby.
Sara stands in front of a door at the end of the hall. She pushes the door open, hesitates for a moment, then steps inside. Sara walks into a well-kept apartment, sets her skateboard up against a wall. There’s no one to greet her, so she walks in further, making note of what she sees. A weakness for literature thrives. Books of all sizes are piled here and there. The furnishings and art, on the other hand, suggest the occupant is cultured. Stopping at the dining room table, Sara sees the door to the balcony is open. The blinds on a large adjacent window are almost closed, however a figure of a man can be seen standing on the balcony. Sara sets her backpack on a chair and walks to the door. She steps onto the balcony but stays close to the doorway. Sara stares at her father, Henry (Ben Barnes), he smokes a cigarette and doesn’t look back at his daughter. “I’m all you have left, is it?” his British accent, cold. Sara says nothing and watches her father take the final drag of his cigarette before butting it into the ashtray. Henry looks back to Sara, a look of sincerity, he tells her that he didn’t think it wise to attend the ceremony. Sara continues saying the theatre was her real family anyway. Sara looks out beyond the balcony. Henry senses an opportunity to play the host, possibly extend Sara’s stay. Before he can say anything, Sara turns to him saying she needs three grand. He says that he knew it, he knew this little visit was more than that. He questions what she wants it for, she tells him of her mother’s final wish. Henry stunned, looks to the ground before telling her he’ll think on it.
Sara’s eyes drift inside the apartment. A beautiful woman (Yuliya Snigir) stands, one towel around her torso and another twisted around her hair. Sara’s face burns with betrayal. She looks back at her father with disgust then bolts from the balcony. Sara grabs her backpack and hurries to the front door. She won’t dignify the woman with another glance. The towelled woman gestures ‘what’s up’ with her hands to Henry. Henry sneers at her while in pursuit of his daughter. Sara grabs her skateboard and exits the apartment. The door is left wide open. Henry follows her, pleading... He says that she tried to kick her out but she just won’t leave. Sara doesn’t believe him. Sara pushes the elevator buttons, not looking at her father. When he pleads again she turns, “You’re a fine example, you know that? My father, the brilliant professor. Would have made Dean if he kept his dick in his pants.” He continues to try, but Sara won’t hear it. The elevator doors open, and Sara steps inside. Henry becomes more desperate. Henry’s whole body pleads for Sara’s understanding. It’s not forthcoming. Sara steps forward, presses the ground floor button. Stepping back, she stares through her father’s pleas. Sara demand he let the door go, Henry, heartbroken steps back. The doors start to close, again, Henry sticks his hand in the way, “Take me with you.” A glimmer of hope brightens Henry’s desperate eyes. Sara laughs. Henry is in unfamiliar territory, he tells her that she was the best thing that happened to him, nothing can top her. Sara just stares at her father. He begs her to take him, he will pay it all, no need to pay him back. Sara keeps staring, appears unmoved. An extended beat is followed by Henry’s head dropping. He straightens his posture, steps back and lets the doors go. Henry turns, takes a step to walk away, but then he freezes. A hand protrudes the two elevator doors behind him. Henry slowly turns around. The elevator doors open fully, but Sara doesn’t emerge. Henry endures another extended beat before his daughter steps out into the hallway. Staring straight ahead, her voice demanding... “She Leaves Today”
Something amazing sweeps through Henry’s heart. He waits for his daughter to confirm the chance at a new relationship. Sara joins her father’s side, and they slowly make their way down the hallway. The silence is broken by Henry asking if Sara can kick her out instead, Sara begins walking back to the elevator with Henry saying he’s joking.
Sara stands, arms crossed, near the dining room table. Her face is filled with conviction, as she oversees the exit of the formerly-towelled woman. The woman emerges from the bedroom hallway, suitcase, bag, and purse in hand. She pauses and tries to stare down Sara, uttering the word, bitch, in Russian. It’s a seething gesture, but Sara doesn’t flinch. Her eyes are steely and determined. The woman looks to the front door and sees Henry holding it open. He avoids eye contact by looking down or straight ahead. After a final glare at Sara, the woman heads for the door in a huff. Sara yells out for her to leave the key. The woman stops near the door. She takes a key chain out of her purse, removes a key, and slams it down on a nearby table. She glares at Sara one final time then looks Henry up and down with disgust. She throws her nose up in the air and walks out. Henry blows a heavy sigh, as he closes the door. He then looks at Sara and is relieved to see the hint of a smile. Henry steps forward, claps his hands together and tells Sara they better start planning a trip.
Henry sits at one end of the dining room table, while Sara sits at the other. Books and piles of paper fill the space between them. Both are consumed with searches on their respective laptops. It is revealed Sara’s mothers favourite play is The Oresteia. Henry finds where that was shown the most. Sara then asks about the legality of taking ashes through customs. Henry looks up to Sara, he tells her it may be better to ask for forgiveness than permission. The two of them seem to be getting along. Sara walks around the apartment looking at Henry’s paintings as Henry is on the balcony smoking. He tells her that he thinks her mother would be enjoying this. Sara returns to the table saying if she were here she’d be looking over their shoulders. She then grabs her backpack from the table, noticing a logo out of the corner of her eye. She grabs a document. Henry butts out his cigarette and turns to enter the apartment, but he sees Sara reading a document. He freezes. Document in hand, Sara turns to her father. “You’re doing this for a painting?” Henry steps into the apartment. Trying to explain. “Really? A fucking painting you didn’t get in the divorce?” Another step further, Henry pleads the moment back from the precipice once again. The two have a big argument, leading to Sara slamming her water bottle on the table, and telling Henry that he hopes the painting was worth it, and he should go to Greece himself. She begins jamming her laptop into her bag. Henry pleads with her to listen to him. Sara pushes and pushes her laptop into the pack then gives up in frustration. Head down, she closes her eyes, forlorn. He tells her that he isn’t doing this for the painting. Henry pauses, struggling to say what he wants. “I wasn’t going to tell you this, but...three weeks ago I had a tumor removed from my liver.” He says that it was benign, but the word tumor really struck him. Sara softens. Her eyes suggest her father’s words are getting through to her. Henry says that he realised that Sara is all he has. After a beat he continues to ask her to allow him to do this with her.
After a moment to reflect. “It’s ironic, isn’t it?” Henry says nothing, his eyes cling to hope. “I’ve spent my whole life defying what people wanted of me, mom especially. I suppose it was a control thing. And now...” Turning to her father. “I want to do this...for more than just me.” Henry lunges forward and hugs his daughter tightly. Sara wraps her arms around her father, equally passionate. It’s a powerful moment filled with emotion. Sara and Henry don’t let go of each other.
A musical score carries us through a series of transitional shots. Sara and Henry walk through an airport terminal towing their carry-on luggage. They stand in line and slowly move forward at the kiosk to board their plane. Henry sits down in a seat, which is a few rows behind Sara’s. He watches a young man, help Sara stow her carry-on in the compartment above. Smiles are exchanged between the pair, as they sit down beside one another. Sara then looks back at her father and they too exchange pleasant smiles. Later on, Sara and the Young Man are involved in pleasant conversation. We see the plan touch down.
Henry and Sara walk down the scenic pathway, making note of the historic district at the foot of the Acropolis. They stroll through narrow cobblestone streets flanked by shops and cafes. Vines filled with flowers are in full bloom. Then stopping in front of a café. Henry suggests they get a bite. Sara smiles. Henry and Sara walk over and choose a table on the perimeter of an outdoor seating area. The adjacent cobblestone street is a pedestrian mall where no vehicles are allowed. Henry sits down and Sara goes to the toilet giving Henry her bag. The waiter comes and takes Henry’s order. The Waiter nods and heads back into the café. Henry stows the backpack by his feet then pulls out his pack of cigarettes and lights one up. Exhaling on a drag, he looks across the street at the other cafés and shops. It’s a pleasant late afternoon, and the setting couldn’t be more enchanting, disarming. But then Henry is distracted by his waiter. Tray in hand, he loudly admonishes a man, who is loitering just beyond the limits of the café seating area. The loitering man deliberately engages the waiter. As Henry looks on, the waiter turns his attention to a second man, a thief, who grabs the backpack at Henry’s feet. Henry is stunned when the Thief takes off with Sara’s backpack. The waiter is clearly angered, he’s all too familiar with the scenario. Not wasting a second, the Waiter quickly sets his tray of two beers down on a nearby table. Getting up from his chair, Henry steps into the cobblestone street and takes a few steps. But then Henry is passed by the Waiter, as he sprints down the cobblestone street in pursuit.
A commotion follows the Waiter, and two dozen others on the street become onlookers to the ordeal. The Thief glances back while running... A bystander is pushed out of the way, then another, slowing the Thief’s progress. The Waiter is at full sprint, however, and he’s gaining ground. He calls out again, hoping someone will come to his aid. And someone does. Another waiter, from another café hears the pleas for help and steps into the street. A shop owner, steps away from her nearby fruit stand and assists as well. The Thief slows and comes to a stop in front of them. Two local women, emerge from their respective shops. They look intimidating.
Henry looks down the cobblestone street, his eyes filled with anguish. By now, his waiter is out of sight. Henry looks as though hope has departed with him. When Henry turns back to the cafe he sees Sara returning from the washroom. They lock eyes, then Sara glances at their table. Her backpack is gone. Failure is written all over Henry’s face.
The Thief turns around only to see Henry’s waiter arrive on the scene. The Thief is surrounded. He knows it’s over. The Thief looks to his left and notices an alley. Giving up, he throws Sara’s backpack to Henry’s Waiter. The Waiter catches the backpack, and then watches the thief dart down the alley. No one pursues him. Henry’s Waiter exchanges nods with his fellow Athenians then turns back for his café.
Henry and Sara stand just outside the cafe seating area, when they see their Waiter walking toward them with Sara’s backpack. The waiter hands the bag to Sara, she thanks him. Breathing a sigh of relief as she opens it. The Waiter then walks into the seating area of his cafe and motions for Henry and Sara to retake their seats. He is a consummate host, and Henry and Sara are so indebted they are more than happy to oblige. Sitting down, Sara holds her backpack close in her lap. When the waiter brings over their two drinks. Henry tells him he is in for the biggest tip of his life. Henry raises his glass for a toast, “To Athenian Chivalry”
Henry and Sara make their way with many more toward the Theatre of Dionysus. It’s a long, wide path. Sara stops for a moment, allowing Henry to stow a water bottle in her backpack. She stares at the Acropolis in the distance. It towers above everything. Walking again, Sara and Henry look at each other. They can feel it. They are getting close. They pass the statue of Menander. Then the theatre comes into view. The breathtaking amphitheatre is built into the south side of the Acropolis. It’s sandstone colour evokes a timeless, ancient feel.
The area where actors once performed is cordoned off, but Henry is able to follow Sara into the stone seating area. Sara and Henry walk and then pause, each reflecting on the historical site at their own pace. Later, Sara and Henry sit down three-quarters of the way up in the theatre. The sun is setting behind them, and the site is vacant of visitors, save for a few lingering devotees. Sara appears in awe of the impressive site. Sara takes off her backpack, unzips the top, and takes out a small cardboard box. She opens it carefully. A clear plastic bag containing her mother’s ashes is removed, then Sara puts the box back in her pack. She looks to Henry asking if he’s ready. Henry nods then looks around to make sure no one is looking. Sara slings her backpack over her shoulder, as she stands up. She opens the bag and begins spreading the ashes, as she walks down her row of seats. It’s a solemn undertaking, but then she stops. She remembers it needs to be recorded. Henry gets out the camera and begins. Henry follows Sara walking and spreading. Sara takes her time, seems to indulge in the solemn moment. Before the ashes are all gone Sara turns to Henry, she asks if he would like to switch. Henry smiles and takes over. “Goodbye, my love, my protagonist. You do in death what eluded me in life.” Henry looks down at Sara after the ashes are gone. Sara stops recording and the hand with the phone falls to her side. It’s over. They’ve completed their task. Henry then walks up and joins Sara on her row.
Henry takes the phone from Sara’s hand then sits down. Sara sits down beside her father, as Henry scrolls through his phone’s gallery. Close in on the phone. Henry stops at a photo of a young girl posed in a red dress. He looks at it for a moment, then hands the phone to Sara. Sara looks at the photo then to her father, perplexed. He tells her that it is her when she was 4. He had it commissioned just before the divorce. She knows. “This is the painting.” A drone shot from behind Henry and Sara begins to climb northward, toward the Acropolis.
The credits begin to roll
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