Tristan! How've you been?
You know you be all up in my stories.
So what happened the other night?
Told her that I needed a break.
-Good for you. -You wanna go on a date?
Vanessa?
I'm staying with Nia for a little while.
Welcome home, roomie!
-I'm Jason. -Chuck.
-You wanna hang out again?
Why do first dates always feel like job interviews?
I would love to kiss you.
What's up?
Hattie, who's this?
-You must be Marie. -I am, and you must be?
This is my lady friend, Idina.
Don't call me that.
Well, we're still working on what to call each other.
I mean, I didn't wanna call you my Nubian queen,
but I also didn't wanna call you my friend,
'cause that just sounds disrespectful.
Because, like, Marie's my friend,
-but we're more than friends-- -Shh.
Hattie, can I talk to you for a second?
-Oh, yeah. Yeah.
-What are you doing? -What?
You told me I should go to Moondance and network.
That's what I'm doing.
No, I said that I could bring a guest this year
and that you should come because it would be
a good opportunity for you to meet people
-and talk to the other writers. -Mm-hmm.
I also said that it could be a fun getaway for us as friends.
Oh, you wanted quality time.
-My bad, boo, I'm-- -Don't do that.
Look, this girl could really be the one, okay?
And I really wanted her to go with us.
Yeah, but I only gave you one first-class ticket.
I know, that's why I traded it in for two coach tickets.
Hey, I even had enough money left over for snacks.
Who's ready for Moondance?
I know I am!
Marie, you ready to go sit in some dark rooms together?
-Uh... -And watch movies, obviously.
--Right.
Yeah, of course! So excited.
All right, come on, baby.
upbeat hip-hop music
Let's go
Yeah, I know you lookin', know you lookin' at me
Everybody talkin' 'bout the stuff I'm gonna see
Real nice with it, but my attitude be
Step up off your feelings go get to the green
Money, money, money, money, money, money
I didn't know you had a sister.
Yeah, we were never really that close.
Mm. Why not?
We've always been so different.
When we were growing up, I was into arts and crafts,
and she was into boys and dresses.
Mm.
I get it.
I always wanted a sibling growing up, man.
I hated being a only child.
I never had anybody to talk to.
My sister used to talk my ear off.
-Yeah? -Yeah.
And she would always talk about her future husband
and all the kids they were gonna have.
I'm surprised she doesn't have ten kids by now.
Mm. Sounds like your sister's big on family.
I'm big on family, too,
just the kind I can choose.
Hey, I don't have much of either, so...
I'm more of a lone soldier.
Is that why you go for long bouts of time
where I don't hear from you?
No.
That's just me checking in with myself.
Mm. Do you have to do it for weeks?
Sometimes. You don't you ever do it?
No, I don't have the luxury.
We all do.
Just have to commit to it.
I can barely get a moment to myself
without my sister breathing down my neck.
Yeah?
Thanks for giving me an excuse to go for a walk.
Anytime.
-Wanna sit down? -Yeah.
Who's Ben?
I thought you didn't get jealous.
Nah, I'm just curious.
He works with Marie. He's an exec at Monument.
-Cool. -You nervous?
Maybe.
smooth R&B music
All right, so what's on your schedule?
Well, I'm scheduled to see a lot of documentaries.
One about our failing health care system,
one about our failing school system,
and apparently there's a documentary that can tell you
exactly when the world's gonna end.
I think that's showing at midnight.
Oof. Remind me not to watch that one.
My anxiety's already acting up.
-Really? -What?
-Ben's not coming. -Why not?
He said something came up.
That's odd. He loves Moondance.
It's also his job to watch all these movies
so I don't have to.
I can do that for you.
Thank you.
Look, I just really wanna buy a movie this year.
Well, then we have to be more aggressive.
We can't break the bank.
Every year, we come down here,
we watch a bunch of movies, and we never buy anything.
And this year I want to change that.
Okay.
Just try and find me something we can afford.
-I will do my best. -I know you will.
It's probably just like barn-like on the outside...
Nah, this can't be it.
What the hell?
This ain't what it looked like online.
Hattie, you didn't look into this before we got here?
Come on, we can make it work.
You-you wanna go get some pizza?
Yeah, let's just settle in...
Yeah...
can we go see some movies first?
Yeah, let me just figure out the ticket situation.
You don't already have that figured out?
Look, turning this trip into a couple's thing
was spur of the moment, okay?
That's obvious.
Why you have to do it like that?
Why is this our bed?
-What do you want me to do? -Plan ahead next time.
Look, you're the one that was talking
about how you wanted to go to Moondance so badly.
And now you here, under the moon,
and I'm ready to dance,
and you pouting
'cause I ain't got everything figured out yet.
You're right.
Sorry.
I'm just super organized,
and I get freaked out when everything isn't in order.
Look, I'm sorry I don't have my shit together, all right?
I was just so excited about us coming here
that I didn't think everything through.
It's okay.
Film festivals aren't about hanging out in your hotel.
It's about being out and about.
-Mm-hmm. -So let's go.
-Yeah, let's go. -Mm-hmm.
Mm. Yes, let's get up out of here.
-Please. -Oh, put your stuff up,
just in case there's some roaches in here.
Don't you say that. See, now I'm gonna be paranoid.
No, they don't have roaches, but I'm just saying--
Now I'm gonna be feelin' like they crawling on me!
-We about to go get-- -Hold up.
No, no, no, that was nothing. Come on.
-You ju--That's a roach! -That's not a roach!
-Oh, my God, Hattie! -It's a water bug! Stop!
You don't know the difference between roaches and water bugs?
-Need any help? -No, I think I got it.
Come on, hand it to me.
-Okay, thank you. -You're welcome.
Gosh, why do they give us so much shit every year?
It's such a waste.
I always give it to my family. They get a kick out of it.
Wow. My family doesn't get excited about anything.
They're all so jaded.
-Do you still get excited?
It's not the festival that gets me excited.
It's the people.
So, uh, you see anything good?
Yeah, "Tears of Gila River."
It deals with the intergenerational trauma
of Japanese American internment.
It's all a tragic metaphor, and it's so beautifully shot.
Alicia Ishizuka wrote and directed it.
-She's brilliant. -Wow.
We should get a meeting with her.
Already set.
I'm meeting with her when we get back to LA.
Great.
Um...
-so I'll see you at dinner.
-Yeah, I look forward to it. -Me too.
Nice room.
It better be.
All right, see you later.
mellow music
upbeat jazz music
Hey!
Um, you can try waiting in the "no ticket" line.
Oh, that sounds a little bit like flying stand-by.
That's exactly what it's like.
You have to hope and pray the theater isn't full.
How often does it fill up?
Oh, I'd say about 99% of the time, they're pretty full.
Well, would you have any suggestions for us?
Hang out outside the theater
and see if there are any extra tickets.
Anything else?
Do you have any friends with VIP passes?
Yes uh, my friend is here. She works for a major studio.
Well, she can bring a buddy with her.
-Dope! -But just one.
That's how the buddy system works.
We can just trade off.
Well, I was hoping we could watch the movies together
and then talk about 'em afterwards.
Oh, that's so sweet.
Sweet enough for you to hook us up with some tickets, fam?
Not even if you promised me your firstborn.
Damn, y'all take this shit serious.
It's not just a festival.
It's a group of people very dedicated to making sure
indie cinema doesn't die, but also a place
for rich Hollywood films to thrive.
We like to be fair and balanced.
-You like to be fair? -And balanced!
Come on, fam, I thought
-you was gonna be cool. -Right.
Wow, right. I thought you was an ally!
So let's move on to the team
from Monument Pictures.
Marie Owens, Creative Executive
at Monument Pictures.
Hey, I'm Zach Leob, President of Production.
I'm here standing in for one of my colleagues,
Ben Okwu, who unfortunately couldn't make it.
And right off the bat, I just wanna take
this opportunity to apologize for my whiteness.
You don't have to apologize for that.
Just make sure you don't talk too much.
What, he be talkin--
Does anyone have any questions?
Oh, I got--um, you will not be centered at this event.
Can you...
Give me a foot. Thank you.
Hey, best friend.
I just had a quick question.
What type of films are y'all trying to buy?
-Profitable films-- -Great films--
Well, which one is it?
Because I think that you know profitable is--I'm not done!
There's just one question per person.
-I'm not done. -Ah.
Thank you.
You better be glad I ain't tryin' to show out.
-Thank you. -What?
To be honest, we don't know what we're looking for.
Finding a great movie
or discovering an amazing filmmaker
is kind of like falling in love.
When you know, you know.
And sometimes you don't, so you go into development,
and you hope to find something
that you can all agree on, hopefully.
It's all case by case.
So don't try to bring us something you think we want.
Bring us a great idea.
Zach, would you like to elaborate?
No, I agree with everything Marie just said.
And being inclusive is great for business, too.
Absolutely.
It's estimated that the American economy
has lost over $16 trillion
over the last 20 years due to racism.
By including everyone, not only do we improve our bottom line,
but we also get to be on the right side of history.
upbeat music
-Where are all my crystals? -I cleaned them.
I don't need you to clean my crystals!
They were a little dusty.
Can you put them back where you found them
and never touch them again, please?
Hey, what are you doing?
Trying to not to kill my sister.
Really?
-How's the festival? -I don't know. I didn't go.
Why not?
I'm sick of working at Monument.
-What do you mean? -I can't be free there.
Every time I pitch something,
I just get-- I just get shot down.
But you have to keep trying.
I'm thinking of striking out on my own.
That sounds risky.
Look, I'm tired of asking for permission.
I-I know what the people want.
I just need the right team behind me to make it happen.
If I--if I went out on my own, would you--would you help me?
I'm still tryin' to build my own career.
We could build our careers together.
I don't know.
No, I-I believe in you.
I believe in you, too.
So what do you say?
smooth music
You don't have to make a decision right now.
Just chew on it.
-Okay, I will. -Okay, bye.
Is it just me, or did that movie not make any sense?
I think it was supposed to be one long metaphor.
-But for what? -Human existence.
What?
That don't make any sense.
I kind of liked it.
You were falling asleep. Stop it.
Because we've been walking around all day
trying to get into a movie.
Yeah, well, we finally got into one, and it was awful.
I'm just glad we finally got to see something.
Yeah, me too.
I just hate that it was so long and confusing.
Ooh, Chalet Chic.
You wanna go to a party tonight?
How are we supposed to get in?
You with me! I'm gonna charm the bouncer.
I'll teach you to flamenco. I learned it in Spain.
Nah, I'm lyin'. I ain't never been to Spain.
But I can still teach you. Come on!
For the last time, my name is Marie Owens,
and I work for Monument Pictures.
-Marie Owens? -Yeah, that's me!
Oh, yeah, yeah, she's already inside.
-Come on, move aside. -Ain't that a bitch.
I think she's still mad you ditched her for me.
She could at least text me and tell me where she's going.
She got us into that inclusion and diversity panel earlier.
'Cause ain't nobody wanna go to that!
Hattie?
What's up? How you doin'?
I'm good. I got a movie in the festival.
Dope!
Um, Alicia, this is my girl, Idina.
Idina, this is Alicia.
We met at a screening of Alicia's movie last year.
It was way better than what we just saw.
-What'd you guys just see? -"Life is a Mystery."
Oh, man, I heard that one was brilliant.
Hattie hated it.
Well, I didn't hate it.
I just think I should watch it a couple more times.
Mm, don't try to act like you like it now.
Hattie, what are you working on?
Uh, well, I been working on this pilot recently.
It's pretty good, too.
Well, if you want, you can send it to me,
and I can ask my manager to read it.
Are you serious?
Sure, he's young and hungry.
I think he might like you.
Bet.
I mean, I'll send you that shit tonight.
I'll check it for typos first.
Yeah, she's always making sure I don't spell restaurant wrong.
-I hate that word. -A then U.
Yeah, it's tricky!
That and "embarrassment"-- it gets me every time.
Well, you have a good night, ladies.
You too.
What?
I don't know if your script is ready
to send to managers yet.
She said that he's young and hungry, so am I.
-So...
Look, I need you to believe in me.
-I do. -Then act like it.
Whoa, whoa, nice try. Come on, let's go.
Come on, man, we right here!
Yeah, yeah, now we're gonna be out there.
-Let's go. -All right, man.
-Come on, let's go. -Psych! Ha!
-Yeah. -Oh, you got scared.
That was funny. That was funny. Let's go be funny outside.
What happened to Black and brown relations?
-Oh, it's beautiful. -Oh, my gosh.
Hope y'all don't get in.
smooth music
I think your script needs a few more passes.
Look, this is the opportunity of a lifetime, okay?
I'm not about to miss this.
No one's gonna remember when you sent them your script.
They're just gonna remember how it made them feel.
Why don't you wait until you get
the next round of notes from the group,
do another pass, and then send it to her?
Why you hating on my dream?
I'm just trying to make sure you don't send her something
before it's ready.
First impressions last a long time.
Didn't you say that my script had gotten better?
It is! It's just not there yet.
Well, how would you know?
You still making latte art at a coffee shop.
You know what I mean.
Look, I'm just trying to help you.
Well, look, I don't need your help.
I need your support, and I need you
to go over this email before I send it out.
You spelled "sincerely" wrong.
See?
What would I do without you?
Use spell check?
You're too cute to eat.
Is it just me, babe, or does your hotel room
look a lot like your apartment?
Oh, yeah, I, uh--I meant to tell you, I-I didn't go.
Why?
Wait, so you've been in LA this whole time?
I didn't--didn't really wanna get into it.
What's going on?
Just, uh, work.
Why are you being so weird?
Uh...
I-I think we should take a break.
I knew this was coming.
-Is it because I'm white? -Of course not, no, no.
I just--I just think we've gone as far as we can go.
Says who, you?
We haven't been the same since--
Your promotion.
It's not that, I'm just growing, you know?
-And I'm not? -Not at the same rate, no.
I can't believe you're doing this over FaceTime.
I know, I just don't want to feel like an asshole.
Ben, whether you like it or not,
you're always gonna feel like an asshole...
-because you are one.
I'm sorry.
Man, it's so beautiful.
I know.
I always appreciate the scenery more than the cinema.
Must you be so tough on everything?
-I'm not that tough. -Yes, you are.
You give me shit, and I run the studio.
I have high standards. I always have.
Yeah, they're hard to meet sometimes.
-Should I apologize for that? -No, not at all.
I like it.
I know you do.
Well, I'm not tired.
Neither am I.
Should we, uh... go get a night cap?
I don't know if that's a good idea.
Yeah, you're right.
It's been a long day. We should turn in.
Lookin' fine as hell in this moonlight
Ooh, in the mornin' you gonna hate me like
Damn, this bitch is crazy, got me playin'...
Good night, Marie.
Good night.
mellow R&B
I'm 'bout to go slow
You might just go loco loco
I know how you toy
I been down a roller coaster
Different story every day
Let's give them somethin' to say
Meet me in my room
Let's start some more rumors
Meet me in my room
My room
Let's start some more rumors
upbeat jazz music