Synopsis
Huckleberry, 18, transgender-male, dissident, maintains a personal rebellion against small town values. Jolene is an unrefined daughter of an emotionally distant single mother. Both are high school seniors from the town of Rustbelt Ohio.
The film opens in the Fall of 1999 as Huck, as his friends call him, emerges with steely determination from the boys-room for the first time, despite the guffaws of his classmates, before his next class with Jolene, the unrequited love of his life.
While pursuing Jolene, Huckleberry comes into conflict with Clint, her 22 year old, drug addled boyfriend. After rejection and Jolene’s seeming reluctance to leave an abusive relationship, Huckleberry gives in to dark impulses and sets in motion a complicated revenge fantasy against Clint.
Huck’s actions reap unexpected consequence, as Huckleberry is victim of a mysterious attack shortly after completing his own revenge fantasy. It is unknown who this attacker is and whether they will be held to account.
Among the neighbors gossip about Huckleberry runs rampant as the decaying, blue-collar town is not accustomed to transgender teenagers with a “this is who I am, deal with it” attitude. Ultimately Huckleberry’s rejection of the values of those close-minded neighbors reaches an impasse when he is faced with a difficult decision between what’s just and true, and a lie that conforms to one of his society’s (false) narratives, but includes the faint hope of attaining the family he’s always wanted.
Through the course of events Huckleberry’s friends are confronted with tough decisions about whether to support their friend at all costs, or to question Huck’s story and his motivations for revenge.
The story takes place with the context of a criminal justice system that often settles for the easy answer, and a small town that attempts to impose its values with an iron fist.
