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Logline

As the U.S. descends into chaos, a distraught man wanted by authorities shares a moment aboard a livestock train with the young Latina woman tasked with smuggling him to freedom across the Mexican border.

Synopsis

A California ranch in the dead of night. The PASSENGER (40s) white, scrambles through shadows onto an empty cattle train car. He’s shown a compartment in the floor and climbs into the cramped, manure scattered space.

The train sets off for the Mexican border, and through a hole connecting compartments he meets the GUIDE (20s) Latina, who works for a service that smuggles people like him out of the country in a near future where fascism has taken hold of the U.S. The Passenger reveals he’s on a wanted list after his wife and daughter were murdered by federal agents and expresses bewilderment in how any of this could happen here. Moments later they barely escape discovery by federal agents inches above them at a surprise government checkpoint, and after the train is allowed to continue on, they share a moment contemplating the nature of survival and the Guide’s own experience as a former immigrant, while just trying to make sense of it all.

The Passenger awakes later to the train stopped short of the border and sounds of agents opening compartments. The Guide gives him a note with instructions for after crossing, then runs in the opposite direction to draw the agents away. The far off sound of dogs barking and a haunting gunshot pierce the night as the Passenger reaches the border fence, squeezes through a freshly made hole and runs until he collapses, finally free.
 

Meet the Filmmakers

Joe Bonito — Writer/Director
Joe Bonito is a Los Angeles based actor, writer, and first-time director. He was born with OCD and something called Synesthesia which, in addition to causing things like days, months, and numbers to represent as colors in his brain, gave him a hyper-visual imagination and an oversized sense of empathy. This led to an obsession with exploring our shared humanity in his writing and a deep desire to actualize the worlds in his head on screen through stories focusing on outsider characters struggling with issues of identity and belonging, who ultimately find flickers of hope in the connections they make with each other.

Jessica Olthof — Executive Producer
Jessica Olthof, a versatile Los Angeles-based producer, produced the award-winning short film Nisei (2023), which won Best Dramatic Short at Cinequest Film Festival and screened at over 15 festivals, including Indy Shorts, LA Shorts International, and HollyShorts. Nisei was named one of Variety’s top 15 Shortlist Predictions for Best Live Action Short at the 96th Academy Awards®. Her latest feature, Surrender, starring Andrea Bang (Kim’s Convenience), received support from Film Independent and The Gotham Film & Media Institute. It premiered in May 2025 at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival and is currently on the festival circuit.

Craig Dewey — Editor
Craig Dewey is a feature film and television editor, producer and writer. His editing credits include scripted series The Waterfront (Netflix), The Last Tycoon (Amazon Prime), Bull (CBS) and The Rookie: Feds (ABC), and the feature A Crooked Somebody (for Oscar-nominated producers Tim and Trevor White at Star Thrower Entertainment). Other feature work includes Pete’s Dragon (Disney), World War Z (Paramount) and Delivery Man (Dreamworks). He is currently in post production on a new series for Apple TV.

LJohn Donohue — Stunt Coordinator
John Donohue has worked as a stuntman for over 20 years in film and television. His credits include Nope (2022), Us (2019), Pirates of the Carribean: At World’s End (2007) and Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006). John has expanded his talents to become a stunt coordinator, fight choreographer and instructor working with Academy Award winning actors and directors. He’s been honored by the Screen Actors Guild for Best Stunt Ensemble for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, and is currently the fight instructor for the live stunt show The Bourne Stuntacular at Universal Studios Orlando.

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Contact

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