Abby Singer

On a day that threads together multiple arcs, Kevin Prouse walks across a campus to teach his acting class while Curtis Clemins stares at himself in the mirror. Curtis prays in a church and then goes to the casting office where he works, as Kevin lectures his class about never giving up on dreams. Mr. Mooker directs his son to run the family construction site so he can audition elsewhere.

Curtis arrives at the audition; the first actor fails miserably, and Maxine sends Curtis to get copies. Curtis exits the room and meets Mr. Mooker, who slips away with the pretense of needing the bathroom before requesting his own audition. The encounter foreshadows the shifting power dynamics at the casting call.

Curtis stops by his old college campus to copy scripts and reflects on a decade-old friendship with Kevin that broke over Leanne. Kevin marries Leanne and becomes a teacher, while Curtis pursues acting, highlighting divergent paths and lingering tension between them.

A young female student pesters Curtis for an audition, and he escapes by fleeing down a flight of stairs. Meanwhile, Kevin visits his father, a ski-lift attendant, seeking advice about his looming divorce from Leanne. The threads show personal and professional pressures bearing down on both men.

Mr. Mooker and his son Jake discuss the dream of becoming actors, but Jake resents his father's neglect of the family business to chase an unattainable dream. The conversation depth reveals the conflict between responsibility and aspiration shaping both families.

Curtis assaults a parking attendant and is arrested, starting psychiatric sessions with Dr. Phelps. In therapy, he recounts memories from Sundance with his ex Mabline and the pull of fame, longing, and his own limits. Time shifts between the street and the clinic.

Curtis, Mabline, and Maxine attend the Sundance Film Festival, seeking guidance and courting connections with influential industry figures. Curtis grows jealous as Mabline flirts with higher-ups, and he tries to wield his casting-director status to provoke a reaction, only to confront his own impotence within his religious constraints.

Desperate for direction, Curtis turns to Adam Carolla, who bluntly suggests he could hire a prostitute as a means to regain control. The harsh counsel underscores Curtis’s frustration and ongoing confusion about his path.

Curtis, Mabline, and Maxine attend the Sundance Awards as John Waters remarks that everyone is at the festival for a reason. They press to connect with stars like Stockard Channing, Robin Tunney, and Patricia Arquette, chasing a breakthrough.

In therapy, Curtis recounts the breakup with Mabline at the Independent Spirit Awards. A backstage confrontation erupts—with Jake Gyllenhaal reluctantly drawn in—while Don Cheadle avoids the fray and Jill Hennessy urges Mabline to move on; Brad Pitt signals the end of Curtis’s presumptions.

Curtis tells Dr. Phelps that sharing his story has helped him, and they agree to meet again. Back in the world, Kevin keeps faith in his students, scanning the acting class for a spark of inspiration.

With finances dwindling, Curtis hires a prostitute, but the encounter triggers a nervous breakdown. At the same time, Kevin signs divorce papers with Leanne at their former home, ending their marriage and dimming his prospects. Curtis then spends his last money on a gun and calls Kevin to say goodbye, preparing for a final act.

Curtis rides the L-train out of town as Kevin boards a train and pursues him. Curtis runs toward the woods to kill himself, but Kevin arrives at the last moment, interrupting the plan and changing the course of both their lives.