Blue Jay

Jim Henderson returns to his California hometown with the plan to renovate and eventually sell his late mother's house. He begins assessing the property and reconnects with the memories tied to the place. The visit sets the stage for a complex reconnection with his past.

While shopping at a supermarket, Jim bumps into his former high school girlfriend Amanda and they exchange a brief, cautious greeting. He makes it clear he doesn't want to intrude on whatever she's got going on. The chance encounter plants the seed for a longer, more honest conversation later.

They meet again in the parking lot and decide to go for coffee at Blue Jay. They exchange updates about their lives since high school—Amanda is married and a stepmother, while Jim renovates old houses with his uncle. The conversation reveals both pride and underlying dissatisfaction with where they are.

On the way to Amanda's car, they pass a liquor store from their younger days. Amanda bets the owner will recognize them, and Jim is skeptical, but the owner does remember them as the 'famous lovebirds.' The moment underscores how their past romance still lingers in the present.

They spend time at a lakeside where Amanda shares aspects of her life that seem impressive, while Jim feels a twinge of envy at what she has. His reaction turns to tears as he confronts his own sense of unfulfillment. The emotional contrast deepens their complicated connection.

Back at Jim's mother's house, they search through old memorabilia and reminisce. Amanda discovers a letter addressed to her from years past and keeps it, hinting at what might have been. The moment deepens the sense of shared history between them.

Amanda finds tape recordings of Jim and her roleplaying their middle-aged lives. They listen, laugh at their younger selves, and then decide to recreate the tape as if they were a married couple celebrating a 20th anniversary. The playful plan rekindles a private intimacy between them.

That night, they begin to recreate their taped personas and kiss passionately, but Amanda stops when Jim says he loves her. It is revealed that she had an abortion in high school, the event that helped drive their breakup. They lash out at each other and Jim collapses, crying on the floor.

The next morning, Jim walks Amanda to her car and she explains her decision. He asks her to read the letter he didn't send, confessing he would have kept the baby. Amanda cries for the first time in five years, then they share a quiet laugh as they acknowledge the unresolved tension between them.

They sigh at one another and the scene fades to black, leaving their future unresolved but emotionally connected. The ending emphasizes the pull between memory, longing, and the choices they have to make.