How to Kill Your Neighbor's Dog

Peter McGowan is a once-celebrated playwright living in Los Angeles who now finds himself creatively barren and emotionally frayed. He has spent ten years in a career slump, with his latest works flopping both critically and commercially. He battles chronic insomnia, smokes heavily, and feels impotent to boot.

His latest play is directed by the flamboyant Brian Sellars, whose enthusiasm borders on chaotic. Sellars's obsession with one of the lead actresses undermines Peter's control over the production. The project wobbles between rehabilitation and collapse as tensions mount on set.

Melanie longs for a baby, a wish that highlights the growing rift in their relationship. Peter's inability to conceive fuels his self-doubt and distances him from his wife. The quiet conflict intensifies as they navigate commitment and hope.

A relentlessly barking dog moved in by new neighbors becomes a new irritant that gnaws at Peter's already fragile sleep. He ends up taking long, aimless night walks through the city to escape the noise. The disturbances deepen his sense of disconnection from the world.

During one such night walk, Peter encounters a strange man who appears to be his doppelganger, also calling himself Peter McGowan. The man is eccentric and unstable, yet Peter feels drawn to this odd, unsettling friendship. The encounter unsettles Peter and hints at an unsettling parallel inside his own life.

Peter forms an unlikely bond with Amy Walsh, the lonely young daughter of his new neighbors who has mild cerebral palsy. At first he resents the disruption Amy brings, but their conversations reveal a simple honesty and resilience that begin to draw him out of his cynicism. Their growing connection offers him a real emotional lifeline.

Peter uses the details of his conversations with Amy to inform a difficult child character in his script, trying to inject realism into his block. Melanie starts treating Amy as if she were their own daughter, strengthening the sense of family. The trio's time together deepens, while Amy's mother, Trina, begins to feel neglected.

Peter proposes including a character with cerebral palsy in the new play to bring realism. The idea is poorly received by the director and others, who accuse Peter of exploitation and insensitivity. The conflict underscores how fragile his creative redemption has become.

In response, Trina distances Amy from Peter and Melanie and hires a new babysitter. Amy rejects the change and demands that the babysitter contact Peter and Melanie, underscoring the depth of the connection they've formed. The family dynamic becomes more complicated and strained.

Peter endures a televised interview where a talk-show host mocks his string of failures. The hostile spotlight amplifies his anxiety and self-doubt, pushing him toward a deeper sense of desperation. The scrutiny threatens to derail any progress he has made.

Melanie and Amy organize a small dance recital that Amy performs in front of her mother. Amy does well, but she stumbles twice, and Trina embarrasses her by stopping the music. Peter becomes furious with Trina, feeling that she is the real barrier to Amy's happiness and potential.

The noisy dog is mysteriously shot, and the neighbors immediately suspect Peter. The investigation leads to Peter's doppelganger being found with a rifle and arrested, seemingly confirming suspicion over the crime. The event shakes Peter and forces him to confront his own bitterness and misanthropy.

Amy's mother decides to move away, ending the fragile circle of connection that had given Peter and Melanie renewed empathy. Amy's tearful farewell underlines the loss, but it also catalyzes a renewed commitment to their own relationship. Peter and Melanie resume trying to conceive, carrying forward a fragile hope born from an unlikely friendship.