Judas Kiss

Topher Shadoe asks Zach Wells to step in as a judge at Keystone Summit University's annual festival. Zach frets about returning after winning it 15 years ago, a victory that helped derail his college path and push him toward Hollywood. The invitation pulls him back into a world that still haunts him.

Zach goes to a gay bar seeking distraction and meets a younger man who he later learns is a festival participant. He spends the night with the stranger in his room. The encounter unsettles him as it connects to Danny Reyes, his birth name.

The younger patron is revealed to be Danny Reyes, Danny's festival entry bearing Zach's birth name. He submits Judas Kiss, the same film Zach submitted years ago. Zach suspects this is Topher's joke, but the coincidence grows too real.

Mrs. Blossom, the festival's headmistress, brushes aside Zach's concerns about Danny's identity. She treats the strange coincidence as irrelevant to the competition. Zach's unease deepens.

Welds, the elderly security guard, senses something illicit and tips Zach that Danny relies on Abbey Park to cheat in order to improve his chances. He warns that Zach's future may hinge on whether Danny wins or loses. The revelation casts a shadow over the competition.

Danny begins a relationship with Chris Wachowsky, the previous year's winner, complicating loyalties at the festival. Their bond deepens as the pressure mounts. Chris warns Danny about Shane's potential manipulation.

Shane Lyons, the producer's son, takes an interest in Danny and seduces him. He tries to lure Danny to move to his residence regardless of the festival outcome. The dynamic foreshadows a toxic pull between ambition and personal safety.

Daniel Sr., Shane's father, threatens to cut Danny off if he reveals the film. The pressure forces Danny to weigh his ethics against family leverage. The threat shadows the festival's final decisions.

On the day of the awards, Zach presents evidence of Danny's deception to Daniel Sr., who forwards it to Mrs. Blossom. The festival's integrity hangs on the fallout of these accusations. Danny braces for consequences.

Welds appears one final time and reveals that he is actually Danny—and thus Zach—an aging man orchestrating the ruse. The shocking twist reframes the entire competition and Danny's life story. The revelation reframes every prior event.

Danny's fraud costs him the main award, but the judges grant him a chance to perform Judas Kiss, an autobiographical piece about his abusive life after his mother's death. The special recognition remains bittersweet and leaves his relationships with others fractured. This act marks a personal milestone despite the failure.

The revelations fracture Danny's friendships; Chris and Abbey sever ties with him. The festival's drama exposes the fragility of chosen families under pressure. Danny faces the cost of deception in his personal life.

Danny visits Zach in his apartment and voices his fears about the future. Zach consoles him, insisting that what happened cannot be undone, but that a better life can still be built. The exchange reframes Danny's ambition as responsibility rather than triumph.

Zach finishes his own project on a rooftop when Topher returns from his business and joins him. It is revealed that Topher is really Chris, reuniting the estranged couple. Their reconciliation closes the film on a hopeful note, contrasting past deception with renewed connection.