Storytelling

The film begins with Vi engaged in a sexual encounter with her boyfriend, Marcus, who lives with cerebral palsy. This moment highlights the complexity of their relationship, revealing underlying tensions regarding Marcus's disability.

After their intimate moment, Marcus senses Vi's anxiousness to leave, suspecting that her feelings towards his disability may have changed. This marks the beginning of their emotional strain as he questions her support and affection.

In a creative writing class, Marcus presents his short stories, which everyone privately considers poorly written. The classmates' fear of offending him due to his handicap leads to insincere praise, which ultimately stifles genuine feedback.

Katherine, a classmate, finally voices her honest critique of Marcus's work during a session. This prompts Mr. Scott, the class's black professor, to launch into a scathing attack on Marcus's writing, leaving him devastated and vulnerable.

Feeling hurt and unsupported, Marcus decides to end his relationship with Vi. This pivotal moment in the story underscores the emotional fatigue stemming from his battles with self-worth and societal perception.

After the breakup, Vi meets Mr. Scott at a bar, leading to an unexpected and disturbing turn in her narrative. Their encounter escalates as Mr. Scott's demands turn increasingly violent and exploitative.

While preparing for intimate moments in Mr. Scott's apartment, Vi stumbles upon naked photographs of her classmates. This shocking discovery forces her to confront issues of race and exploitation, lingering in her mind as she whispers to herself.

Vi channels her traumatic experience into a thinly-veiled fictional short story for her class. However, upon presenting it, she faces harsh criticism from her classmates, who label it as racist and exploitative, leaving her feeling isolated.

The second half of the film shifts focus to Toby, an unsuccessful documentary filmmaker, and his subject, Scooby. This introduces a contrasting narrative with themes of directionlessness and familial conflict surrounding Scooby's life.

The audience witnesses the escalating tensions at the dinner table as Scooby frequently clashes with his parents. This dynamic illustrates the challenges he faces in finding his own identity amid familial strife.

As Toby continues filming, the tone of his documentary changes, evolving from an educational study into a mockery of Scooby and his family. This transformation raises questions about exploitation in storytelling.

Scooby sneaks into an early screening of Toby's documentary, only to be met with laughter and ridicule at his family's expense. This painful moment reflects his deepening sense of alienation and betrayal by Toby.

While Scooby is out, his family's ex-housekeeper, resentful after being fired, poisons them using gas. This sudden and tragic turn disrupts any semblance of family stability that Scooby once had.

Upon returning home, Scooby discovers the horrific aftermath of the poisoning, finding his entire family dead. His chilling remark to Toby about not feeling sorry for him highlights his emotional detachment and reflects on the movie's success.