Things I Never Told You

The film opens with Don's voice-over stating that in life and relationships, anything can happen. The narration frames the emotional rollercoaster to come and sets the theme of unpredictability. This framing foreshadows the coincidences and personal crises that define the story.

Ann works at a camera shop in a small Pacific Northwest town, hinting at a stable routine awaiting disruption. Her life shifts when her boyfriend dumps her by phone from Prague. The breakup plants the seeds for the loneliness that drives the plot.

The boyfriend calls from Prague to end the relationship, delivering the news from afar. The distance intensifies the sting of rejection and solitude. This moment acts as the emotional impetus for Ann's search for connection.

In a moment of despair, Ann drinks nail polish remover and ends up in the hospital. The crisis signifies a turning point that pushes her toward professional help. The experience creates a fragile pause before she seeks support.

After leaving the hospital, Ann uses the crisis line and speaks with Don, a volunteer who talks with depressed people. They form an emotional connection as they share vulnerability. She hangs up when Don admits he doesn't truly know what love is, signaling attraction tinged with doubt.

Ann begins recording a series of emotional videos addressed to her ex, expressing loneliness and longing. She arranges for a neighbor to mail the tapes to Prague, hoping to reach him across the distance. These acts reveal her desperate need to be heard and understood.

The neighbor who works at a package delivery service secretly opens and watches the tapes. He becomes infatuated with Ann, blurring the line between admirer and intruder. His voyeuristic interest foreshadows the dangers of private material falling into the wrong hands.

Sometime after their call, Don walks into the camera shop and buys a camera for his real estate work. He recognizes Ann but chooses not to reveal his knowledge, allowing their connection to develop. This moment links their fates through a shared object and an unspoken acknowledgment.

Don helps Ann at a laundromat, and they talk long enough to grow closer. Ann invites him to her house, signaling a shift from casual interaction to a more private relationship. The invitation sets the stage for their first intimate encounter.

After their encounter, Ann secretly tapes the moment with the intention of sending it to her ex. The neighbor holds onto the tape and watches it, turning intimate moments into potential leverage. The videotape becomes a potent symbol of boundary-crossing and unresolved longing.

Following the encounter, Ann avoids Don and ducks his calls, creating distance between them. Her withdrawal marks a rift as she navigates conflicting impulses and secrets. The relationship struggles under the weight of her secrecy.

A few days later, Don is asked by the police to talk a man out of a hotel room who has a gun. He succeeds in calming the man, but the gun goes off, injuring both. The incident leaves Don battered and more introspective about his own needs and risks.

When Ann learns what happened, she rushes to the hospital and stays with Don until he is out of danger. Her presence rekindles a concern that had cooled, showing how fragile care can be in the midst of turmoil. The moment re-emphasizes their emotional pull toward each other.

The ex calls to say he wants to get back together, reopening old possibilities. Rather than re-engaging, Ann packs and leaves town without informing Don or the ex. Her sudden departure signals a new, unresolved path forward for all involved.

Don returns home from the hospital and muses about what he would tell Ann if they met again. A woman walks by, sits down, and smiles at him—it's Ann—prompting a final sense that anything can still happen. The scene closes with Don's voice-over repeating that anything can happen.