Why Stop Now

The night before his conservatory audition, Eli performs badly at a party where he embarrasses himself in front of his longtime crush Chloe. The moment foreshadows the personal pressures bearing on his dream. He heads into the next day buzzing with nerves and expectations.

In the morning, Eli ferries his mother Penny to a rehab center and drops his sister Nicole at school. Penny doesn’t qualify for rehab due to lack of insurance, which complicates the family’s plans. A nurse at the center suggests a grim workaround: go out, get high, and return with a dirty urine sample to improve her chances.

Penny sends Eli to visit her drug dealer Sprinkles. At a Puerto Rican restaurant, Eli translates a heated exchange with Sprinkles and his dealer Eduardo, and a scuffle leaves Eli shoved to the floor. He injures his right hand, jeopardizing his impending audition.

During the ride home, Eli accidentally swallows Penny’s oxycodone pills, mistaking them for something harmless. The pills cloud his focus and intensify the hand injury that will trouble his audition. This mistake casts a shadow over the next day’s performance.

Eli arrives at the conservatory with Chloe offering last-minute guidance. He is confronted by the parade of reenactors outside and begins playing, but the injury and the lingering drug haze keep him from finishing the piece. The attempt ends prematurely, dampening his prospects.

Leaving the auditorium, Sprinkles flaunts a trophy from his past glory and then steals it. The group heads to retrieve Nicole, whom they drop off at Penny’s sister Trish’s house. Trish dislikes Penny’s presence but agrees to look after Nicole for a while.

At Trish’s house, Eli persuades his sister to watch Nicole for a couple of hours while Penny recovers. The arrangement puts extra pressure on Trish and pits them against the family’s chaotic situation. Eli uses the time to regroup with his companions.

The crew returns to the Puerto Rican restaurant for a late-night party. Sprinkles and Black grab drugs while Eduardo dances with Eli’s mother. Sprinkles flatters Eli as a musical genius and hands over cocaine that Penny seems to need.

Eli urges his mom to take the drugs, but she refuses, insisting she doesn’t need rehab. He calls her a liar and storms out, the tension between them boiling over. The moment deepens the rift as Penny’s addiction presses in.

Eli runs into the reenactors again and confesses his feelings to Chloe, signaling a budding romance. He then receives a call from Penny as he processes the night’s chaos. The family’s crisis continues to overwhelm his music goals.

Eli rushes to Trish’s house after Penny’s call and finds Nicole hysterical, hidden in the bathroom. He chastises Trish for letting things spiral and tells Penny that Nicole cannot come home until rehab. They agree Trish will watch Nicole while Penny seeks help.

Eli drives Penny back to the rehab clinic; Penny apologizes and tells him she wants him to go to conservatory. She admits addiction runs in his genes as she checks in, and Eli pledges to stay focused on his music while the family seeks help.

Eli returns to the reenactment area and reunites with Chloe; his piano teacher calls to say the judges want him back for another audition the next day. Chloe gives him a hat and a character name to join the reenactment, signaling a tentative romance and a new path.

The next day, Eli delivers a beautiful performance at the audition despite his injured hand. Chloe’s support and his renewed focus help him seize the second chance at the conservatory.