Plot
A subversive romantic comedy gone wrong that follows a young woman into and out of an emotionally abusive relationship.
Mackenzie is with her situationship partner whom she knows from law school. She has an unfulfilling experience with him as he does not appear to be interested in her pleasure, sexual safety, or company. Frustrated, she buries herself in her studies and is late to her friend’s birthday celebration. She picks up ice cream cake on the way, forgetting that her friend Ally is lactose intolerant, showing she is pre-occupied with her own inner ennui. Mackenzie and her roommates Ally and Lucas discuss the alienating experience of modern day dating while waiting to go to Ally’s birthday party.
Ally invited every man in her DMs, so there are a lot of people who Mackenzie does not know well. This includes Finn, who she first runs into in the bathroom line and later approaches her while she is standing alone on her phone. They connect fast, keeping each other company to avoid standing alone at a party. Finn’s two friends are also in attendance and Finn introduces them to Mackenzie.
Later that night, while debriefing with Ally and Lucas, Mackenzie finds Finn’s instagram and discovers he’s a TV journalist. Mackenzie messages him on Instagram the next day and they being to exchange messages. During what was supposed to be a movie night, Lucas laments, Ally assists Mackenzie with crafting messages. Finn video calls Mackenzie “out of the blue.” After debating whether to answer him, Mackenzie runs into the next room to take the call. Instead of looking at his face, Mackenzie centers the image of her own face, self-conscious that she does not look good. She also tells Finn that she doesn’t like restaurant dates because everyone can tell she is on a first date and it makes her uncomfortable. Finn tells her he will think of something.
Mackenzie meets Finn at what appears to be a restaurant. She reiterates that she does not like restaurants dates, and Finn replies “well it’s not in public.” Finn has reserved the entire restaurant for them to ensure Mackenzie is comfortable on the first date. He asks Mackenzie about herself, and she responds often downplaying her goals and success. Finn charmingly refutes her negative portrayal of herself. He also takes her bracelet, which is gold-gilded copper that stains her wrist, as collateral so she’ll see him again. Mackenzie expresses shock at the fact that he wants to see her again and they kiss.
Ally and Lucas debrief with Mackenzie and Mackenzie expresses that she realizes no one has actually liked her before. Later, in bed together, Mackenzie and Finn play a game where they guess where the picture on the TV screensaver was taken. They talk about Mackenzie’s insecurities and how Finn’s mother left when he was little. He connects that, as well as his first girlfriend cheating on him, to his current difficulty with trusting people. Then, he presents her with a real gold bracelet in place of her old one. He got one for himself as well, but Mackenzie opts to take the one with his name, leaving him the one with hers.
Finn buys her a plane ticket to Portland where he is to report on a story. While she is watching him on the news, he signs off with “I love you Mackenzie.”
4 months later, Mackenzie is scrolling while receiving numerous messages from Finn. She lies and says that she didn’t respond because she wasn’t on her phone. He notes that she viewed his story and that he stayed up to talk to her. He says he couldn’t live without her and makes him promise she’ll never leave him, saying “I love you forever” and forcing her to say it back.
Finn’s calls get increasingly disruptive, as Mackenzie receives multiple calls and messages during class. Worried that there is something wrong, Mackenzie probes him for answers, but Finn is evasive, focusing on the fact that he couldn’t reach her. Mackenzie realizes that this is the emergency, and Finn makes her feel guilty for not being available and prioritizing him. He screams at her through the phone and she hangs up on him. He repetitively calls her to the point where she can’t use her phone.
Mackenzie arrives home to find Finn in her living room talking with Ally. They go to her room and argue about Mackenzie not being available when he calls. Finn guilts her by detailing all the things he’s done for her. In a fit of rage, he runs to the bathroom, rips off his gold bracelet, and flushes it. He then beats his head against the wall. Mackenzie stops him, but they continue to fight, with Finn saying his life revolves around her and Mackenzie does not put in an equal effort. He speaks to her in a condescending tone. Exasperated, Finn runs into the street and lays in an intersection in front of an oncoming vehicle. It misses him.
The next day in class, Mackenzie is visibly tired and waiting to hear from Finn after their fight. As she tries to focus, Finn attempts to steal her attention by texting that he will assume they are breaking up if she doesn’t respond. Mackenzie comes home to her living room filled with purple daisies, which she noted at the restaurant was her favorite flower.
Mackenzie tells her friends that she is trying to make up with Finn and that she has been taking him for granted lately. They question that perspective. Instead of continuing the conversation Mackenzie rushes out to meet up with Finn. Finn explains that this is the first time this has ever happened, but he also has a history of having panic attacks due to his traumatic upbringing. The first time was when his dad botched his first childhood sleepover. Mackenzie states that love is seeing someone though their worst moments. Finn asks Mackenzie to delete their text messages due to embarrassment.
Ally, Mackenzie, Lucas, and Finn are later at a coffee shop. Ally and Lucas remind Mackenzie that their informal college reunion is coming up. Mackenzie asks if Finn can go and Lucas and Ally seem reluctant. Finn appears on the verge of getting upset, but tells the group that he is okay sitting it out. To make up for the disappointment, Mackenzie creates a sleepover experience to supplement the one he missed out on during childhood. They have a nice night but in the morning Finn complains that Mackenzie is going to the reunion dinner instead of spending their last night together as he is about to leave on a business trip. During a subsequent discussion, Mackenzie divulges that a professor in college was fired after attempting to kiss her and she received ire from her classmates.
During the reunion dinner, Finn persistently texts Mackenzie, demanding she call him. Mackenzie ignores the messages and missed calls, but sees Finn’s friend from the party enter the restaurant and take a picture of her. This prompts Mackenzie to call Finn and confront him. Finn accuses her of having an affair with Lucas. He says his friends think that their relationship is bad because they are not intimate enough and Mackenzie does not perform oral on him.
Makenzie returns to the table distraught. Finn calls him from the restaurant phone, and Ally questions whether everything is alright. Mackenzie hides the issues from her and steps away to call him again. Finn convinces Mackenzie to leave the restaurant. Lucas checks in on her to ensure she is ok.
When Mackenzie gets to Finn, she sees that the TV is smashed and a picture of them is cut in half. Ally informs her over text that Finn paid for their dinner. The next morning they play the game where they guess where the stock image was taken, but Mackenzie is not invested. This prompts another conversation where Mackenzie attempts to set boundaries but is undermined by Finn.
Back in her apartment, Mackenzie has a panic attack induced by Finn’s calling. She lies to get him off the phone.
Six months later, Mackenzie and Finn appear to be on better terms. Mackenzie has landed her dream internship at City Hall due to Finn’s connection to a city councilperson. Mackenzie is celebrating with her friends, who point out the Finn has ruined special occasions. Ally and Lucas question the relationship and confront Mackenzie about how she has been an absentee friend. Finn texts Ally and Lucas because Mackenzie is avoiding his texts and Mackenzie reveals that she has brought all her apple devices with her to avoid Finn reading her iCloud messages.
Later, Finn chastises Mackenzie for not being available and not celebrating her internship with him. He quickly spirals into a meltdown and accuses her of leading her professor on. He says she ruined the professor’s life like she ruined his. Mackenzie slaps him, and Finn yells at her for hitting him.
Mackenzie is placed on academic probation. In the library, she runs into her old situationship partner who asks why she ghosted him. She explains that she got a new number and he asks for it. She gives it to him and he texts her. Mackenzie saves him as “Lindsey.” While she studies, Finn, who is on a business trip incessantly texts her. When she calls, he pressures her to fly out to him to surprise him. Mackenzie ultimately agrees, missing Ally’s birthday dinner.
While visiting Finn, he looks at her phone and asks who “Lindsey” is. Mackenzie claims she is just a girl from her study group. Finn pretends to have called the number to get Mackenzie to confess and destroys the phone as its alarm is going off. He begins to destroy items in the hotel room, cuts himself, and threaten to jump from the balcony. Hotel security comes to the room. Finn attempts to pay them off, but Mackenzie uses it as an opportunity to escape saying “I love you so much please let me go.”
Later on, Mackenzie is rebuilding her life with the support of Ally and Lucas. They help her rebuild her self worth and prevent her from returning to Finn. Later on, after she is starting to feel better, she sees Finn on the news. He says “I love you Jenny."
