On the cusp of a presidential inauguration, a group of childhood friends reconnect for a getaway in a mountain town, but amidst the festivities surrounding a local installment of the Women’s March, a buried trauma is triggered that must be bravely voiced in order to heal.

SYNOPSIS:

Intro: As a mother-daughter team — a professional writer and recent graduate from Syracuse University’s B.F.A. Acting program — we were inspired by our country’s unprecedented climate of social reckoning to write our dark comedy-drama, MARCH: a MeToo-era Girls Trip meets The Big Chill. Our Gen-X, female-driven film is geared toward audiences 30s-50s yet features an edgy retro vibe that is relatable to all. Through the lens of the Women’s March and guided in her heart by her politically impassioned daughter and ailing activist mother, protagonist 40ish Lulu, discovers the crucial practice of using her voice to heal from a past trauma. Although dramatic underpinnings bring an unexpected depth to MARCH, the film drives home (sometimes hilariously!) that trauma does not define us and when we embrace ourselves fully, friendship and light lifts us up in our darkest moments.

Synopsis

(Act I) The film opens in 1980s San Francisco with a 5-minute expository montage LULU FRATELLI (12) rides in her parents’ rickety station wagon, crowded by protest signs. Lulu mocks her parents’ enthusiasm for social activism, rolling her eyes as the Fratellis rush to a movie. They pick up Lulu’s best friends: AMY (12, mixed race, working to comfort her mother and younger brothers after the recent death of her firefighter father) and GEORGE (12, a reluctant child model living with his narcissistic single mom). The friendships between Lulu, Amy, and George run quickly (in montage), spanning high school, college, and young adulthood.

We jump forward to adulthood, the night of the presidential election - November 8, 2016 Lulu and friends are now suburban parents. They attend a gala fundraiser for their children’s school. A fourth friend, OLIVIA — an irreverent ex-pat Anglo-Indian divorcee — has joined their clique. All is well until Lulu, as entertainment chair for the event, presents an item for auction. When she slips and falls, her dress flies up and her ass is exposed to the whole PTA; it’s the perfect metaphor for her current state of unease.

Two months after the election - January 2017 Intoxicated, Lulu fights with her husband MIKE in their home. She hits him; he yanks her, and she falls, cutting her lip. It is divulged later that Lulu's 16-year-old son witnessed the incident. Lulu visits her therapist after the fight, which triggers memories of a past violent rape Lulu experienced in college. After discovering that Mike has also been to therapy, Lulu considers sharing her repressed memory with her husband, but doesn’t for fear and shame. Lulu remains silent and continues to shut Mike out.

Shortly after the fight, on the eve of Trump’s inauguration, Lulu and friends meet at the airport for a getaway to Lulu’s family’s condo. Lulu hopes time with friends will distract her from stress at home while relaxing in the snow and attending a local Women’s March. At the airport lounge, the friends enjoy cocktails over a boisterous reunion. Lulu learns of her friends’ struggles: Amy's hidden addiction; George's partner’s incarceration; Olivia’s battle with gender bias at work. Lulu and friends meet flirtatious fellow travelers PATRICK and AMIR and argue with two obnoxious Trump supporters.

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(At II) Lulu, Amy, George, and Olivia arrive at the 1980s-style mountain condo in Truckee, CA. They reminisce over dated Fratelli family photos of awkward teenage Lulu, her twin brother, and activist parents. Through tears, Lulu updates her friends on her mother’s cancer battle. The group waste no time in lighting up a joint as they jump into party mode ready to blow off steam. Wearing retro neon snowsuits and hats they find stuffed in a bedroom closet, they head out to the local bar, but not before partaking in shenanigans with Women's March MC, Chelsea Handler. Patrick and Amir are also at the bar enjoying festivities associated with a wrap party for a snowboarding movie that their friend is directing. The groups collide for a wild night of dancing, drinking, and mischief. Olivia and Amir surprisingly hit it off. Amy, inebriated and outspoken, makes up with the Trump supporter she argued with on the plane. Minutes later, they are making out! George, suffering from altitude sickness and heartache over his husband’s legal troubles, vomits into his beanie. The two groups share a precarious ride back to Lulu’s condo.

Upon drop off, Lulu has a flirty curbside chat with Patrick. The attraction between them is undeniable. They connect over 80s power ballads and retro slang. After an awkward goodnight embrace, they part ways. Shaken, Lulu can’t ignore her own shortcomings in her marriage. The next day, the group’s snowboarding antics — including over-padding their snow pants with toilet paper — end with starstruck Olivia’s wipeout with an actor from the local movie production. After escaping the scene and relaxing with drinks, Lulu reveals the details of the fight with Mike that led to her resurfaced traumatic memory.

Later, with Patrick and Amir's invitation, Lulu and her crew attend the snowboarding film’s wrap party. It is a wild night of celebrity sightings, kamikaze shots, and romance. The fun is interrupted, however, when Olivia’s deadbeat ex-husband enters with a young girlfriend from their neighborhood. Olivia is livid. In retaliation, Olivia takes Amir to the condo where they have a saucy and unexpectedly sincere hookup. The rest of the crew attend an afterparty with the film’s entourage. Lulu connects with Patrick again but, despite the attraction, they remain platonic. Lulu gains clarity in shared disclosures of their respective challenges. They’ve become trusted friends.

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(Act III) The next morning, the late-night partygoers awaken strewn about the band’s hotel suite. The Women’s March crescendos outside. At the March, Chelsea Handler is on stage; she summons Lulu and friends to join her. Lulu is handed the microphone without warning. Reluctantly, but she speaks from the heart. Her confidence builds, culminating in a rally cry that brings the huge crowd to eruption.

Elated, Lulu jumps offstage. She celebrates the moment on FaceTime with her daughter, who is at a NYC march. Lulu is sobered by a text from Mike. Lulu’s mom has been rushed to the hospital during a simultaneous Women’s March in San Francisco. Lulu races to catch a flight home where she finds her mom weakened but recovering. Lulu speaks alone with her mother. She finds comfort in her mother’s strength, grace, and wisdom. That night, Lulu finds the courage to discuss with Mike their aggressive fight and the trauma of her rape. Mike comforts her tenderly.

Months later Lulu helps to chair another school fundraiser. The film closes with Lulu and Mike lovingly sharing a slow dance. Amir surprises relationship-adverse Olivia at the event, and dancing alongside them are George and Amy, content with their renewed prospects.