Candid Dreams

конспект

When Zahra, a young Iranian woman visiting Los Angeles with her sister Bahar, is found dead after a weekend camping trip, her mysterious death sets off a chain of events that links the lives of seven women—all immigrants or outsiders—each chasing their version of the American dream.

Shaken by Zahra’s death and desperate to avoid police scrutiny, Sean urges his stepsister Amy and her boyfriend Jason to flee to Las Vegas. Amy finds herself torn between loyalty, fear, and a dawning realization that uncovering the truth could cost her everything.
Back in time, Bahar recalls the desperation that brought her to America. Once a student protester in Tehran, she was forced into hiding in her abusive boyfriend’s apartment, cornered by a regime that hunted dissidents. Choosing exile over imprisonment, she escaped to LA with Zahra—only to lose her in a city that promised freedom but delivered tragedy.

Amid the unfolding chaos, Emma, an Italian writer, wanders Los Angeles after a painful divorce, searching for meaning. She journals her encounters with men—including Carlos, Zahra’s boyfriend—and confronts the illusions she once held about love, connection, and identity.

Meanwhile, Anika, a soft-spoken Swedish woman, has followed her partner Bjorn to LA, supporting his dream of becoming a wrestler. But when she discovers his secret double life, Anika is forced to reclaim her independence and begin building a future of her own in a city that demands constant reinvention.

In East LA, Carmen, an undocumented Mexican mother, lives in the shadows, awaiting a divorce that could decide her fate. Her children, Luna and Carlo, navigate the precarious space between cultures and borders. Luna, now pregnant, dares to cross the border for a better future, while Carlo stumbles upon life-altering news that reshapes his life.

And in a quiet suburb, Rose, the wife of a former soldier haunted by PTSD, walks on eggshells. Her husband, Josh—once heroic—is now paranoid and controlling. For the sake of her son, Kobi, Rose must find the strength to escape his psychological grip, even if it means confronting the fears she’s buried for years.

As their lives converge, a larger portrait of Los Angeles emerges—a city of illusions and contradictions, where seven women from different corners of the world confront loss, find resilience, and forge new paths toward hope and freedom.