Directed by David Barrett
Written by Veena Sud
What started as a misunderstanding with a snuff film made in 1979 becomes a real murder case when the cold case team determines that the girl on the film really is dead.
Tropes:
- Abusive Parents: Christopher gets beaten and humiliated by his abusive, homophobic, racist father. Even his friend Cassie knew about it.
- Dark Reprise: "Please Don't Go" by KC and the Sunshine Band is first played when Daniela and Chris have sex. It plays again when he comes back for her, only for her to shoot herself.
- The Dead Have Names: Lilly writes Daniela's name on her closed case box after crossing out "Jane Doe".
- Dying Alone: Daniela killed herself before Chris could come back to her.
- Finally Found the Body: Daniela's body was buried by Chris near a river. Marquette and Lester thought that she had just left.
- Hooker with a Heart of Gold: Marquette was a prostitute who was Daniela's only friend. She's an anti-prostitution advocate in the present day.
- If It's You, It's Okay: Even after discovering Daniela is a pre-op MTF transgender woman, Christopher doesn't care. He still wants Daniela.
- "It" Is Dehumanizing: After discovering his son has fallen in love with a transgender woman, Christopher's father can't stop addressing Daniela as "it", "fag", and "a man".
- Little "No": Chris says this in the final confrontation when he is accused by Lilly of killing Daniela because he was ashamed of what she was.
- The Lost Lenore: After Daniela's death, Chris never sought out love again. He also cut himself off from his father and friends.
- Moment of Weakness: Christopher lying about not doing anything with Daniela and walking away with his homophobic father, with tragic results.
- No Last Name Given: Daniela's mother Esther Castillo and her landlord Lester Hughes are the only characters with a last name. The rest are just first names (John, Chris, Cassie, Daniela, Marquette). The father of Chris is not named at all.
- Race for Your Love: After some thinking, Christopher realizes he still loves Daniela and races back to find her. Unfortunately, the gunshot from her suicide draws him to find her dead.
- Sexy Discretion Shot: When Christopher assures a nervous Daniela that he "sees her for what she really is" and loves her no matter what, they embrace and fall to the floor together. Cutting away to the white sheets hanging out to dry.
- Snuff Film: The investigation is kicked off by the discovery of an old 8mm film in which John, a man with a history of sexual violence, is shown brutalizing and seemingly shooting Daniella. While Daniella was shot to death, it turned out to have had nothing to do with the film or John.
- Spurned into Suicide: After being discovered as pre-op transgender and rejected by Christopher, Daniela shoots herself in the head. She did not know that Christopher changed his mind and raced back for her, a few minutes too late.
- The Tragic Rose: Chris gave Daniela a rose corsage when they were supposed to go to his prom. When he was forced by his pops to renounce her, she threw the corsage away. After Chris finds Daniela dead, he buried her body and threw the petals away in a garbage bag which was found by the police. Stillman knew about the garbage bag full of petals. In the epilogue, there are rose petals when Chris and Daniela have their last dance.
- Trans Equals Gay: Daniela is a MTF transgender woman who is attracted to boys and falls in love with Christopher. Christopher's homophobic father finds out about Daniela and accuses his son of being "a fag".
- True Blue Femininity: Daniela planned to wear a light blue dress to prom.
- Unsettling Gender-Reveal: How the suspects discovered Daniela is a transgender person. Ultimately leading to her death.
- Wham Line:Valens: Ms. Castillo, you know this girl?
Ms. Castillo: Girl? That's my son. That's Edwin.
