Dirty Beautiful 2015

Film buff David relocates to Los Angeles chasing the dream of becoming a screenwriter. He struggles to finish scripts and to move beyond a job as a storyboard artist, keeping his eye on a breakthrough. In workshops, he forms a tentative friendship with fellow writer Nicole, which sours when he makes a romantic pass. Then a dramatic turn arrives when a young woman named Kat forces herself into his car, revealing homelessness and prompting him to offer her a place to stay.

Living together changes the dynamic: despite her erratic behavior and troubled past, David finds himself increasingly drawn to Kat, and their relationship grows closer. Kat explains she came to Los Angeles from Idaho with a man she loved, but he abandoned her, pushing her toward prostitution to survive. The pair nearly splits when Kat arranges to start working for a pimp named Armstrong, but David, unable to abandon her, ensures she returns to his apartment.

As time passes, Kat becomes pregnant. She remains resistant to changing her lifestyle and continues to drink. Confronted with the reality of parenthood, David convinces Kat to have an abortion. Soon after, Kat destroys David’s screenplay notes, triggering a heated argument that drives her back to Idaho.

With Kat gone, David gains the clarity to finish his first script about their time together and rekindles his friendship with Nicole. He tells himself that life is better without Kat, a sentiment that is interrupted when she calls to say she has returned to Los Angeles. At first, he resists taking her back, but he eventually lets Kat move back into his apartment, closing the arc on a turbulent relationship that shaped his art and his ambitions.