Star Leaf 2015

Tim [Tyler Trerise] and James [Julian Gavilanes], two Marine snipers, are stationed in the rugged Hindu Kush mountains of Afghanistan with a mission to kill a high-ranking Taliban leader. The assignment grows suddenly perilous when a young child wanders into sight, and James takes a shot that unintentionally ends the child’s life, leaving a heavy mark on him and Tim.

A year later, the two men—now joined by Tim’s girlfriend Martha [Shelby Truax]—embark on a road trip toward La Push, Washington, hoping the coastal landscape will help James confront his mounting PTSD. The trio’s journey takes a strange turn when they stop at a mysterious biker’s house run by Seth Guardrail Slaughter [Russell Hodgkinson], who provides a map said to lead to a legendary, extraterrestrial strain of cannabis growing in the Olympic Mountains.

Following the map, they press onward toward the fabled “Garden of Weeden.” When they finally uncover the ET marijuana, Martha breaks the grove’s first rule—no cell phone use that could reveal the sacred location. Around a campfire, they spark the Star Leaf and begin to drift into a haze of vivid visions and puzzling sensations. James starts to hear Afghan voices echoing in his head as his PTSD flares up, and a UFO briefly crosses the sky. The group is left wondering what is real and what is a side effect of the strange plant.

Soon a forest ranger named Ranger Dave [Richard Cranor] appears at the campfire, offering a curious, almost mythic oral history of the Star Leaf and its spiritual effects. His presence adds to the mystery and unsettled mood, as the line between danger and salvation blurs.

That night, James is awakened by glowing orbs floating inside his tent, and the group experiences a cascade of alien encounters that force them to flee the campsite. The trouble deepens when it’s revealed that Tim has stolen Star Leaf clippings, a grave violation of the grove’s rules that also brings the alien interference into sharper focus.

The foursome splits as they race into the woods, with James contending with violent PTSD flashbacks while trying to stay together. Ranger Dave and Seth Guardrail Slaughter step in, offering James a path to redemption: return the stolen Star Leaf to the grove, and perhaps heal not only his own wounds but the bond among the group as well, despite the ominous presence stalking them.

In a decisive act of courage, James faces his deepest fears and returns the Star Leaf, a gesture that unlocks a hard-won healing from Afghanistan’s memories and helps Tim begin to move beyond his own pain. The group, weathered but hopeful, finally makes it to the beach and rides the ocean’s waves, signaling a quiet renewal and the promise of a new chapter ahead.