White Girl 2016

Leah Morgan Saylor, a college sophomore about to start her second year, moves into an apartment in Ridgewood, Queens with her friend Katie. One night, short on marijuana, she asks a group of young Latino men on her corner to sell her drugs, but they refuse. A few days later, Leah runs into Blue Brian Sene-Marc in a neighborhood liquor/convenience store and invites him to her apartment; he explains that, while he’s a dealer, he doesn’t do hard drugs. They end up sharing a night on her roof, and Leah learns that he could be making more money if he broadened his client base.

Seeing potential, Leah tells him he could be making roughly $60 per sale compared to the $20 he’s been getting and invites him to a party thrown by her internship magazine, where Blue can mark up his prices to a larger crowd. Emboldened by this early success, Blue asks for a kilo of cocaine from his supplier Lloyd Adrian Martinez. Lloyd agrees, and the two head to a restaurant for breakfast. While they’re there, a regular customer approaches Blue, sets him up, and an undercover cop quickly moves in to arrest him. Leah quietly retrieves the kilo and slips away.

Leah visits Blue in jail, where he expresses fear of a long prison term due to his prior record. She decides to help him, claiming she has the coke to shield him from the police. Blue asks her to return the drugs to Lloyd and explain the situation. As she nears Lloyd’s place, she spots the same undercover officer outside and flees. She then finds a lawyer named George Justin Bartha, hoping he can secure a good defense; George seems optimistic about their chances.

Back at the workplace, Leah approaches her boss Kelly and begins moving the kilo’s contents, selling a third of it herself and with Katie and Blue’s friends assisting with the rest. Blue remains convinced that George is representing him pro bono. As debts pile up, Lloyd pressures Leah for the remaining money, so she asks Kelly for a $17,000 loan. KellyInstead helps her throw a rave with a cover charge to raise funds. The party is a success, but Leah has taken too many drugs and wakes up alone, with no money.

Leah promises George she will repay the rest, but he cautions her to forget it. He takes her to dinner, explaining that the legal system is unequal and white men who commit violent crimes are more likely to escape punishment than non-violent offenders from the people of color. The two later go back to Leah’s place, where she passes out from intoxication. George uses the moment to rape her.

Afterwards, Leah becomes quiet and withdrawn, staying in bed. Blue unexpectedly returns to her apartment and climbs into bed with her, revealing that the lawyer managed to free him and crediting Leah with saving his life. Getting on one knee, he proposes, to which she does not give a clear answer; the following scene shows them happily kissing.

Walking down the street together, Leah and Blue are startled when Lloyd attacks them, demanding his money. Blue strikes first with a broken bottle, then beats Lloyd to death with a wrench. As Leah watches, Blue realizes she caused the confrontation by not returning the coke. Blue is arrested, and Leah watches coldly as he is driven away. The film ends with Leah appearing in a classroom, just before the credits roll.