Elena Undone 2010

Elena Winters, Necar Zadegan, a mother and pastor’s wife, and Peyton Lombard, Thunderbird Dinwiddie, a celebrated lesbian writer, cross paths in a park in their late thirties, sharing a brief, charged glance before continuing on separate routes. The film unfolds in two threads: one follows Elena in a church, where Nash, Elena’s teenage stepson, Connor Kramme, refuses to join an anti-homosexual protest, and the other follows a funeral service for Peyton’s recently deceased mother. Elena and her husband Barry, Gary Weeks, are struggling to conceive, a struggle underscored when Barry rebukes Elena after her period starts, hinting at deeper strain in their marriage.

Peyton, meanwhile, is sifting through her late mother’s belongings and confronting memories of a troubled upbringing. While cleaning, she discovers a tape titled “Women’s Glory Project” and becomes obsessed with it, sensing a path to meaning in the project that may connect to her own life in unexpected ways. Elena seeks guidance from her friend Tyler, Sam Harris, explaining that adoption is now on the table for expanding their family. Tyler probes softly, pressing Elena to examine what might be driving her choices and whether Barry is truly her soulmate, a line of questioning that foreshadows the emotional crossroads ahead: > what’s in it for her? he wonders, hinting at the complexity of Elena’s vow to the life they’ve built together.

The two women finally meet again at the adoption agency, their earlier encounter resurfacing with exchanged business cards—Peyton mentions she could use a photographer, and Elena’s prior career as one hints at a shared professional language that could become personal. Peyton’s best friend Wave, Mary Jane Wells, drags her to a “love guru” who is, in fact, Tyler, setting the stage for a dizzying series of conversations about desire, loyalty, and risk. Elena learns that Peyton is openly gay, and the two begin to bridge the gap between friendship and something more intimate, their bond strengthening over picnics, late-night wine, and candid talks about their upbringings and the moments they knew their true selves.

As their meetings become more frequent, Elena starts photographing Peyton, capturing the raw warmth and vulnerability that blooms between them. They discuss their pasts, the pressures of conformity, and how they arrived at the lives they now lead. The connection deepens, and Elena’s self-doubt gradually gives way to a compelling attraction that unsettles her thoughts about fidelity and duty. When Peyton asks Wave for advice about Elena’s feelings, Wave encourages honesty, unaware of the tremors within Elena herself. A tense, unspoken shift finally spills over—Elena visits Peyton with a stack of printed photographs, and Peyton voices her emotions openly, suggesting they keep their lives separate to preserve the families around them.

Elena’s fierce reaction—refusing to let go of the closeness they’ve found—pushes the relationship toward a kiss, a moment that changes both women’s trajectories. Elena’s internal conflict grows sharper as she starts to want more from Peyton, and the possibility of a future together becomes almost tangible. Peyton initially resists, warning that once they go there, there’s no going back, a line that unsettles Elena and reframes their connection in a new, potentially perilous light. The tension spills into the days that follow: Elena and Peyton share a night of passion, and Peyton struggles with the implications of their evolving relationship, especially given Elena’s marriage and the lives they would be risking.

Their evolving romance becomes public in small, painful ways—Millie, Erin Carufel, Millie—a friend of Peyton—sees them together and informs Barry, acknowledging the fragile ecosystem around Elena’s choices. The two women confide their new truth to Tyler and Wave, who respond with a mix of support and concern: Tyler offers pragmatic encouragement, while Wave expresses disapproval, reminding Peyton of Elena’s marriage and the consequences of their entanglement. The situation worsens as Nash notices the strain and the secrets behind Elena’s smile begin to fracture the family. Elena tells Barry they have stopped having sex and reveals plans to vacation in Hawaii together, a decision that intensifies the emotional pull between Elena and Peyton and leads to a charged, unintended kiss in the park witnessed by Millie.

The aftermath accelerates as Elena and Peyton decide to test the viability of their bond against the practical realities of Elena’s marriage and family. Barry learns of the affair, the truth lands hard, and Elena ultimately chooses to break up with Barry to give their son Nash a chance at a more honest home life. They attempt to navigate a new reality that includes Elena’s pregnancy, made possible through IVF with Tyler’s contribution, casting a new light on what “family” may look like for Elena, Peyton, and the people they care about.

Six months later, a fragile, hopeful equilibrium emerges. Wave and Peyton share a walk in the park with their friends Tori and Nash, and Elena walks beside Tyler and his wife, visibly pregnant and preparing for a future that merges their lives in unexpected ways. Peyton experiences a moment of doubt and jealousy, fearing Elena’s past deception, but Elena explains that she has moved beyond the old patterns, choosing to live with honesty and openness about her path forward. The couples discuss the possibility of co-parenting and building a family that can withstand scrutiny and judgment, and the film crescendos with a quiet, resilient sense of possibility.

In the final scene, the same trio—Elena, Peyton, and their infant—enjoy another picnic hosted by Tyler, sharing a moment of ordinary joy that ostensibly proves they have found a form of happiness that works for them. The film closes with a sense of tentative harmony: love has taken a nontraditional route, but it has endured, and the two women have found a way to build a life that includes both their commitment to each other and a future shared with their child.