Monday 2021

Meeting at a party in Athens, Sebastian Stan and Denise Gough instantly connect, a moment charged with a rough-edged romance that neither of them expected. The morning after, they wake up naked on a beach, surrounded by families and police who escort them downtown and eventually let them go with a warning. Chloe plans a rapid exit in two days, trying to secure something she feels she must recover from the party, while Mickey invites her to his DJ gig on an island and promises a life he hopes she’ll join. They spend the day getting to know one another, sharing small gestures and jokes that hint at deeper chemistry, and by night’s end Mickey asks Chloe to stay. She refuses, and when her belongings arrive, the parting feels awkward and unresolved.

Argyris, Mickey’s friend and business partner, quickly senses the growing pull between them. He realizes Mickey has fallen hard for Chloe, and the two men pursue her to the airport in a tense, hopeful chase that somehow works. The couple moves in together and falls into a true, if imperfect, romance, a blend of passion and stubborn stubbornness—two people who are as alike as they are opposite.

Mickey’s old bandmate lures him with a road-weary dream, offering a tempting escape, but the moment he sees Chloe again, the temptation loses its pull. Their freelance advertising venture isn’t thriving; they muddle through client meetings in the living room while Chloe negotiates with an immigration client in the dining room, spreading themselves thin as their relationship deepens.

Planning a party for their circle of friends becomes a test of their partnership. They’re meant to meet Aspa, the mother of Mickey’s son Hector, beforehand, but she goes solo while he takes care of the party food. Aspa reveals a painful truth: Mickey has often failed as a father. When Chloe returns, she discovers he hasn’t followed through, and the moment stings, especially as the night’s misfires ripple outward.

Takeout arrives before guests, and the meal becomes a microcosm of their life—disastrous at times, funny at others, with cracks that only widen as the night wears on. The couple tries to laugh it off, but the tension lingers. A social worker arrives with news from Aspa: visitation and guardianship must be shared, a designation that unsettles Chloe deeply. To avoid confrontation, Chloe secretly terminates the pregnancy, telling herself it’s a stomach flu, and she keeps this from Mickey even as the relationship strains under the weight of unspoken choices.

At a wedding, Christos—the ex who unsettles them both—reappears, throwing a threatening edge into the air. Mickey drinks to steady his nerves, and chaos nearly sabotages what they’ve built. Argyris steps in to prevent a complete derailment, reminding them how much Chloe loves him, even as the moment reveals their fragile balance.

Christmas looms as the week before Hector’s first visit brings stress and nerves. They try to anchor themselves with a shared Greek song for the boy, a moment of tenderness before a night out that goes too far—tequila, a dash of cocaine, and too much risk. A sudden desire to recapture the night they first connected leads them to speed through traffic on a motorcycle, almost ending in tragedy. They are chased and pulled over, the pair arrested naked and placed in the back of a police car for all the world to see.

The court date looms on Monday, threatening to separate them from Hector again. Chloe’s weekend in a cell feels endless, while Mickey’s fate appears lighter as his case is dismissed thanks to Christos pulling some strings. Chloe returns home to find him waiting, the tension that marks their days echoing in their eyes. She confronts him, anger and fear battling for dominance, and in a quiet, painful moment she realizes the two of them have become as culpable as they are innocent in the eyes of the world.

The film closes with a hopeful, almost ordinary image: outside a school where children spill into their parents’ arms, Mickey and Chloe stand side by side, their faces bright with love and expectation. The moment suggests that, despite the missteps, their bond remains a stubborn, bright flame—an emblem of youth, vulnerability, and the messy beauty of choosing to try again.