Palm Trees and Power Lines 2018

Lea, a 17-year-old girl living in suburban Southern California, spends her last few weeks of summer hanging out with her best friend Amber, trying to enjoy her teenage years despite a challenging family situation. Her mother, Sandra, is emotionally distant, and Lea’s father is absent from her life, living far away in Arizona with his new family. Throughout the summer, Lea experiences typical teenage relationships, including a casual romance with Jared, a boy her age who is more interested in sex than emotional connection, leaving Lea feeling unfulfilled and somewhat lonely.

One evening, while the group is eating at a local diner, Lea notices an older man sitting in the restaurant who catches her attention and winks at her as he leaves. Her friends, sensing an awkward moment, quickly exit the establishment, leaving Lea behind as she hesitates. When she finally tries to leave, she encounters a cook who approaches her in an unsettling manner, but the same mysterious man intervenes just in time, allowing her to escape. As Lea walks home alone, the man follows her in his truck and eventually offers her a ride, introducing himself as Tom and claiming to be 34 years old. Lea shares her age with him, and before parting ways, Tom adds his mobile number into her phone, beginning a potentially dangerous connection.

Lea feels a mix of fascination and curiosity about Tom, confiding in Amber that she has met someone but keeps details private, claiming he’s a boy from another school. Her relationship with her mother starts to strain further when Sandra welcomes an ex-boyfriend back into their home, leaving Lea feeling increasingly distant and seeking validation elsewhere. She turns to Tom for support and attention, and he responds with empathy, sharing that he also does not have a close relationship with his parents. When Lea asks what he does for a living, Tom vaguely mentions running his own small business involved in home repairs and remodeling, which gives him a sense of independence and freedom.

As their relationship deepens, Lea spends more time with Tom, eventually agreeing to spend the night with him. He takes her to a motel, explaining he is temporarily staying there until he finds a permanent residence. Lea becomes uneasy when Tom must leave her briefly to deal with a domestic dispute upstairs, but he reassures her that he’s just helping a neighbor with an intoxicated boyfriend. Their day at the beach further cements her feelings for him when he introduces himself to a friend from school, though she asks him to keep their relationship a secret from others, especially Amber.

During a meal at a restaurant, a waitress observes Lea and suspects she might be in a coercive relationship. When Tom steps outside to take a call, the waitress quietly warns Lea that Tom has been known to be involved with other young girls. Confused and unaware of the grooming tactics at play, Lea questions why she might need help, but the waitress hints at a pattern of behavior. When Tom returns, he senses Lea’s discomfort and quickly dismisses her concerns, claiming she’s mistaken.

Later, during a night out with friends, Jared mocks Lea, joking that she’s been seen “hanging out with the geriatric,” which infuriates her, especially after discovering Amber told him. Overcome with emotion, Lea heads to Tom’s motel room, where Tom comforts her, professing his love and telling her that her friends and family’s opinions don’t matter. He gives her a bracelet with an inside joke, making her feel special and wanted. Soon, Tom proposes they go on a vacation together, and without hesitation, Lea agrees, and they book a hotel.

However, their trip takes a dark turn when Tom, during their second night, asks Lea to do something disturbing — to sleep with another man for money, convincing her that she must do it out of love for him. Reluctantly, Lea is coerced into engaging in sex with a middle-aged man, a situation she finds emotionally overwhelming. During the encounter, she attempts to leave but is caught by Tom before she can escape. He then takes her to get food, and she seizes an opportunity, leaving his company and walking alone to a nearby gas station. With tears in her eyes, she calls Amber for help, and they reunite, returning safely home.

Determined to regain control of her life, Lea makes a conscious effort to reconnect with her mother and spend more time with Amber. She also tries to contact Tom again, but his number is disconnected. When she visits the motel, she finds his door unanswered. She reaches out to an upstairs tenant who had previously been helped by Tom, and relays her fears and sadness over his abandonment. The tenant reluctantly dials Tom’s number and puts her through, leading to a heartbreaking phone call where Lea pleads with him, sobbing that she doesn’t understand why he left her. The movie concludes with Lea affirming her feelings for Tom, her smile mixed with lingering pain, as she listens to his voice reciprocate her love, hinting at an unresolved and complicated emotional connection.