Tagline:
Do you still believe?

Synopsis:
A 2008 Sundance Lab finalist, Unicorns tells the story of an awkward teenage girl who escapes to a fanatsy world when her first romantic relationship turns increasingly abusive.

Plot Summary:
Davina is the type of girl who is more likely to get groped in a school hallway (and like it) than be asked to the prom. She collects dolls in glass jars, sorts her food by size and color, and holds her breath constantly. Her androgynous best friend Cassidy has a not-so-secret crush on her that leads to them being called "lezzers" at school. Davina is repulsed by her father and hates his new girlfriend. She feels stifled by her small town and is anxious to escape.

On the morning of her 16th birthday, Davina meets a punk skater named Sterling and thinks he will be her salvation. He sneaks her into a traveling circus, where the promised Lost Mystery of Nature – The Noble Unicorn turns out to be a deformed goat with a single horn. He teaches her how to steal candy from a vending machine and do back flips on a trampoline. Her heart skips a beat and from that moment forward it belongs to him.

Together they embark upon a series of adventures: sneaking into the movies, making “crop angels” in an empty field, and roller skating with evangelical Christians. They paint each other’s nails blood red and flap their arms like birds. Hand and hand, they traverse a landscape of unmitigated patriotism and broken dreams. They roll down the car windows and sing at the top of their lungs.

However, the more time Davina spends with Sterling, the more isolated she becomes. Her family situation disintegrates, her grades slip, and she stops hanging out with Cassidy. Sterling becomes more controlling and their relationship takes a severe turn for the worse.

The abuse culminates on the night of her father's wedding when they get into a particularly nasty fight in front of everyone. Davina is left alone and in tears, tracing a bruise on her leg with a permanent marker into the shape of a unicorn.

In a final attempt to regain her autonomy, Davina breaks up with Sterling. This pushes him over the edge and his obsession with her spirals out of control.