Elena Undone is a drama film written and directed by Nicole Conn. Starring by Necar Zadegan, Traci Dinwiddie, Gary Weeks, Sam Harris, MadLyn, Mary Jane Wells, Erin Carufel, Heather Howe, Shyloh Oostwald, Jane Clark and Roberta Sparta.
In the opening scene, the paths of two women cross. They are Elena Winters (Necar Zadegan), a mother and pastor’s wife, and Peyton Lombard (Traci Dinwiddie), a well-known lesbian writer. They are both in their late 30s and while they are walking down a park pathway, both make eye contact with each other before walking their separate ways.
The movie opens in two places – following the two protagonists – first, within a church, where Elena’s teenage stepson, Nash, refuses to support an anti-homosexual protest, and then within a funeral service for Peyton’s recently deceased mother.
Elena and her husband Barry (Gary Weeks) are trying to conceive but it becomes clear that their efforts have been unsucessfull when Barry rebukes Elena after her period starts. Meanwhile, Peyton starts cleaning out her mother’s things from her house, having flashbacks of her emotionally troubled mother as she works. Peyton finds a tape entitled ‘Women’s Glory Project’ with her things, and becomes obsessed with it.
Elena visits her friend Tyler for advice, telling him that she and Barry are going to adopt instead of trying to have another child. He asks “what’s in it for her,” and insists (as he’s apparently done in the past) that Barry is not her soul mate, or “twin flame.” Even so, he pushes her to go to the adoption, saying that “someone is definitely coming into her life, in a big way.”
Peyton and Elena meet once again at the adoption agency. They briefly speak as Peyton returns Elena’s lost keys to her. They exchange business cards after Peyton mentions that she might have use for a photographer (which Elena was prior to marrying Barry).
Peyton’s lesbian best friend, Wave (Mary Wells), drags her to a ‘love guru’ (who happens to be Tyler) where Peyton and Elena meet again. Elena finds out that Peyton is gay as they talk about their marriages. Peyton calls Elena the next day, inquiring if Elena would help her with continuing her mother’s Women’s Glory Project, and make plans for Elena to visit the next day with her portfolio.
They meet once again, and it’s revealed that Peyton’s an agoraphobic with substantial difficulties trusting. They bond over the next few weeks – over picnics with Tyler, and late-night glasses of wine. Later, Elena takes better professional photographs of Peyton for her books, and they discuss their upbringings and how they knew they were straight and gay, respectively.
One day, Peyton calls Wave asking for advice on her feelings for Elena, and her friend tells her to be honest with Elena about said feelings, unaware that Elena has some of her own. She visits Peyton later, after being avoided for some time, showing up at her door with the printed photographs. At the unexpected visit, Peyton discloses her feelings to Elena and suggests that they not spend time together.
Elena violently rebukes that idea, telling Peyton that she’s her absolute best friend, that they need to be in each others lives, and that Peyton can have “all of her except for that (meaning physically romantic encounters).” Subsequently, however, Elena begins to rapidly examine her own feelings. Elena calls Peyton after exploring lesbian websites, saying that she’s not attracted to them and doesn’t think she’s a lesbian (leaving the viewer aware that she is attracted to Peyton). This is followed by an uncharacteristically (up to this point) passionate statement from Elena asking if she and Peyton could agree to call her feeling a serious “crush.” Her husband walks up in the middle of the call, causing her to quickly end it, which appears even more suspicious.
The following day, Elena comes over to Peyton’s house and makes out with her passionately (in a long, three-minute unbroken shot) before leaving. As time passes, Elena begins wanting more from her relationship with Peyton. Another day or two later, while over at Peyton’s house to look over more of the photo shots that she took, she suddenly asks Peyton to make love with her. At first Peyton refuses, saying that “once they go there, there’s no going back.” Elena tells her that she doesn’t want to go back. As they’re having sex, Peyton asks Elena to stay with her, though it’s unclear whether she means physically or emotionally.
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Elena Undone (2010)
Directed by: Nicole Conn
Starring: Necar Zadegan, Traci Dinwiddie, Gary Weeks, Sam Harris, MadLyn, Mary Jane Wells, Erin Carufel, Heather Howe, Shyloh Oostwald, Jane Clark, Roberta Sparta
Screenplay by: Nicole Conn
Production Design by: Alessandro Marvelli
Cinematography by: Tal Lazar
Film Editing by: Nicole Conn, Brian Wessel
Costume Design by: Oneita Parker
Art Direction by: Leilani Horino
Music by: Mark Chait
Distributed by: Wolfe Releasing
Release Date: June 25, 2010