Evergreen

EVERGREEN – Synopsis EVERGREEN is an emotionally haunting teen drama set in a small American town, exploring the devastating effects of bullying, trauma, abuse, as well as institutional failure. The story centers on two deeply wounded teenagers -- RONNIE WATERS, a quiet, artistic outcast, and NOEL BRANDT, a sharp-witted, magenta-haired transfer student with scars both literal and emotional. The story opens with a chilling scene: Noel sits silently in her room, fresh from a suicide attempt, as her mother Pam discovers her bloody wrist. Simultaneously, Ronnie endures yet another violent altercation at school. Both are misfits -- surviving in their own ways. Ronnie draws in his sketchbook to hide from his mother's alcoholic boyfriend Wayne. Noel, uses her sharp wit and sharper tongue to navigate through her new school, after a traumatic past. When Ronnie and Noel meet, they quickly form an unlikely, yet inevitable connection. Their mutual alienation bonds them as they begin to lean on one another, offering glimmers of hope amid the darkness that surrounds them. But their brief peace is quickly disrupted by the toxicity of sadistic bullies like JORDAN MAXWELL and MACKENZIE GREENE, both of whom mock, exploit, and emotionally destroy their victims for sport. When Jordan targets the inebriated and vulnerable Noel at a party, the story spirals into deeper tragedy. After being sexually assaulted and publicly humiliated when her nude photos are non-consensually circulated around town, Noel unravels and takes her own life, leaving Ronnie devastated in the wake of her death. Ronnie’s grief soon turns to rage. Isolated, angry and attacked, Ronnie is pushed beyond the breaking point. He arms himself with Wayne’s pistol, returns to school and confronts Jordan at gunpoint. As the confrontation escalates, it culminates in the accidental shooting of his beloved art teacher, Ms. Singer. In the final moment of hopelessness, Ronnie turns the gun on himself -- offscreen -- but not before expressing remorse and love and grief. The story closes with a somber epilogue: A community reeling from the tragedy, emergency crews swarming the school, justice being served, and the survivors, like Ethan, grappling with the aftermath. With Ronnie and Noel now gone, a final image lingers: two swings swaying in the breeze, once a symbol of innocence... now a just ghostly reminder of what was lost.