From The Wrong Side Of France

A new day rises over the Midwestern city of Minneapolis, a memorial for a young man named Tariq that was gunned down by police for being Black is set near where the incident occured. Jon Said, a 25 year old teacher of Somali descent gets up for morning prayer. A flyer for Tariq's memorial is set on his dresser. He gets ready and goes to a local restaurant where his uncle and mentor, Reginald and him have a conversation. Jon tries to barter for use of Reginald's car for a job interview at a new school, but it's currently in use by Reginald's daughter Jaina. Jon reluctantly grabs a metro card and heads for the bus to the interview in the 'nicer' part of town. Jon shows up to the school aptly titled 'The New Day Ojibwe School for Rich White Kids' and is greeted with hesitancy by Mrs Severson, a teacher at the school. She locks her truck awkwardly as Jon approaches, a nervous tick suburban folks tend to do in the presence of those the deem as others. After a brief interview by Principal Bjornson, Jon heads back to the bus. Meanwhile, Ashlynn, a recent college grad back home from school wakes up hungover and alarmed to find her best friend and boyfriend sleeping together. After an abrupt breakup, she is dropped by her former beau at Jon's bus stop. A bit of confusion overtakes Ashlynn as her suburban upbringing didn't prep her for public transportation and she tries to board the bus by credit card. Jon steps in to assist her, and although she is hesitant to take the help, the meet-cute ensues. After a couple encounters at the titular junction on France Ave, Jon acquires Ashlynn's instagram info and asks her out. With the helpful guidance from Uncle Reginald among others in the neighborhood, Jon and Ashlynn continue their courtship. All the while, the folks in the hood assume the young lady in question is white considering her location. As we meet Ashlynn's white family, her complicated background and personality quirks become clearer. Ashlynn lands a job at Japanese sake brewery, where a chipper yet good hearted boss Andy shows her the ropes, kind of a light version of Jennifer Aniston's boss in Office Space. When a racial epitaph is spewed at her during her first few weeks, she and Jon find comfort in each other as the racial tension in the city hits her for the first time. Jon gets a job as a tutor to a young misguided white boy named Trevor at the school, and is tasked with giving him a more tolerant approach to society. The boy thinks Jon is related to Obama, but soon is intrigued by Jon’s approach and lessons. Ashlynn and Jon attend a city council meeting at the outset of the coronavirus pandemic, joined by Jon's ex, the hijab-wearing Kamala, look to voice concerns about way those seen as others in the Minneapolis are treated, an alert from the big Orange guy in the White House inform them of the lockdown. For weeks and seemingly years, Jon and Ashlynn decide to live together at the lofty estate of Ashlynn's suburban McMansion. Jon meets Ashlynn's religiously centered brother Chad, and pro-law enforcement sister Nancy, creepy twins slightly older than Ashlynn. through a series of misadventures, Jon is tackled by Nancy, walks and temporarily loses the family dog Porkchop. As Jon ventures into neighbor’s yard trying to retrieve a wayward Porkchop, he is confronted by three cops with guns drawn. As one of them aims at his head, Jon diabolically holds Porkchop in front of his face in an effort to thwart his impending death. The move works, as the cops fear killing an innocent dog. Jon is taken into custody and meets Smith Washington, Winston and Raye, other Black men thrown in jail. As they regale each other with tales of what’s happening in the world, Jon is made fun of by dating a woman from the suburbs. Ashlynn arrives shortly after with her parents, as Porkchop is recovered and Jon is let free. The cops begrudgingly do this, as they seem disappointed that they weren’t able to successfully kill another innocent Black man. After being released, it's merely days before the events leading to George Floyd's death occur, as well as the symptoms of coronavirus come to light. The coronavirus is caught by almost all that refuse to wear masks, and the recovery rate is 0%. Ashlynn's friend at the hospital has informed her that after two weeks, a black viscous pustules form on the face from ear to ear. After a month, all that contract the virus are dead. This leads to a rift between Jon and Ashlynn. They argue about priorities and seem to be at a breaking point. In this heightened environment, Jon and Ashlynn switch lockdown locations to Jon's neighborhood. For the first time in Ashlynn's life, she sees how things are on the other side of France, in the city, where the minority populations are hunted by cops, forced into compromising situations from white citizens and are harassed by the growing coronavirus population called the Inflicted. They watch the events concerning George Floyd in abject horror. This is their town, and they realize they might have to fight for it. The Inflicted are growing in numbers everyday, and the Orange Fuck Puppet in charge of the ignorant hoards is doing nothing to stop them. Jon’s lessons with Trevor are going well. Since the lockdown, they’ve been on the now eponymous Zoom calls we know so well. During one such call, Trevor’s tolerance seems to have vastly improved. What hasn’t is Jon and Ashlynn’s relationship since his arrest. They call it quits, and Jon drops her back at her parent’s place. Or at least the bus that brought them together does. Elsewhere at his uncle’s restaurant, there’s a break-in. A group of Inflicted bust into the place and perform their version of the January 6th 2021 coup attempt. As Reginald comes into the main room from the back, he catches them in the act. One of them claims he has a gun, and another shoots him in the stomach. As Reginald bleeds out the Inflicted flee, and he is able to pull himself up and walk out of his dilapidated delicatessen. He passes by multiple hospitals on foot and doesnt think twice upon entering. He makes his way to the lake as Jon gives him a call. After hearing his uncle is mortally wounded Jon ventures to the lake and arrives just in time to have one last conversation with his mentor and the man who raised him. Reginald ask Jon to do one last thing for the city of Minneapolis in his honor: ‘Build if back better for Black people.’ After an emotional day at the coroner's, Jon is texted by Ashlynn to come quickly to the restaurant because she needs him. Jon heads in her direction after little hesitation. We enter the last act of the film at Ashlynn;s restaurant. Her and Andy are being held captive by a group of extremely far-along inflicted, lead by a man with a Klan hood-looking hat on. He yells at them to remove their masks and wraps Andy with the butt of his pistol after he refuses to. After it seems all hope is lost and Ashlynn is doomed, Jon comes in with Smith Washington, Winston, Desmond and Raye. They're all armed to the teeth, and Jon shoots the inflicted leader through the face, felling him dead. They take out the rest of the Inflicted as the action zombie portion of the film gets underway. As they try to leave out the front, they see the remaining Inflicted have all joined together in a massive horde the size of a small army. Armed to the teeth and nowhere else to turn, the group heads out the back, only to be stopped by yet another horde. They are able to discharge them and take them out, but the horde quickly descends upon them. An Inflicted Mrs. Severson pummels her truck into a nearby tree and runs out of it engulfed in flame. Ashlynn takes the opportunity to perform her first Inflicted kill. As the group stares existential dread in the face none other than Kamala pulls up in a fleet of Priuses (Prii) and the final battle between masked Minnesotans and the Inflicted ensues. By the end, our heroes are victorious, and the forces of the Inflicted are defeated, freeing Minneapolis from the oppression of the cops and coronavirus in one climatic battle. It’s not enough to save Jon and Ashlynn’s relationship though, and as the remnants of the town decide what the next police force will be at a big retreat by the lake, Jon and Ashlynn separate for good. As we pan over the lake to George Floyd’s memorial, the film cuts to 5 years later. The cultural center that Jon had sought to erect in Tariq's honor is complete with Jon shown as the founder. It is dedicated to his Uncle Reginald and Tarif in oil paintings. As for Ashlynn, she returns from her African relief efforts to reunite with Jon and help heal the city.