Making Of

In 2002, 13-year-old Ricardo and his father Diego arrive in London from Juarez, Mexico to visit the set of Revolutionary, a film adaptation of a YA book series. Diego is there to close a Mexican candy tie-in deal with James, the producer of the film. Once on set, Ricardo meets Evelyn, the young star of the film.

At first, she acts coldly toward him but after seeing his serious interest in film, they talk more and finally she invites him to watch her acting in a scene. Her performance inspires Ricardo to try to make a short film with her so he can submit it in a week to the Dreamworks Film Camp, a filmmaking camp for teens and children where he could get to meet the likes of Steven Spielberg and M. Night Shyamalan. He offers Evelyn a part in the film, but she refuses, saying that she must be very picky about what she has to act in. But after going back home and realizing that her parents refuse her to be more independent, she says yes.

Ricardo and Evelyn create a romance short film starring the two of them, aided by Moira, Evelyn’s chaperone who does B-roll duty. Things go well, although they are frequently bothered by Andy, the assistant director and Revolutionary fanatic who keeps pushing Evelyn into accepting a dangerous stunt that everyone else on the film’s team has refused. Evelyn and Ricardo share an on-screen kiss, and both confess their love for each other. Moira accidentally sends the tape to the studio’s offices in Hollywood, getting the attention of James, Diego, Andy and Evelyn’s parents.

They force them to cancel shooting the short on-set, and Evelyn’s parents prohibit her from seeing Ricardo. During the weekend, Evelyn’s parents invite Ian over, he’s the son of a friend of theirs whom they’d like to Evelyn to date and marry some day. She takes the opportunity to use his feelings for her to get him to gift her a digital camera and a ride to London alone by his driver.

Once in London, she finds Ricardo and both record more scenes and spend time together. After realizing she’s not home, Evelyn’s parents call Ian who tells them about the gifts. The police find Evelyn and Ricardo, and arrest the latter. George, Evelyn’s father, makes a deal to not report the incident to James or the studio so his father doesn’t lose his job if he stops seeing Evelyn. He accepts.

However, after learning that Evelyn will do the dangerous wire stunt that Andy wanted her to do, the next day he runs to set where he disrupts the shoot but causes an accident that injures him and her. Diego decides to quit the deal and Ricardo goes back to Mexico with him. Years pass. Revolutionary has come and gone as a hit franchise. Evelyn has become an international star.

Ricardo is now in college, studying English literature and not being involved in film at all. One night, he realizes that Moira has become a sought-after videographer and documentarian, and has uploaded B-roll from the movie. He emails her and she calls him to catch up. She says that the studio lied and that the footage of their short was never destroyed, but she can’t release it.

However, he wants to finish the movie and asks to be put in touch with Evelyn. Moira tells him that she knows she will be in Los Angeles to close deals with an agent. Ricardo drives to Los Angeles where he tries to find Evelyn, but encounters George instead. After a mutual confrontation, they forgive each other and George promises to tell Evelyn that Ricardo is in town but will only see him if she wants to. He accepts.

Late that night, Evelyn visits him but she’s confused as to why he hasn’t let her go. He tells her that their meeting decided his future and now realizes it’s not a future he likes. She says that she doesn’t need to be in that future, and should follow his dreams no matter what. He agrees but both agree to go for a midnight snack together, and talk about the projects they’d like to do. She brings a surprise: A digitized/bootleg version of the tape. They watch it together and laugh at how bad it is, and as they do, they cuddle closer and closer, almost like the old days.