Spellbound

Lily is unemployed, crushed by college tuition debt, facing eviction, and her father needs a transplant. Jackie is a cash-strapped, exotic-dancing, newly single mother, whose gas is about to be shut off. The duo is out of options after concocting many plans which get riskier and only serve as band-aids. The ladies’ resort to using a homemade candle—one powered by lightning after it is accidentally struck before the ritual—to pray to an Italian Wiccan Goddess, performing a much-needed spell because life is conjuring more than they can sweep up with their broomsticks. This cataclysmic event binds them in ways they never imagined, but will they survive the aftermath? Their journey begins twelve months earlier, when Lily signs a rent-to-own contract for a house next to Jackie, a woman with a “reputation.” The two watch each other struggle from afar, but fate steps in when Jackie’s son Chase steps out of the house and darts into traffic. Both ladies instinctively work together to save him and they realize underneath it all that they're not really enemies—but they're not quite friends either. It’s not long before these two women with different outlooks and lifestyles give in and help each other. Their joint ventures only keep them afloat as they swim in hot water and it all comes to a boil as Lily and Jackie brew the Wiccan spell. To their surprise, and despite their good intentions, things continue to spiral and they discover—to their shared horror—that the magic candle cannot be extinguished and they remain bound by powerful forces. Soon after, and like a bolt of lightning from above, Jackie’s mother is struck down with an aneurysm. Lily does everything she can to comfort Jackie as they hope for a miracle. But, as fate would have it, Jackie's mother is not able to recover, and Jackie offers Lily a gift for Lily’s father: her mother’s liver. The serendipitous event is bittersweet as Jackie says goodbye to her mother while the transplant surgery is a success. However, Jackie’s grief turns to anger at Lily, resulting in harsh words. A fraught Lily tries once more to extinguish the candle, but she’s no match for destiny. Change is inevitable and sometimes the worst thing can turn out to be the best thing. For Lily, getting an eviction notice is just that. Lily has mixed feelings about being evicted but she hopes some distance from Jackie will bring both of them some peace. Unfortunately, the drama follows Lily as her new roommate Koko starts dating Jackie's soon-to-be ex-husband. Lily tries to focus on the new job she worked so hard to get, but finds herself sleep-deprived and at odds with both Koko and Jackie, wedged in the middle of their love triangle. Heated arguments between the Jackie and Lily cause the candle to flicker and sway until it finally burns out. The spell broken, Lily moves on with her life, conflicted about the emotional connection she shared with Jackie, but still hopeful about the future and knowing she will cherish the “wo-mance” while it lasted despite, or because of, its imperfections. A chance encounter at a gas station in the future brings the two women together again. They both wear the experiences of life well, having grown from the challenges they overcame alone and together. They share small talk and agree to get together in the future, fully knowing that it likely won’t happen. But the universe isn’t done with them. The magical candle morphs from a blob of wax back to its original, unblemished pillar and reignites. Somewhere in the multiverse, in an alternate future, Jackie and Lily cross paths at an art festival. Jackie asks to meet Lily’s “coven.” Lily introduces Jackie to her carefree daughter and her dashing husband. She tries to explain to them who Jackie is to her and how much they mean to one another, but words just don’t seem to be enough…