The Biker

“Life isn’t free, pal.” In an affluent Southern California suburb, a recent high school graduate is biking nowhere in particular. Charlie is caring, smart, and impressionable. And he just botched his first summer job interview. So he bikes to calm his nerves and clear his mind. When he’s on his bike, he is free from the grip of his overbearing “helicopter parents.” He is free from the obligations he feels to everyone around him. He is free to appreciate the beauty of the world. But what about Melanie’s party? Charlie’s only friend, Paul, has invited him to this potentially earth-shattering party. A party with all the popular kids. Charlie doesn’t like parties, but he knows he can use Paul as an excuse to avoid his parents. His parents trust Paul. Little do they know he is a party animal with a 4.0 GPA. But an off-putting piece of news has captured Charlie’s attention. The city has decided to demolish an old Air Force base, an iconic landmark of Charlie’s childhood. And Charlie has a cathartic wish to bear witness to its explosive destruction. A wish that he knows will prove impossible under the close monitoring of Mom and Dad. That night, on the streets of his hometown, Charlie encounters an increasingly colorful cast of beach bikers, bullies, buskers, and more. He lies to his parents about a sleepover with Paul. He also avoids Paul’s friendly pleas to join Melanie’s party. He tries to enjoy quiet solitude. But instead Charlie soon finds himself searching for a lost dog and taking drugs from a stranger. On his bike he has encounters with a taser-wielding pickup truck driver and a mysterious coyote. Eventually Charlie is lost, bruised, and slightly buzzed. By coincidence or fate, he crashes into his friend Paul. Charlie is startled to see Paul with the taser-wielding bully. Charlie and Paul come to awkward terms with their differences. The bully with the taser shoots himself in the foot. But Charlie goes from one confrontation to another. His parents have discovered his sleepover was a lie and they are pissed. They call him, insistent on knowing the truth. Free of his inhibitions, Charlie blows off his parents and hangs up the phone. Charlie is exhausted and sleep-deprived, but the night still has surprises left for him. He finds the lost dog and gets the phone number of a cute classmate. In the morning, he arrives at the Air Force base to witness the demolition of the hangar. He is enamored with the catastrophic beauty. At a nearby bus stop, Charlie meets a strange man in a suit, a traveling poet. The poet tells Charlie about his own eventful evening. He performs for Charlie and then bids him farewell. Charlie is struck with artistic inspiration from his journey. He returns home to make amends with his parents, but establish a new dynamic. Freshly showered, but still sleep-deprived, Charlie leaves home again. Now he is determined to see the world and capture its glory.