Show Me (2005) - Synopsis

Sarah, a thirty-something urban professional, negotiates her freshly-washed luxury sedan through traffic, moments away from picking up Sam and beginning their holiday week up north. But a call on her cellphone throws a wrench into Sarah’s carefully orchestrated plans - a hostile takeover of Sam’s company has just been launched. The long-planned getaway to celebrate their 10th anniversary will have to wait. As Sarah sits stuck in gridlock with a car full of supplies and nowhere to go, Jenna and Jackson approach. The two teenaged squeegee punks ask for spare change, but when they suddenly jump into Sarah’s car it becomes clear they want a lot more. And when 17-year-old Jenna overhears a phone conversation with Sam, she takes control. She pulls a knife on Sarah and forces her to continue her trip to an isolated cottage.

The volatile kids hold Sarah captive while they plan their next move. But Jenna and 18-year-old Jackson are at odds. Jenna seems content to torment Sarah and dream up elaborate plans with happy endings, whereas Jackson is determined to minimize the damage, get the hell out of there, and send Jenna back home where she belongs. A street kid with an unsettled past, he has a lot to lose if things get out of control. When Jenna pushes things too far – and cuts up Sarah’s arm seemingly for sport – the conflict between Jenna and Jackson explodes. Sarah seizes the chance to flee and after a struggle with Jackson, she escapes on foot into the heavily-wooded countryside, leaving him wounded and the car tires punctured.

Jenna and Jackson are now trapped at the isolated cottage, and their captive is gone. Fuelled by despair and alcohol, Jackson crosses a line that violates Jenna’s unwavering trust. The next morning an exhausted and disoriented Sarah emerges from the dense forest to find herself back where she started from, not far from the cottage. Defeated and resigned, she confronts the kids but quickly realizes that something has shifted between them. Trapped together now, a precarious calm descends upon the three, even as subconscious motivations and buried secrets reveal themselves. But Jackson can’t cope with Jenna’s shifting allegiance and when a distant neighbour shows up claiming to know Jenna, Jackson finally lets his anger and desperation get the best of him. The violence that follows sends Sarah, Jenna and Jackson into a final tailspin. In the end Sarah is forced to make a choice – between being rescued or taking a chance and rescuing Jenna and Jackson herself.