TRUANT

Grace is a jaded social worker, struggling with burnout and the demands of her job. She’s called to a house in the middle of nowhere to do a wellness check on Ashton, who hasn’t been seen in school for several weeks. When she arrives at the house, the place appears deserted and Ashton throws rocks at her before disappearing into the wilderness. When the police say they can do nothing, Grace is ready to give up herself.

But the discovery of an abandoned automobile pulls her back to the house to try to bring him out. Over the next day and night, she forges a tenuous and fraught connection with the mute Ashton, building up trust in fits and starts until he finally shows her the body of his mother in the basement, where she had died from an accident. Together they conduct a small ceremony to lay her body to rest.