Richard, a rudderless albeit charming young San Francisco hotel worker, spends his quality time taking care of his beloved dwarf hamster Etienne. He dotes on his animal companion with an earnest love that borders on pathology. During a routine checkup, Richard learns that Etienne has terminal cancer. The veterinarian recommends euthanasia, but Richard decides to take Etienne on a bicycle trip down the California coast for one last adventure. Meanwhile, Elodie, a student at UC Santa Cruz, is dealing with a crushing breakup and is on her way to the City. Their stories intersect, slyly revealing the film’s precarious underlying tensions between camp and melodrama.

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Written by Jeff Mizushima. Photographed by Tim van der Linden, Eric Kim, Jeff Mizushima. With Richard Vallejos, Megan Harvey, Molly Livingston, Matt Garron, Caveh Zahedi (88 min)