THE HURTING ANIMALS

One week after the election, Ariel discovers that her mother Mona’s animal sanctuary has been the target of an anti-Semitic hate crime. The two of them haven’t spoken in seven years, since Ariel set off for college despite Mona’s objections. Ariel’s instincts tell her it’s time to return to western Kansas and make amends, but the homecoming is bittersweet. Mona is crumbling under financial pressure and planning to shutter the sanctuary’s doors. To make matters worse, Ariel is so flustered to find her first love still working on the ranch that she starts making mistakes that put both the animals and her chance for forgiveness in jeopardy. Meanwhile, Ariel’s charming, but hapless hipster fiancé Dex grows paranoid about her mysterious departure and sets out to confront Ariel. As the weekend unfolds, Mona’s commitment to the sanctuary reminds Ariel that she’s fallen short of the meaningful life she’d always imagined for herself. She begins to question whether her life with Dex is really what she wants, or if she belongs somewhere else, with someone else. Told from the alternating perspectives of Ariel, her mother Mona, and Ariel’s fiancé Dex, THE HURTING ANIMALS examines why we so often hurt the ones we love most and what we can do repair the damage.