Ashley (film)

Plot summary

Ashley Collins (Nicole Fox) a 17-year-old high school student is sitting smoking in a park playing with her gold lighter, then she deliberately burns her hand using the lit cigarette. Later she has an appointment with the school therapist Vincent (Tom Malloy) who sees the burn and questions how it happened but she refuses to talk. During class she begins to fantasize about kissing the Red Headed Girl (Mallory Moye) who is sitting in the front row. After class, the girl approaches Ashley asking why she is always looking at her during class and calls her weird. As she is leaving, a boy named Steve approaches her, but she ignores him and leaves.

At home, Ashley has a fight with her mother Stacy Collins (Jennifer Taylor) because Vincent had called her and requested she take Ashley to group therapy at the hospital. Ashley attends the group therapy sessions, but refuses to participate in the discussion. Things become worse when one member becomes aggressive and is dragged away by hospital attendants. Ashley returns to the park to smoke where she meets Vickey (Danielle Morrow), who asks for a smoke. Asking if her lighter is real gold, Vickey suggests that she should try to scratch it like in the movies. Ashley hands Vickey her switchblade and impressed, she invites Ashley to her house. Vickey tells Ashley she can contact her under the username "SapphoGirl13" on her computer. Vickey and Ashley begin kissing when Vickey notices cuts along Ashley’s wrists. Ashley becomes turned on when Vickey touches her wrists, but Vickey becomes disturbed when Ashley wants to use the switchblade and asks her to leave. At home, Ashley contacts Vickey on her computer using the alias "HomeStarch99" and they begin to have cybersex however Ashley quickly becomes uninterested, turns off the computer and cuts herself instead.

With the group therapy not working, Vincent informs Ashley and Stacy that a social worker will visit them. Stacy threatens to confiscate Ashley’s computer, but eventually lets her keep it after she begs her not to take it. The next day at the park, Ashley meets Randall (Luke Eberl) and the Red Headed Girl from her class in a car drinking. They invite Ashley to join them and the girl begins to give Ashley alcohol using mouth to mouth and then offers to reward her with a kiss every time she takes a drink. Initially starting off well, the girl becomes angry when Ashley scratches her nails hard onto her back and they ask her to get out of the car. Ashley is waiting at a bus stop to return home when she meets Chico (Brennan Murray) after talking to her. She does not reply so he decides to try holding her hand and she does not resist. Arriving home, she meets Stacy’s new boyfriend Bill (Michael Madsen) and instantly does not like him. After an awkward meal, she retreats to her room and proceeds to play loud music to distract her from the sexual sounds coming from her mother’s room. She goes on her computer and begins to chat with "Candid33," a 33-year-old woman called Candice (Nicole Buehrer). They exchange phone numbers and talk about their hobbies.

The social worker arrives to meet Ashley and Stacy, however, Stacy becomes angry when she feels that she thinks Stacy is a bad mother. Ashley leaves for school and meets Chico again at the bus stop. He once again tries to hold hands, but this time she refuses. When he asks why, she tells him she likes girls. Chico becomes angry and leaves. At school, Ashley goes to her appointment with Vincent who decides to try a new approach, but Ashley is reminded of her dad who had died years before and she begins to cry. Ashley reveals her dad Michael Collins (Bill Lippincott) hurt her, but before going into detail, the session ends and she gets up and leaves for class. After class, she again meets Steve who asks her out, but is rejected. Ashley is at home watching TV when Stacy and Bill come home from the market, but Stacy has to go back because she forgot her debit card. Alone in the house with Ashley, Bill sits next to her and tries to initiate a conversation. Continually ignored, Bill forces a kiss on Ashley just as Stacy returns home. Stacy kicks Bill out of the house and questions Ashley on what was happening. But when Ashley won't talk, Stacy slaps her and sends her to her room. Ashley sits on her bed, takes out her switchblade and cuts her wrists. As she watches the blood coming from her wrists, she decides to call Candice and they proceed to have phone sex.

At school, Carly (Deanna Moore), Sammy (Anne Elisabeth) and Summer (Reid Cox) invite Ashley to join them skipping class. However, when they are outside the school, the three girls all attack Ashley because she is a lesbian. The social worker returns, this time speaking to Stacy in private. Still initially unwilling to answer and questions, she eventually breaks down crying and reveals that Ashley’s dad Michael sexually abused Ashley when she was a child.

After school, Steve once again approaches Ashley who again ignores him and enters the women’s bathroom. Angry at constantly being rejected, Steve follows her into the bathroom and forces a kiss on her, however she retaliates by biting his lip. Enraged, he throws her to the ground and begins to force himself on her when she slashes his chest with the switchblade and runs away. Ashley goes to meet Candice at her house. Ashley is initially very shy, so Candice decides that to break the awkward silence, they should get dressed up and go out for dinner. Their date is a success and Candice even manages to get Ashley to smile, something she almost never does. Returning to Candice's house, they meet her roommate Clair (Sarah Schreiber) and photographer Laura (Ilea Matthews). After introducing themselves to each other, Laura asks Ashley if she could take some pictures of her. Ashley is having fun until they notice the scars on her wrists and she once again becomes silent. However, she gets her confidence back when Laura reveals she also used to cut her wrists. That night, Ashley and Candice spend the night together.

In the morning, Candice points out that Ashley should leave or she will be late for her train. Ashley becomes disheartened however Candice quickly reassures her that she does want to continue their relationship together. When Ashley arrives home, she finds Stacy waiting up for her and worrying where she had been, After talking together, they are finally able to reconcile their relationship. Back at school, Ashley has her appointment with Vincent as usual and he is surprised to see her happy and smiling for the first time. On the way home, she meets Chico again and they decide to be friends again. That night, Ashley goes to her room and merrily calls Candice.

Critical Reception and Accolades

The film was listed in 2014 by Autostraddle as one of "8 Pretty Great Lesbian Movies You Haven’t Seen Yet."