Loving Annabelle

Plot

Annabelle Tillman, the daughter of a senator, is sent to a Catholic boarding school after being expelled from two of her previous schools. Simone Bradley, a poetry teacher at the school, is in charge of her dormitory. Annabelle shares the dormitory with an amiable classmate, Kristen. She also shares a room with Catherine, who tends to bully people, and Colins, a student with a nervous disposition.

Simone is a dependable and respectable teacher who occasionally bends the rules out of concern for her students. Her personal life is synonymous with abiding by the conventions of society and religion. Annabelle is her antiagent – with unrestrained behavior, unconventional choices and outright defiance for authority.

Annabelle receives a stern rebuke from the principal, Mother Immaculata, for audaciously flaunting her Buddhist prayer beads. Simone is given the responsibility of controlling her. At first, Simone requests that the principal move Annabelle to another dormitory but soon notices her maturity and sensitivity and convinces her to comply with the school regulations. In the process Annabelle falls in love with Simone.

Simone resists Annabelle’s delicate overtures until they are left alone at the school during spring break. Simone drives Annabelle to her beach house where Annabelle discovers painful personal details about Simone’s past. Annabelle holds Simone tightly in her arms as Simone breaks down. A deep emotional connection is established between the two.

Simone fights a hard battle with herself but is eventually overpowered by Annabelle’s relentless pursuit. At the annual school dance, Annabelle goes up on stage with her guitar and sings a song for Simone. Simone, who is confused, runs outside, but Annabelle catches up with her. They kiss and return to Simone's room to make love.

The next morning, Mother Immaculata walks in on them getting dressed and demands to see Simone in her office immediately. On being questioned if she did the right thing Simone admits that she loves Annabelle. Government officials arrest Simone, and just as she is leaving, Annabelle places her most prized possession – the Buddhist prayer beads – in her hands.

Annabelle tearfully looks at her pictures taken by Simone at the beach house while Simone is driven away. The movie ends with the following quote – ‘For one human being to love another that is perhaps the most difficult of all our tasks…the work for which all other work is but preparation.’

Alternate ending

The DVD release contains an alternate ending in which Annabelle can be seen driving to an unknown destination. She stops off at a road-side store and picks up the latest copy of the newspaper. The headline is that no charges have been brought on the teacher in the lesbian sex scandal at a school. Annabelle is then seen parking on the side of the road before going down towards Miss Bradley's beach house.

Cast

Awards

Atlanta Film Festival

Fort Worth Gay and Lesbian International Film Festival

L.A. Outfest

Long Island Film Festival

Paris Cinema Festival