Suburbia 1984

As the sun sets over the desolate landscape of the Greater Los Angeles Area, a chance encounter on Interstate 605 sets the stage for a journey of self-discovery and rebellion. Sheila (Jennifer Clay), a teenage runaway with a troubled past, finds herself in the care of a woman with a toddler, only to witness the senseless brutality of a stray dog attack that shatters the innocence of childhood. The mother’s desperation to reach help is palpable as they stumble upon a telephone booth on the edge of an abandoned tract housing district, where fate intervenes and their lives take a dramatic turn.

Meanwhile, Evan Johnson (Bill Coyne), another lost soul, flees his suburban home and the bitter memories that linger within its walls. The toxic atmosphere of his mother’s household, reeking of regret and resentment, drives him to seek solace in the pulsating rhythms of a punk rock concert. It is here that he meets D.I. Keef (Grant Miner), whose calculated intentions set the stage for a series of events that will forever alter Evan’s trajectory.

As the night wears on, Jack Diddley (Chris Pedersen) offers Evan a refuge at “T.R. House”, a punk house nestled in the heart of the abandoned tract housing district. This sanctuary is home to a community of misfits and outcasts who have found solace in the raw energy of punk rock. Along the way, they encounter Joe Schmo (Wade Walston), whose own struggles with identity and acceptance will lead him down a path of self-discovery.

The morning after brings a sense of unease as a group of vigilante men from “Citizens Against Crime” descend upon the neighborhood, armed with a twisted sense of justice. Their brutal tactics are met with defiance by Razzle (Flea) and Skinner (Timothy O’Brien), two residents of T.R. House who refuse to back down. The situation is eventually diffused by Jack’s stepfather, Bill Rennard (Donald Allen), a police officer who has walked the fine line between justice and compassion.

As tensions simmer just below the surface, the residents of T.R. House turn their attention to securing sustenance for their community. A daring raid on the garages of a nearby suburban neighborhood yields a bounty of food, but also attracts the ire of Jim Tripplett (Lee Frederick) and Bob Skokes (Jeff Prettyman), two self-appointed guardians of morality who will stop at nothing to protect their perceived values.

Evan’s world is forever changed when he discovers his mother has been arrested for drunk driving. Seeking solace in the midst of chaos, he collects his younger brother Ethan (Andrew Pece) from a nearby foster home and brings him to live at T.R. House, where Sheila’s tender touch helps him find a new sense of belonging. In private moments, Sheila confides in Joe about the scars left by her own troubled past, revealing the depths of human resilience in the face of trauma and adversity.

As the pulsating rhythms of T.S.O.L.’s concert reverberate through the night air, the T.R. gang finds themselves entangled in a vicious brawl, defending Skinner against a group of rowdy strangers. The altercation spills over into the concert itself, with the perpetrators using the chaos as cover to commit a heinous crime - stabbing a security guard and framing the T.R. kids for the offense by planting a flier with “T.R.” scrawled in blood.

Meanwhile, Jim and Bob bear witness to the T.R. crew’s wanton destruction of a local convenience store, their vandalism a stark reminder of the lawlessness that plagues their community. The next morning, the Citizens Against Crime convene, fueled by outrage and a sense of powerlessness as they demand stricter measures from the authorities - and threaten to take matters into their own hands.

In a desperate bid to stem the tide of teenage turmoil, Bill pays a visit to T.R. House, imploring its occupants to steer clear of trouble. However, Jim and Bob have other plans, descending upon the house like avenging angels and unleashing a brutal assault on Sheila, leaving her battered and bruised.

As the days pass, the T.R. kids are left reeling from the consequences of their actions. The discovery of Sheila’s lifeless body, brought about by an accidental overdose of Keef’s drugs, sends shockwaves through the community. In a misguided attempt to make amends, the teens bring her body back to her parents, only to be met with hostility and demands that they leave.

The funeral service becomes a flashpoint for tensions as Sheila’s father, J. Dinan Myrtetus, makes it clear that the T.R. kids are no longer welcome in their lives. Joe’s revelations about Sheila’s abuse spark a violent confrontation, leaving her father hospitalized.

As the situation continues to spiral out of control, Bill arrives at a Vandals concert, warning the T.R. kids that their actions will ultimately bring them to ruin unless they take immediate action to clear out of T.R. House. However, his words fall on deaf ears as the teens refuse to back down. The consequences of their defiance become all too real when Jim and Bob return to exact revenge, only to find themselves on the receiving end of a brutal beating.

In a shocking turn of events, Jim’s reckless driving claims the life of Ethan, leaving Evan devastated and grief-stricken. As Bill arrives on the scene with the police, it’s clear that the tragedy has reached a devastating crescendo, and that nothing will ever be the same again.