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Monarch
Screenwriter Alexandra and actor Alexander, are star-crossed lovers who have big plans to bring a flicker of light to the darkness in the world. Just as the American Dream is being threatened by the Great Recession of 2009, together, Alex and Alex manifest destiny to Los Angeles to make their dreams come true.
The Boulevard of Dreams, however, quickly becomes a nightmare from which they can't wake. Money depleted and demons lurking around every corner, the idealists from Orlando realize the city of angels is not for the faint of heart. For a girl born with a heart defect, it's a matter of life or death. Health insurance and affordable medication impossible with a pre-existing condition, Alexandra's only hope is to secure coverage through an employer. Unfortunately, no one in "The Industry" is hiring. Almost no one.
Alexandra sucks it up and takes a gig as a pornceptionist, discreetly answering calls and signing up young new talent for an adult film company. Being a possible accessory to human trafficking doesn't bode well on her psyche, and relations with her lazy hubby quickly crumble.
A lucky break for Alexander provides an opportunity for income, but more worries for Alexandra; the job is in New York with a young hot model. Although Alexandra can stop her porn gig and focus on writing, nine months away from her husband proves to be devastating, as Alexander forgets to follow through on his promise to pay rent and his wife's insurance. Forced from her apartment and dependent on the county health clinic for survival, Alexandra ventures one step closer to the place she fears most. Living on the street is not an option, and she toils furiously to make it as a screenwriter. With rationing and a little cash from temp work as a stilt-walking butterfly street performer, her wings continue to flutter, but just barely.
Alexander returns as DJ Xan, checked out on his dreams and his marriage. Desperate, Alexandra suggests separation, hoping a temporary cooling off will win him back. But DJ Xan has other plans, and crushes Alexandra's hopes with divorce papers. When all seems lost, the call comes through - a writing gig on THE crime show. Success, prosperity, sanity... except it's canceled before it even begins.
Alexandra cracks and hightails it back home. Mainstream mediocrity, corporate America, 401K. The monotony of a non-creative career and passionless relationships seem unbearable. Sill bitter about her divorce and the next 30 years in a cubicle, Alexandra heads to a sweat lodge to find herself. Instead, she finds a Shaman who is anything but Native American and definitely high on something illicit. Opening a door to her mind, he helps her face the life she can't let go. Can she wake from the chrysalis and start again a beautiful butterfly, or will she go over the cliff?
View the "Monarch" Lookbook.
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