A haunting, poetic story about four characters struggling to find grace and humanity, "Paradise" explores trauma, mental illness, addiction, and the lengths we’ll take for personal freedom. After a traumatic assault in Central America, Rachel returns home to process her feelings. But home isn’t quite the reprieve she expected when she comes back to turmoil between her parents, George and Sheila, and a part-time job in her dad’s medical office. George, full of endearing blunder, tries unsuccessfully to connect with his daughter, who seems to be reeling. Rachel, unable to find solace, finds herself down a slippery slope experimenting with drugs. Her childhood friend Khalil isn’t around to provide support. He’s off in Afghanistan dealing with his own problems following a wrongful arrest. On the periphery is Wally, a logger who is off work after an injury and who spends a great deal of time in George’s office. The ringing in his ears won’t stop, and his rent payments are long overdue. He’s looking for help in all the right places, but nobody seems to notice he’s deteriorating until it’s too late.
