"Oceanside" Synopsis

Caution: Contains Spoilers

Gwen, who lives on Long Island with her new husband Kevin, gets an unexpected text from her ex, Tommy: he’s on his way over. Kevin is worried it’s about Tommy and Gwen’s daughter Ginnie, who hasn’t been heard from for days. Gwen’s not worried, though: it’s a regular thing with Ginnie, a college art student.

But when Tommy arrives, he’s hysterical.

The next morning Tommy has settled down, but he’s worried for Ginnie. Gwen calls around to Ginnie’s high school friends, only to realize that they don’t keep touch anymore; she doesn’t know who her new friends are. But Tommy does. He tells about her shadowy social life, and they file a report.

Detectives arrive, and ask to see Ginnie’s artwork. Gwen shares one painting: a girl without a face. When they probe for details about Ginnie, Gwen mentions her love of beaches; Tommy recalls a fight she had with her boyfriend, a sketchy bartender, and reveals she’s gotten into drugs. Gwen hits Tommy, and although Kevin insists that they shouldn’t turn against each other at a time like this, the weight of Ginnie’s absence is inescapable.

Tommy insists on having a beer with Kevin to loosen up the tension. Kevin’s reluctant—Gwen is  an alcoholic who’s been sober for years—but agrees. Tommy goes on about his love of the bar scene—then turns defensive: he wasn’t, he says, a bad influence. Gwen enters drinking, too. “Everything goin’ on,” she says, “don’t the three of us deserve some fun?”

Kevin is alone when the detectives return with disturbing news but still no answers about Ginnie. Horrified, Kevin greets Gwen and Tommy when they return.

With Gwen back to drinking hard, she and Tommy share stories from Ginnie’s youth, and anticipate her return. They kiss, and things get intense before she puts on the brakes, and accuses Tommy of messing up their daughter. To his shock, suggests that he shouldn’t be around Ginnie when she gets home.

The next morning, Tommy has run away. Though Gwen wants to pursue him, Kevin stops her. Yet as he tries to ground her again in some sense of normalcy, she is gripped the fear of all she’ll never know about her own daughter.

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