A short comedy-drama about a man and his soon-to-be stepson driving across the country to scatter the ashes of the family dog.

Have you ever taken a road trip across America? Have you ever moved across a large distance with family before? Have you ever been stuck in a small enclosed space with someone you despise and a dead dog?

Chances are, you’ve experienced one of these scenarios and this is the short film for you. Pickle is a Chapman University Graduate Thesis film about change, loss and dead dogs. Sounds depressing right? Well on top of all of this, it’s a comedy. Because comedy = tragedy + time.

Pickle follows the story of Oscar, a well-meaning man with a bit of a tragic past. He has finally found in Molly, his fiancé, something that he never thought he would have again. The only problem is Cooper, his soon-to-be stepson who is heavily resisting Oscar’s attempts to make a new family. After moving the family from San Francisco to Denver, Cooper has seemingly reached his breaking point. That is, until Pickle, the beloved family dog of 14 years, finally passes on in what may or may not be circumstances that are Oscar’s fault.

Oscar, sensing that his prospects to recreate a family he once lost are fading fast, volunteers to drive Cooper and Pickle back across the country. In an attempt to spend some alone time bonding, Oscar may finally succeed in getting through to his step son or undoing everything he’s been rapidly building over the last year.