Jessica Volpe

At Chicago's North Avenue Beach, the lifeguards are the law. These ragtags will do everything in their power to make sure you don't go out past your waist. Best friends Hughie (the hopeless romantic) and Otis (the ladykiller) get caught in one love triangle after another as young vixen Maggie and tomboy May make it hard for them to keep their eyes on the water at all times. As the summer sun heats up, so does tension among the crew, and their despotic superiors make sure that's it's never just another day at the beach.

The film is about the difficult situation in which the Pakistanis in particular and the Muslims in general are caught up since 9/11. There is a war going on between the Fundamentalists and the Liberal Muslims. This situation is creating a drift not only between the Western world and the Muslims, but also within the Muslims. The educated and modern Muslims are in a difficult situation because of their approach towards life and their western attire. They are criticized and harassed by the fundamentalists and on the other hand the Western world sees them as potential suspects of terrorism just because of their Muslim names.

Stephanie collapses in a pool of blood while on a school skiing trip. A doctor discovers that the blood is the after-effects of giving birth. Soon afterward, the body of a newborn baby is found in a toilet, its mouth blocked with toilet paper. Despite Stephanie's insistence that her child was stillborn and that she had no idea that she was pregnant, she is arrested for the murder of the child.

"Dustclouds" is an epic fever-dream, chronicling a long night's journey into day. As his wedding carriage rides beneath a starlit night, Getz vows to enjoy the fruits of his labor. Having worked his whole life, he has finally married. Yet as he lies in his bride's embrace, Getz already starts to question his happiness. Deep within, he yearns for "the perfect," which puts strain on his marriage. As the night progresses, inner turmoil unravels the fabric of Getz's being. Years begin to pass like seconds. Time, identity and purpose become unstuck. And a great sadness is borne into his life. Getz longs for answers, but is terrified by what he could lose in his search for truth? What follows is a quest deep into his heart of darkness.