Private Project

Solo Trip

Roxanne hijacks her ex-boyfriend's acid and hauls out into the wild--alone--to prove she only needs to count on herself. But strangers, Mother Nature, and her own mind have other plans for her, including some phantoms she'll need to embrace.
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“I don’t want to be with anyone. Ever.”

When Jack dumps Roxanne (telling her God told him to be alone forever), he leaves her suddenly with an incomplete pile of her things. Among the clothes and junk, Roxanne discovers Jack has accidentally left her his bottle of acid—the symbol of another broken promise between them.

Months later, on New Year's weekend, Roxanne lures Jack back to her place, wanting to account for all of her stuff, and vowing to prove her independence to him. She has a plan...to be spontaneous. She'll go into the wilderness and do a "journey" on Saturday like she did that one time with an MDMA therapist. But now, she doesn't need anybody to guide her. Jack is impressed and promises to call her on Sunday, if she makes it back alive.

Off to a late start on Friday, Roxanne wants to get to the Pacific Crest Trail, but ends up desperate to set up her tent in the dark of Angeles National Forest, mere miles from her home. Over the course of the weekend, her "No Plan" to do drugs playfully in nature goes absurdly wrong. But while her experience is foolhardy, an unexpected megadose takes her on an inner journey to cavort with Child Roxy and her dark teenage relationships. This solo trip also brings her face-to-face with her longings, and with the exacting person she's become.

  • Madeline Blue
    Director
  • Madeline Blue
    Writer
    Page International and ScreenCraft Quarterfinalist
  • Madeline Blue
    Producer
  • Ian McClellan
    Producer
  • Jesse Luken
    Key Cast
    "Jack"
    Justified, 42
  • Joel Perez
    Key Cast
    "Nichols"
    Hazbin Hotel, Fun Home
  • Will Hirschfeld
    Key Cast
    "Aiden"
    Rule of Thirds
  • Nick Jandl
    Key Cast
    "Chris"
    Nashville, On the Verge
  • Samir Mehta
    Key Cast
    "Evan"
    Under the Bridge, Tell Me Lies, Fear the Walking Dead
  • Madeline Blue
    Key Cast
    "Roxanne"
    The Sopranos, Wet Hot American Summer, Justified, Law & Order
  • Project Type:
    Experimental, Feature
  • Genres:
    Adventure, Drama, Romantic, Psychological Thriller, Dark Comedy
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 42 minutes 40 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    March 16, 2025
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Panasonic EVA 1 5.6K
  • Aspect Ratio:
    1.85
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
  • Last Date of Production (Final Shoot Date): Dec. 1st, 2024
    Hesperia
    United States
  • Last Post-Production Date (Color): Sept. 24th, 2025
    Santa Monica
    United States
Director Biography - Madeline Blue

In more than 25 years of storytelling on stage and screen, Madeline has acted alongside some of the biggest names in both arenas. Growing up in the New York area, she studied all aspects of the performing arts and contributed to developing works under directors and creatives such as Emily Mann and Julian Moore.

As a writer, Madeline has published poetry, been recognized for her screenplays at Page International and ScreenCraft, and helped others develop their scripts, novels, and memoirs for over a decade.

Madeline received her BA in combined behavioral sciences from Tufts University, with Highest Honors for her thesis on The Biology of Bias. Her forte is hyper-realistic stories with heady leads who are battling their own humanity.

This is Madeline's feature film directing debut.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

We live in a time where love and self-love have been pitted against each other. We're so “meta,” we watch videos of people watching videos of people watching videos. And although our self-reflexivity may reach millions of observers at time, as individuals, we've never been more blind to ourselves, nor more isolated from one another. So when it comes to romantic love—the idea of being seen and known by someone else—we’re goners. Even when we try to engage in this type of mutual reflection, we’re reminded too quickly of our commoditization: We’re all equally expendable.

So we rarely act on our desires—we scroll or swipe for them. We don't mirror each other—yet we try to see ourselves ever more perfectly through our own warped lens. We don't really connect—we roleplay at it. On a virtual playground. At home, on the toilet. Nature can remind us we are not really alone, yet it also highlights how alone we've come to feel amongst our own kind.

Despite the zeitgeist against us, we made this film in the spirit of community. As an antidote to the "Toxic Independence" culture we find ourselves in. We've swallowed all the pills about pursuing individual freedoms—yet we can hear a whisper, begging us to rememember that we’re all still made of the same stuff. The deep care we yearn for is all around us, and might yet be found if we can integrate our innermost longings with all that’s actually within our reach. If we can just connect all those pixels, all the way to the ether, and back down to the ground.

We made Solo Trip to articulate the absurdity of trying to do life without support or partnership. To harness the ennui of a “developed society” that knows so much, yet has arrived in a place where we take other people, and our planet, for granted. Our health and happiness require that we begin TO SEE ourselves and others with ever more compassion. Self-forgiveness is equally paramount. The demand to take "radical responsibility" for our circumstances must shift to a much greater understanding: that the only thing we have control over is how we treat each other.

And if we can yet become wise, we will choose to create a shared reality full of spirit, adventure, tenderness, and togetherness. We have no further control over our experience than that.