Tortured by Joy

Two criminal drifters without sympathy get more than they bargained for after kidnapping and holding for ransom the surrogate mother of a powerful and shady man.

In 1994 New Orleans (right before the internet), two married weed dealers face a dilemma when their five-year-old son overhears their code name for marijuana and tries to solve the mystery of his parents’ imaginary friend. The movie shares a name with the code word: BRENDA.

In post-Katrina New Orleans, street hustler Red sells carnations to support himself and his disabled male lover, Sal. Living in a crowded halfway house, Red struggles to earn enough money to get Sal and himself a little place where they can be together. One fateful night Red is forced to weigh his desire for a home of his own against the realities of urban life.