Birth of a Saleswoman
Correspondent Jules Sapir combats mid-life ennui by throwing himself into death-defying coverage of the Ukraine War. However, his avoidant routine upends when two crises strike close to home. On a mental health break in NYC, Jules runs into a hotshot neurosurgeon acquaintance who manipulatively trades Jules a Nobu lunch for his agreement to take a research DNA test; he’s subsequently shellshocked to uncover a family secret. His mother, Elise, is really his biomother’s ex best-friend. Concurrently, he’s sanctioned after criticizing his editor for political apathy and committing nepotism to hook younger readers
Threatened with termination, Jules agrees to cover his most high-stakes gambit yet: meeting his biomother, a celebrated professor-activist. To his dismay, Harvard cocktails with her pseudo-intellectual friends leaves Jules disillusioned. Against her wishes, Jules locates his half-siblings scattered ideologically cross-country, from South Jersey to Arlington to Santa Monica. In his journey seeking emotional ground with his disparate family, Jules is forced to examine and write about his discomfort with imperfect, disappointing relationships.
Unfortunately, after this dissatisfying roadtrip, a precarious fate still awaits Jules back home. Reviews of his work are pending, though one suspiciously familiar critic seems bent on tanking his career. Meanwhile, Jules feels compelled to reconnect with depressed Elise, but post-DNA test, isn’t sure if their once tight bond is now irrevocably broken.