Too Late

Too Late is a 2015 American independent drama film written and directed by Dennis Hauck. The film was shot in 35mm Techniscope in five twenty-two minute individual takes with no hidden cuts or other editing. In the film, a private investigator (John Hawkes) scours the streets of Los Angeles to track down a missing woman from his past. He then finds himself tangled up in sleazy scandal involving strip clubs, petty drug dealers, and missing girls. The film premiered at the 2015 Los Angeles Film Festival, and had a limited theatrical release beginning in March 2016. Plot The film follows a nonlinear narrative: it consists of five segments which are presented out of chronological order. The five segments are described here in the order they appear in the film. A young girl, Dorothy Mahler, is hiking on a nature trail near to downtown Los Angeles when two dimwitted street dealers, Jesse and Mathew, turn up by chance. She borrows the phone of one and calls Mel Samson, a private investigator, whom she had met earlier, saying she needs his help because some bad guys in the city are angry with her. While waiting for Samson to arrive, Dorothy takes ecstasy given to her by the dealers, who have to go but promise to come back for her later. Dorothy begins talking to Skippy Fontaine, a seemingly friendly park ranger. Dorothy and Fontaine chat until we see that there is a dead body nearby. Suddenly Fontaine attacks Dorothy and strangles her. The returning Jesse and Matthew come across her body and believe that she overdosed on the drugs they gave her, and they run away in fear. Samson arrives, too late, to find Dorothy dead.