A man races against the clock to return his girlfriend's precious chinchilla.
Soundtrack
Origin
Based on our drive to pick up the chinchilla from California upon returning from years living in Japan in the middle of the summer (they can't get too hot).
Original journal entry
Sat 31 Aug 2024 – Inspired by the 12 hrs drive from Sacramento to Las Vegas I did yesterday – “Chinchilla Run”
An estranged couple, a down on his luck school teacher and a machine obsessed, animal allergic anthropologist recently return from living in Japan. Desperate for money, they accept a lucrative job from a shadowy online seller to deliver a high value package from Sacramento to Las Vegas in a single day in late summer.
But when strange noises and smells come from the package, they open it to discover a fluffy surprise – rambunctious chinchilla.
Together, they’ll road trip through the hard up California Central Valley and Mojave Desert while facing fatigue, the elements, angry drivers, a woman hell-bent on possessing the precious animal for herself, and each other.
In this comedy drama, can they reach Vegas with their sickeningly cute cargo in time and alive?
“Chinchilla Run” releases February 2026 in theaters.
(Based on a true story).