Family Motel

Headstrong Ayan (SamSam Ahmed), a refugee from Somalia, has big dreams. New to Canada, she'll show anyone she can provide for her family. Still, it's difficult to keep it all together. On top of the soaring rent, her daughters, 16-year-old Nasrah (Asha Jibril) and 13-year-old Leila (Sagal Jibril), need braces. And even working two jobs as a cleaner, it's tough to find enough money to send to her anxious husband and two sons still stuck in East Africa.

Ayan's confidence is shaken when she is unexpectedly evicted for late payment of rent. It is the beginning of the summer break from school, and the city faces a severe housing shortage. Ayan and her daughters are exiled to the city's tattered hinterland among other homeless families, hookers and unsettled souls.

Ayan knows all too well the grief that comes with losing a home. A true survivor, she tries to rebuild from within her lonely motel room. But what Ayan cannot tolerate is Nasrah's increasing estrangement, especially during her mother's greatest time of need.

During the long days of summer, while Ayan is at work, Nasrah grudgingly does chores and looks after her doting sister. A handsome young motel neighbor, Rudy, surfaces offering Nasrah friendship and understanding. But he is not what he seems, and an innocuous cell phone sparks a new crisis. Ayan comes close to losing all she holds most dear.