FEATURE - ENGLISH - LOUISIANA

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Logline: After moving to his late father's hometown of New Orleans, 12-year-old Jamie spends a summer exploring the tender, confusing stirrings of first love and identity with his neighborhood friends. A portrait of youthful ambiguity, the film captures the fleeting, magical time before desire demands definition.  

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Cast:

• Quvenzhané Wallis (Academy Award nominee - Beast of the Southern Wild) as Charlotte

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Senior Lender: ScreenLight Media Fund

Fiscal Sponsor: Court 13 Arts

Financing Agent: Gersh Agency

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Production Team: 

Writer & Director: James Rohan

Co-Writer: Carol Bidault de l'Isle

Producers: Carol Bidault de l’Isle, Hannah Swayze

Produced by: Paracosm Pictures, MediaFusion Entertainment, Ataria Pictures 

Consulting Producer: Trevor Paul,

Executive Producer: Christine Rohan

Line Producer: Ben Matheny

Assistant Producer: Jacqueline Davis

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Location: New Orleans

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Production Start Date: September 2026

 

Budget: <$1M

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Comps: Moonlight, Mustang, Tomboy

 

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Synopsis: 

Peanut Butter is a coming-of-age film about the ambiguity of pre-pubescence and the lessons kids learn in the in-between spaces of growing up. Set over a single, humid New Orleans summer, the story follows Jamie (12) as he navigates questions about attraction, sexuality, and what it means to grow up alongside his friends Sam and Jules. 

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The film opens with a physical moment between Jamie and Jules, setting the tone for the ambiguous tension that lingers throughout the summer. Jamie, a mixed-race boy living in his late father's hometown, feels a closeness with his friends that blurs the lines between friendship and something more. As he explores who he is as a mixed-race boy, he also begins to question who and what he is drawn to and what that might mean. 

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Jules, a confident New Orleans local, is at ease with himself and comfortable exploring his attractions without fear, embracing the undefined nature of desire at this age. Sam, a boyish neighbor, shares Jamie's hesitations about growing up. Haunted by her older sister's teen pregnancy after a violent encounter, Sam fears the arrival of her first period and what becoming a "woman" might mean for her. 

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Their summer unfolds in hidden corners of the neighborhood where they test the boundaries of their physical and emotional worlds without adults watching. Without the structure of school, the days stretch long, filled with moments of awkwardness, laughter, quiet discoveries, and fleeting touches that leave Jamie with more questions than answers. 

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At home, Jamie's mother, Nicole, is often away for work, leaving Jamie alone to piece together who he is within the fragments of his identity. Nicole, a white woman, represents only half of Jamie's racial heritage, while Charlotte, a young Creole babysitter and family friend, steps in as a de facto mother figure. 

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Nicole's resentment grows as Jamie turns to Charlotte for the guidance she feels she cannot provide, and Jamie's fascination with the Black culture of New Orleans and his father's memory creates further distance between them. Charlotte, however, brings warmth and humor into Jamie's world, teaching him through small moments while treating him with the respect of a friend. 

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As the summer deepens, Jules leaves for a short trip, and Jamie and Sam's bond intensifies. Their connection, built on shared fears and quiet understanding, shifts into something tender and undefined. When Jules returns, Jamie's feelings for both Sam and Jules collide, straining the trio's closeness and forcing Jamie to face the question: What does he like, and why does it have to be decided now? 

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Tension builds as Jamie's relationships begin to fracture under the weight of growing up, misunderstandings, and his fear of change. Yet, amidst the chaos, moments of levity and playfulness remain, reminding Jamie of the joy found in the freedom of summer and the comfort of having friends who see you, even in your confusion. 

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In the end, Jamie learns that his father was also sexually fluid before settling down with Nicole, a discovery that helps Jamie embrace the idea that love, identity, and desire can be ambiguous. Just as he begins to find acceptance within himself and reconnection with those he loves, Nicole's mother falls ill, forcing them to move again, leaving behind the summer that changed everything. 

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Peanut Butter is a dramatically funny and tender film about the fleeting freedom of childhood summers, the ambiguity of early attractions, and the bittersweet realization that nothing in life is permanent, and that's okay. 

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