a pint of understanding

In 2012, in the progressive college town of Bainbridge, three lives collide on a front porch. Professor Chester Washington III, a renowned Black scholar, is arrested outside his own home by Sergeant Tim O’Connor, a young white police officer. The incident, recounted in a video by Chester’s daughter, outspoken performance artist Chloe Washington, goes viral and sparks national attention.

For Chester, the arrest shatters his belief that intellect and reputation can shield him from racism. For Tim, it ignites doubts about his moral compass and the corrosive influence of his late father. For Chloe, it becomes both a platform for activism and a painful confrontation with her father’s silence about her mother’s death.

The president stages a White House “Beer Summit,” sending Chester and Tim on a listening tour across America. Chloe films the journey for a feature documentary and chronicles it in real time on social media. On the road, the trio clash, connect, and endure explosive tests — from heated arguments to a violent attack — that force them to confront identity, loyalty, and truth.

With a powerful, genre-blending score, A Pint of Understanding is the story of three people bound together by chance and conflict, each wrestling with grief, legacy, and the courage to rewrite the stories they’ve inherited.