Directed by Dominic Sena, Kalifornia's Brian Kessler (David Duchovny) is a yuppie student priding himself on being liberal–his thesis deals with serial killers. Brian holds that criminals should not be reviled but rehabilitated, as their actions are determined by social rather than biological factors. His fascination with killers is matched by his girlfriend Carrie's (Michelle Forbes) penchant for avant-garde photography that explores provocative sexual encounters.