While making an animated film, a filmmaker must decide whether to stop working with his assistant or stop sleeping with her. “Brontosaurus,” directed, animated, and voiced by Jack Dunphy, is a brutally honest and darkly funny portrait of a messy relationship, presented as a series of pencil drawi...

A young man with vision problems deals with his caustic friends and a bizarrely ominous influence. “Eyeballs,” directed by Cooper Herzog Olson, is an experimental oddity, a stream-of-consciousness DIY tone poem about learning to see, but not too much. Wandering around a small beach town, Dennis e...

An awkward teenager in Park Slope, Brooklyn goes out one night in search of a boy, any boy, to bring home and prove to her sister she’s actually normal. Sophia Bennett Holmes directs “Big Crush,” a coming-of-age vignette that captures the tentative expressions of a teen girl on a weekend when her...

On her 21st birthday, Alex spends the night partying with friends, looking for more alcohol, and planning her escape from an existential crisis. Christina Offley directs and stars in “Of Age,” a lively coming-of-age comedy about getting wasted and/or entering adulthood. Alex still lives with her ...

Two con women in a romantic relationship take a man prisoner in his own home. “Bandits,” directed by Natalie Fält, is a stylish pulp crime drama, a darkly poetic noir about dissociation and twin flames. After kidnapping and robbing a man, two lovers - Sweetie and Rose - keep him captive in his be...

An inventory specialist at a weed shop gets asked to try a newly engineered product before it goes on sale to the public. Duncan Dickerson directs “Wet Mouth,” a stoner comedy (run time: 4:20) sketched in with the essentials, i.e. oddball characters, zany line deliveries, and surreal breakdowns. ...

In West Berlin in 1989, Manny Jumpcannon prowls his dingy apartment phoning various degenerates from his past. Maxwell McCabe-Lokos directs and stars in “Midnight Confession,” a darkly funny character study which paints a remarkably full backstory of deceit from a series of unsolicited phone call...

If one of those demented Roman emperors was reincarnated today, where would he find his eunuchs? What would he look like? Most importantly, what kind of stuff would he be into putting in his butt? So as not to commit any spoilers, I’m leaving the solutions to these pressing questions until the en...

After revealing something new to her long-term partner, a young couple has an emotionally fraught conversation at the grocery store. “Chores,” directed by Christina Tucker, is a dramatic vignette on the subject of poor communication and hitting personal limits. In the vegetable aisle, Samantha br...

A group of disillusioned L.A. couples compete in an obscure sport to obtain money and social status. “Hill Hikers,“ directed by Elizabeth Godar and Mitch deQuilettes, is a mockumentary about a hiking “race” started by a couple trying to keep their sexual chemistry alive. Vague as the competition ...

A YouTube food critic goes to great lengths to try the new Taco Bell™ Crispy Chicken Wings©. Bobby McCoy directs the internet culture satire, “Trying The New TACO BELL CRISPY CHICKEN WINGS (Food Review),” which reflects the abundances and absurdities of a hyper-corporatized modern age, in a fashi...

A close friendship goes through a harrowing trial when one of them lays an egg. Stephanie Ibarra directs “Egg,” an absurdist comedy, remarkably lighthearted, that cleverly renders its outlandish concept on a small scale and naturalistic setting. While discussing dreams with her roommate, James, A...

After distancing herself from a complicated relationship with her father, 22-year-old Kate Young returns home for the Thanksgiving holiday. “Returning, Again,” directed by Jinho Myung, is a family portrait shot on Mini-DV that details a persistent family divide, doing so with an astute sense of p...

After a night out in Miami, a young woman reckons with the dwindling chemistry between herself and her ex-boyfriend. Paula Andrea González-Nasser directs “Limestone,” a relationship study that paints a complicated portrait from an ordinary night out in the city. At a club, the woman reunites with...

Inseparable sisters, Henriette and Anais, find their relationship being torn apart under mysterious circumstances. “Perfect as Cats,” directed by Kevin Vu, is an atmospheric drama that moves in dreamy ripples, crafted with stylish visuals, costuming and production design. At an austere boarding s...

A small time travel vlogger’s tour of Coney Island is interrupted by an unexpected phone call. Amber Schaefer directs “NYC Tips and Tricks,” a satirical portrait of a man so preoccupied with filming his frivolous-seeming video that he struggles to fulfill basic fatherly responsibilities. With his...

On the anniversary of his father’s death, Tariq dedicates a dance to him, triggering childhood memories. “Muscle Memory,” directed by Saladin White II, is a poignant tone poem about fatherhood presented in vignettes of the present day and flashbacks. We follow Tariq, himself a father to a young b...

An artist works toward his future during a transitional period in his life. Kelly Turner directs “Bubblegum,” a vérité documentary following an aspiring fashion designer over the course of a couple days, dealing with work, friendships, and personal dramas. It’s an effortlessly authentic look at a...

Vincenzo D’Ambrosio aka “Ambrosia” trades the fluorescent lights of his family’s tobacco shop in Naples for the spotlights of "La Boum" - Milan's premiere drag revue. Peter Spark directs “Ambrosia,” a moving documentary portrait toggling between spirited performances and personal reflection — D’A...

During a lonely summer break, a teenage girl explores her sexuality via a dating app. Matthew Brennan directs “Summer Vacation,” an intimate snapshot of Alice, a high school runner who goes on a series of dates and struggles to feel any sort of passion. When Alice runs into an old friend, Jill, h...

After being abandoned at a rehab by her mother, young Bea is forced to evade authority figures and fend for herself. Kerry O’Neill directs “Bea at Rehab,” a tense drama that tracks a girl and her at-the-moment surrogate mother through a desperate whirlwind of a day. To hide her presence at the fa...

In this EDM musical, a young man does everything he can to avoid another horrible breakup. In “Heart Failure,” director Will Wightman spins a catchy pop extravaganza from an unlikely place: Gen Z’s take on modern dating and breakups. It’s impeccably crafted and energetic, filled with charismatic ...

Trapped in a strange world reminiscent of a video game, a man attempts to get home to his wife while dreaming of a man who is trying to do the same thing. “Interior Night,” directed by and starring Adam Bernet and Rob Price, is a surreal portrait of dissociation. A man named John sits at a desk, ...

After witnessing a violent beating on the boardwalk, a 12-year-old boy starts to feel his sleepy coastal town closing in around him. “Sparrow,” directed by Boris Krichevsky and Nikita Zarkh, is a quietly arresting character study rendered with striking images of desolate seaside locales. The boy,...