When a bet on Trump alienates him from all his friends, Keith aims to defend himself by telling his side of the story. As he recounts the tale of how it all went down, spouting his unlikely political views through the shocked streets of NYC post-election, it keeps getting darker and darker. Keith...

Memories and fiction begin to overlap when a pair of ex-lovers play a couple in a film. Stanley Xu directs “Reprise,” a film that blurs the line between performance and reality. In front of the camera is a complicated relationship between two characters played by actors with a complicated history...

Director Jason Giampietro sets 'em up & knocks 'em down in this hilariously straightforward story of an anxious New Yorker's ruined summer. The neurotic man, perpetually wearing a ratty aqua short-sleeve, lets a friend store a bike in his hallway for what he promises is only a couple days. Three ...

 Rudy, a grouchy, putty-colored naif rocking a Mennonite center-part, is thrown off of his normal afternoon routine of shuffling around looking glum by an intense pain in his groin. According to a not-very-trustworthy looking dude outside the bodega, it’s a hernia. Instead of wisely staying home ...

A band of ravers who reside and dance under the L.A River have their lives turned upside down when one of their own is chopped in half with a glow stick. “A Ballet,” directed by Zoe Katz, is a bonkers 5-minute no-fi extravaganza where everyone wears JNCOS (this is a sequel to Katz’ “A Very JNCOS ...

A lighthearted take on the Alphabet made in quarantine during the Coronavirus Pandemic. Guy Kozak directs “Alphabet,” which creates an appealing mood and atmosphere from a series of simple compositions, one for each letter, A-Z. There’s a lovely variety of visuals — some words are proper nouns, l...

Pak Anggir is a rice farmer in Bali living a modest, spiritually-connected existence, intent on passing along ancient Hindu traditions to his grandchildren. This calming documentary portrait directed by Ashleigh Goh Hua captures Anggir in his element, working the fields, blessing the offerings, a...

Infantrymen are waking up in full battle dress under the pines of a manicured mid-century subdivision. They mount the tarred roof of what might be an elementary school and return fire at an unseen enemy covered somewhere across the school’s front drive. A man on a riding mower throws the platoon ...

In Saint Cloud, Minnesota, former doughnut baker Pete Holt chases his own American Dream by designing and manufacturing a workout machine that keeps the body in continuous motion. Whether driven by optimism or delusion, Holt envisions a workout that stays fun for 21 minutes by changing body posit...

Katelyn and Halie just want to get high and watch Pixar movies but an invasive pizza delivery boy derails their Friday night. “Me & My Friend Just Want Our Pizza,” by directors Fernando Andrés and Tyler Rugh, is a stoner comedy about a casual evening that turns creepy. Like in their previous shor...

In her mid-twenties, Fanny moves back to her hometown to attend the local University but struggles to bond with other students and reckon with her past. This short dramatic feature from Norway is a beautifully-made character study about a young woman at a vulnerable time. During student orientati...

In a remote cabin in the redwood forest of Northern California, a Buddhist teacher and his son are thrown together after years of estrangement forced to make peace with life’s inevitabilities. “For the Coyotes” is a remarkable film about connection, pain and mortality. It was made by a two person...

A male stripper has an unusual experience on the job in Mary Dauterman’s “Unfinished Business.” From a script co-written by Jenny Donheiser, the film is an awkward comedy that uses 1980’s costuming and choreography to highlight its dingy tableaus and expressionless ladies. When he arrives to a mo...

A spirit haunts an Airbnb. The titular ghost, herself a visitor to the home at one point (“a weekend trip upstate with the girls”) considers the spot a charming place to haunt and loves the company of new visitors. Dauterman specializes in sketch films made with sharp style and timing (see also “...