A Tale of an Unimpressive Magician
Another Look
•
Short Films, 07-May-2026
A nervous magician performs one last trick. Gordy De St. Jeor directs “A Tale of an Unimpressive Magician,” a nightmarish, monochrome sequence, all in a single location where dark fate and punishment awaits. Smashed drywall litters the floor. Dust floats into the nether. An old man shivers as he walks over to a young woman sitting in a chair. They aren’t the only ones in the deteriorating space—a woman mumbles into a television, and a man silently holds a handstand in the corner. The young woman picks a card, the magician tries to find it, but he can’t. His entire fate depends on it. As it tensely unfolds, a terrifying, lo-fi opera murmurs in the background. The room remains a mystery, but its uncanniness is certain. De St. Jeor brings textures to an extreme, both in a worried human face and a crumbling wall. -JM. Writer/Director: Gordy De St. Jeor. Cast: William Sibley, Jillian Moray, Deborah Ann Harris. DP: Zayd Ezzeldine. Production Designer: Emmett Tekstra. Production Sound: Sound Guy Ethan. Sound Design: Adrian Arteaga. Editor/Colorist: Gordy De St. Jeor. Hair and makeup: Isa Alvarez.
Up Next in Another Look
-
Mountain Friends
A camping trip puts a platonic friendship to the test. “Mountain Friends,” directed by Jon Mackey, is an intentionally stilted comedy that follows two friends into the Angeles Forest and one man into a flailing attempt to become more than friends. After hiking to their campsite, night falls quick...
-
SHITHEAD
A man with shit for brains struggles to cope with his strange condition. “SHITHEAD” directed by Riley Donigan, follows a young man on the brink of physical and psychological implosion. The opening sequence aptly foreshadows the portrait ahead. A log floats in the toilet while we overhear a phone...
-
Life Movie
An inept pig-man sets out to make the movie of a lifetime, but not without a few small setbacks. “Life Movie,” created by Nick Lane, follows a neurotic digital creator in an energetic tag-along through a highly surveilled New York. "Moe R. Paine" aka "Moe" is a mutant pig-man. With surveillance d...
