Dolphin Boy
Experimental
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Short Films, Fantasy, 24-Oct-2025
A man finds a woman washed up on shore; when she reveals her identity, he goes to great lengths to become part of her world. “Dolphin Boy,” directed by Arielle Bordow and Tyler Zonies, is a lo-fi fantasy film—a snapshot of longing rendered with deadpan campiness and body-horror elements. While smoking on the beach in a trench coat, DB comes across a woman lying in the sand, passed out. He takes her back to his place and gets her cleaned up. Before long, they hit it off. She loves his self-proclaimed fucked-up eyes (bloodshot red), and he’s enamored by her as well, especially after she reveals her true self. Shot on Betacam and leaning into its raw idiosyncrasies, the film works because of its off-the-cuff style and the endearing presence of its two leads, played by Bordow and Zonies themselves. We previously featured Bordow with “Craigslist Roommate,” her free-spirited portrait of life in a college town, which made our list of favorite shorts from 2022. -KA. Director: Arielle Bordow and Tyler Zonies. DP: Sam Bianculli. Editor: Raven Dahlin. Original Score: Jack Tobias and Sam Pickard. HMU/SFX Help: Jane Serenska. Production Designer: Chase Mayo. Sound Design/Mix: Jonah Graber. Title Card and Poster: Jack Tobias. Digital SFX: Aman Singh.
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