Get-together-ers
Happy/Sad Holidays
•
Drama, Short Films, Sci-Fi, 01-Jul-2025
A man sabotages an intimate holiday gathering when he attempts to gift his childhood friend’s fiancé something special. Michael Rees directs “Get-together-ers,” which offers Rees’ trademark comedy style hyperbolizing idiosyncratic behavior, however this time, taking an unexpected turn into metaphysical phenomena. Phil arrives at a Christmas gift exchange. He’s nervous about the gift he brought. It isn’t wrapped, and the box is nearly open. When it’s his turn to share, the wrong girl opens it before Phil explains that the gift was actually for Veronika, a special friend, the group bursts into confusion and frustration. But Phil has something for everyone. With his small box, he demonstrates an ability to generate a new, individual item for each and every get-together-er. The box also has the power to do things to the recipients themselves. The film stands as an exciting step forward from Rees’ previous works we’ve featured. With the introduction of a new genre element, he doubles down on the humor and uncanniness of strange social interactions. -JM. Director: Michael Rees. Cast: Philip Ettinger, Veronika Slowikowska, Claire Banse, Kyle Chase, Leigh Murray, Rachel Coster, Richard Perez. Producer: Jess DiMento. Cinematographer: Bart Cortright. Camera Operator: Sarah Penson.
Up Next in Happy/Sad Holidays
-
The Letter
A little girl receives a letter from Santa Claus in this short and sweet holiday film from director Eric Paschal Johnson, co-director of “Observatory Blues”. Over a series of richly melancholic 16mm compositions of a young girl lugging a Christmas tree through fields and forests, Santa narrates a...
-
Kim Bush's Abduction
Several hours of unanswered texts and phone calls have everyone at a Christmas party wondering: where is Kim Bush? Filmed in Gulfport, Mississippi, and starring real-life sisters Courtney and Gabe Bush (playing themselves), “Kim Bush’s Abduction,” is a rolling mix of mystery and comedy, brimming ...
-
The Christmas Kid
A man with a broken arm looks for the perfect Christmas gift. David Cardoza and Griffin Conner direct “The Christmas Kid,” a festive character-study of a Manhattan gent told through run-and-gun photos and an affable voice over. It’s the morning of Christmas Eve and Gordon arises from bed in his N...
