Out of Focus
Music and Dreams
•
Drama, Music, Short Films, 17-Jan-2023
In Philadelphia, an aspiring rapper tries to carve out a space for himself but begins to lose hope. “Out of Focus,” directed by Alex Sulock, is a cinema verite snapshot about artistic pursuit that maneuvers in a flow of spontaneous energy. Over the course of a couple weeks, Ray roams around his hometown writing raps, making videos, shooting the shit with friends. Throw in an up-and-down relationship with his girlfriend and trouble at home with his mom — he’s kicked out of his house and forced to sleep in his car — and Ray’s life is on shaky ground. His passion for the rap game is his only constant but even that is beginning to falter. The film is stylistically low-key but sharp in its editing and perfectly believable in its performances. -KA. Director, writer, editor: Alex Sulock. DP: James Ball, Alex Sulock. Cast: Ray Lemontee, Xa Bucks, Alex Sulock, Alexis Rodriguez, Jennifer Rodriguez, Chris Martinez, Satchel Aubrey.
Up Next in Music and Dreams
-
Boris
A young musician living in Hollywood experiences a bizarre mystery that leads him on a journey to the Los Angeles River. Conor Scheinberg writes and directs “Boris,” a grim slow burn drama set in a bleak rendition of L.A. We meet Boris in the front seat of his car. He does pick-ups and drop-offs ...
-
Tired Eyes
A no-name indie rock band schlepps their gear from a cramped practice space in Bushwick to a show in Manhattan. The comedy “Tired Eyes,” directed by Ryan Martin Brown, nails the plight of the broke musician, desperate to find any way forward in a city overflowing with bands with no future. The tr...
-
Jane, Jean, John, & Jesus Make an Exp...
Jean and her band of snobs make an experimental song. Self-described as “Shit Tier,” this lo-fi lampoon by director Nimay Ndolo takes aim at the pretentious and the opaque (read: art protected from criticism because if you don’t understand it, you’re low-brow). Jean registers for a songwriting sh...