On Halloween night, a woman dressed as a hot dog delivers marijuana to a series of weirdo customers. “Bite Me” is a night-in-the-life of a broke and aimless gig worker that’s based on director Jessi Rayom’s own experiences working at a L.A. weed dispensary. Filmed like a documentary and starring Rayom herself, it’s held together with sardonic wit and a seen-it-all attitude. Her strange encounters run the gamut: one man is so stoned that he can’t make sense of who is at his door and why; another unleashes a series of unsolicited life details (his cat has “cat AIDS” for one). The scenes are propped up with moments of style and musical flourish, and it’s all given shape by the personality of the hot dog woman, who communicates a relatable mix of depression, cynicism, and low expectations. -KA.
Director, writer, producer: Jessi Rayom. Writer, Editor, Producer, Camera: Andy Rayner. Cast: Zach Hodes, Robin Zamora, Martin Iniguez. Band: El Conjunto Nueva Ola.
A couple rebrands their struggling haunted house business amid the pandemic. “Spooky Town,” directed by and starring Omar Shaukat and Anna Suzuki, is a sign-of-the-times mockumentary that follows a hapless duo through badly executed attempts to frighten their customers. While they wait for their ...
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 woman endures frequent nightmares of her own death while finding it impossible to determine what’s real. Directed by Lexx Truss, “Zarina” is potent horror, a disorienting trek into the deep recesses of the mind — terror is alleviated with momentary blips of relief only to return stronger. Zarin...
