During an editorial fashion shoot, a callous director and client toy with their model. “A Woman Eats,” written by and starring Frances Li, shows a woman trying to “act natural” as she’s subjected to increasingly humiliating questions and intrusions into her personal life. Posed in a lush still life, the model tries to remain calm and charming as she’s being pulled in a hundred different directions. The questions start innocent enough (“what’s the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning?”), but become more personal (“do you always wash your hands after going to the bathroom?”), and then unsettling (“why do we choose some animals to love, and others to kill?”). Director Sam Reiss crafts an ominous mix of absurdity and satire, built with darkly funny performances by Li as the model, and Lydia Case and Matt Newby as the obnoxious creative team.

Director & Editor: Sam Reiss. Writer & Lead: Frances Li. Cast: Lydia Case, Matt Newby. Director of Photography: Jeff Clanet. Produced by: Justine Sweetman. Music by: Rory Khan Mohon. Colorist: Robert Simmons. Prop Stylist & Cast: Karina Walgermo Johnsen. Production Company: REALnew Collective.