Alex’s upscale co-workers think she’s going on a beach vacation. Instead, she descends into New York City in search of the vile. From director William Welles comes this pitch black comedy or tragedy (depending on your squeamishness) about perversity and compulsion. Her motivations aren’t spelled out, but from the moment she leaves her posh office and takes off in a luxurious SUV, we suspect something is not what it seems. “What terminal?” her drivers asks, as she rips off her shirt with no intention of going to the airport. She hops out of the car, ditches her luggage on the sidewalk, and heads into trouble. First, she tries a seedy lounge. With her piercing eyes, she scouts for an old man to move in on, and finds one in the crusty performer onstage singing, “make the world go away.” But she’s not satisfied there, and moves on. What is she aiming to achieve? Will she find what she's looking for?

“Dry Days” is somewhat of a departure for director William Welles whose previous film, “Salad Days,” in which a smiling couple picnics in the park (albeit naked and filmed on a soundstage), but they share a sense of the extreme and uncompromising. The new one is carried by a fearless performance by Rachel McKeon who commits to the degeneracy with unsettling believability. (12 minutes). Directed by William Welles. Starring Rachel McKeon. Producer Julia Thompson.