Lightstreet
From the Archives
•
Drama, Short Films, 20-Jan-2023
A date to see the fireworks on the Fourth of July turns into a weird night of discovery for a shy teenage girl. “Lightstreet,” directed by Billie Michael, is an understated coming-of-age drama that captures the awkwardness and uncertainties of youth in a quiet small town. The young couple wanders around looking for a good place to watch fireworks while discussing the matters of the day, TikTok, Animal Crossing, making collages from 1970’s magazines. As a gift, the boy gives her a seashell he recently picked up at a Maryland gift shop but it soon becomes a burden, and slowly the mood of the night begins to shift. For all of its surface simplicity, there’s an undercurrent of cynicism and disappointment on personal and societal levels. We previously featured Michael’s short, “No Pets” (’21), another quiet but effective study of an anxious woman scrambling to hide evidence of her cat from her landlord. -KA. Director: Billie Michael. Cast: Celia Sondheimer, Lucien Dent. Director of Photography: Cory Eli Berezow. Editor: Cory Eli Berezow.
No Pets: https://www.nobudge.com/videos/no-pets
Up Next in From the Archives
-
Ilona's Bloody Body
An online model with a huge following is being followed. Maxim Stollenwerk directs “Ilona's Bloody Body,” a dynamic, creeping drama tracking a young Bulgarian woman as she balances her profession as a cam-girl with her everyday relationships. She discusses details of her job and the realities tha...
-
Interstate 8
In America for the first time, a German teenager heading to a party with a group of boys becomes entangled with the police. “Interstate 8,” directed by Anne Thieme, is an understated drama, an immersive minute-by-minute procedural that explores cop culture, immigration, and lines of unspoken comm...
-
Humans of My Bed: Neel
A random hookup leads to an ambush interview by a documentary crew. “Humans of My Bed,” directed by Sam Permar, is an edgy, darkly funny mockumentary exploring boundaries of sexual liberation and internalized homophobia. At a friend’s birthday party, Kip and Neel, meet, hit it off, and have sex i...
