MANPOWER 4 HIRE
From the Archives
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Short Films, 12-Feb-2025
A woman finds a strange rock on the beach, a landscaper is down on his luck, and a man licks his girlfriend. Ella Sinskey’s multi-format “MANPOWER 4 HIRE” is an experimental portrait fluctuating between the everyday and the unusual. On an American seaside, the young woman searches for a stone. Upon finding one, she gives it a lick for reasons unclear. An older gentleman appears perplexed and mutters to himself. Away from the shore, the young woman and a group of friends, including a hyperactive boyfriend, spend their afternoons cooking meals and horsing around by dead hydrangeas. The film steers away from a traditional narrative and delivers on its anecdotes with a compelling ensemble of characters and an effervescent edit of 16mm film, tape, and other renditions on past media. -JM. Director / Writer / Editor: Ella Sinskey. Cast: Kelsea Feder, James Hill, Bob Helm, Olivia De Salvo. DP: Connor Keep. Production Manager: Kyra Chen Sound: Brian Culligan. Grip: Tate Shockley AC: Jonas Bishop-Hayes.
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