Mousetrap
From the Archives
•
Short Films, 12-Mar-2024
Traveling the continental United States, two vagabond thieves rob from sick, twisted sexual deviants. Griffin Sauter directs “Mousetrap,” an experimental road film following two drifters as they traverse a crude American landscape. From warehouse to ghost town, the two partners front as a “critter-stomping” peep-show for creeps who get aroused by animal abuse. After wrangling the lowlifes into a room, the theft occurs. Washington to Colorado, Indiana to Wisconsin, and Arkansas to Alabama, we observe these two youthful bandits in their effort to get by and refuse any conformity. However, their ventures gets them caught up in a tense showdown with a stranger they decided to trust. With minimal dialogue and a great soundtrack, this Super 8mm film remains captivating and clear throughout as it celebrates the formal qualities of adventurous, transgressive filmmaking. -JM. Director, DP, Editor: Griffin Sauter. Producer: Frankie Latina. Cast: Darling Vargas, Parker Kuehl, Frank Holmes. AD: Frank Holmes.
Up Next in From the Archives
-
Savasana
A soft-spoken father takes refuge in yoga classes to escape parenting responsibilities and leer at women in tight yoga gear. Anchored by a hilariously low-key Paul Gordon (a veteran on the no-budget scene), the short wears its juvenile heart on its sleeve, and for a comedy, delivers surprisingly ...
-
A Remark You Made
A young mixed-race couple in Amsterdam experience a defining moment in their relationship when she asks him to play the lead role in her film about racism. “A Remark You Made,” directed by Hanna van Niekerk, is a compelling exploration of a host of issues related to race, insensitivity, tone, opp...
-
Over Easy
After getting badly sunburned, a young woman’s misfortune leads her on a strange and unexpected journey through Palm Springs. Maria Belafonte’s “Over Easy” savvily and playfully accounts the adventures of a mysterious young woman in a southern California landscape. Her back is scorched. She walks...
