Music for the China Doll
From the Archives
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Short Films, Mystery, 03-Apr-2026
A constable, young officer, and dysfunctional family try to get to the bottom of a murder. Jonah Bergman directs “Music for the China Doll,” an eccentric murder mystery shot entirely on broadcast television tube cameras. The dead body of Madame Charlotte Dubois lies in the middle of a living room. A hodgepodge of her family, friends, and employees all huddle over her. The death of Dubois, a beloved teacher and mother in the community, has everyone distraught. Her husband and daughter insist on their innocence. The constable tries to conduct a collected hearing, but emotional outbursts, possible murder weapons, and new details convolute the investigation. Bergman brings intriguing interest to old mediums and outlier personalities, and demonstrates versatility after last year’s short, “Conversations with a Monster,” his docu-fictional portrait of a Hollywood Boulevard busker. -JM. Director: Jonah Bergman, Cast: Art Byington, Cast: Fiona Kane, Cast: Chree July, Cast: Damon Packard, Cast: Robert Dixon, Cast: Boomer Feith, Cast: Antonia Capobianco. Director of Photography: Chance Gray, Line Producer: Caris Kuhn.
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