Portrait 001: Security Guard
From the Archives
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Short Films, 10-Mar-2026
A security guard walks his old beat in an abandoned strip mall, contemplating his purpose in guarding the vacant property. “Portrait 001: Security Guard,” directed by Tanner D. Masseth, is an existential portrait rendering a 3D-animated subject in a dismal suburban landscape. With a distinctive accent, the aging man reflects on life and work in an ambiguous American town. Cars pass by on the main road. The massive strip mall, a former hub of commerce and human interaction, now serves as a liminal space. The bleak reality seeds further into his consciousness and his mind and body begin to wander. He levitates, sometimes distorting, as an ethereal soundscape plays. Despite some unexpected humor owing to the odd movements of the man, we can’t help but have sympathy for his struggle, so earnestly articulated in his narration. -JM. Director: Tanner D. Masseth. Cast: Blake Robbins. Writers: Tanner D. Masseth, Blake Robbins. DP: Tanner D. Masseth, Andrea Florens, Corey Benson Powers.
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