Being a sound person is thankless. If you do your job well, no one notices; if your boom creeps into frame once or the lav crackles, everyone stops what they’re doing to recognize that you messed up. And so it’s not surprising that Edgar’s self-esteem is a little on the rocks, and the fact that he’s obsessed with the lead actress is not helping. Anchored by a brilliant performance by Clay Tatum, Sound Speeds is a dark comedy that improbably builds enough tension to, by the end, become some sort of meta thriller.

If you’ve ever been on a film set, you’ll recognize the dynamics here, the “points” coming through, the flaring attitudes when there’s no coffee on set, et all. And then there are days when everyone seems to be having fun except you. In place of feeling that crew camaraderie, Edgar looks to forge a connection with the lead actress. When he overhears / spies on her having an intimate phone conversation off-set, he tries to intervene. Predictably, it doesn't go as planned.

Like the film within the film, a cheesy melodramatic soap opera, we’re never on firm ground with reality. So it’s a miracle that it works, the mix of awkward funny, sad and tense, but it does. Clean sound, no crackles.

Written, directed & produced by Alex Kavutskiy, Ariel Gardner. Starring Clay Tatum and Emily Green.