Spring Broke

Spring Broke

It ain't easy having no green. In this collection of shorts, money is the name of the game: being broke, resorting to unpleasant methods of acquiring cash, or just generally trying to scrape by in a cruel world.

Share
Spring Broke
  • Trash Scab

    An entrepreneur pivots with the market. “Trash Scab,” directed by Philip Steiger, is a scarily plausible, bitingly funny vision of a dystopian nightmare. The circumstances have been exaggerated from our current reality but not by much: a pandemic rages on, a citywide curfew in place, police have ...

  • Koreatown

    In Los Angeles, a young man working as a doumi - a host/hostess who entertains clients in private karaoke rooms - encounters a strange request. “Koreatown,” directed by Grant Hyun, is a stylish drama full of controlled tension and striking neon visuals. The handsome Kyeong sings to patrons who ha...

  • Actor Seeks Role

    A frustrated, out of work actor turns to medical acting to pay his bills, offering intensely committed performances to students who are simply trying to diagnose symptoms, not evaluate believability. The actor, Paul (played by Alex Karpovsky) wants to be great but without a traditional audience i...

  • Gigging

    A documentary tracking a day in the life of three gig workers - driver, content creator, and dogwalker - goes off the rails in this satirical comedy directed by Jake Fertig. “Gigging” takes aim at the gig economy which finds desperate freelancers working for pennies to support tech behemoths. Fra...

  • Gas Money

    While making a documentary about the female orgasm, a filmmaker tries to get her conservative parents to see her side of her own sexual explorations. Allison Bunce directs “Gas Money,” a provocatively funny dissection of repressive sexual standards and the resulting shame and emotional wreckage. ...

  • Salesmanship

    Two stoner BFFs engage in an unusual routine to accrue the capital needed to sustain their lifestyle. “Salesmanship,” directed by and starring Brooke Bundy and Helen Rogers, is a stylized snapshot of being broke and aimless. Minimally plotted but energetic, it’s built with flashy musical sequence...

  • Más Bowls

    Davey needs to win the high school QuizJam to help pay for his girlfriend Lex’s abortion. Habitually oblivious but generally well meaning, he's only a few answers away from the $125 they need. “Más Bowls,” directed by Max Tullio, is a well-drawn coming-of-age drama carried by its subtly affecting...

  • Two Words

    A recently engaged couple deals with the stress of competing for $10,000 on a public access gameshow. “Two Words” is a strangely endearing concoction of lo-fi satire and hi-fi love story. Written, Directed & Produced by Jordan Michael Blake. Starring Anu Valia, Brendan O’Brien & Jordan Michael Bl...

  • Daddy's Playground

    Desensitized by millennial romance, Rose and Teddy turn to a Tinder-esque sugar dating app for disposable income. “Daddy’s Playground,” created by and starring Boni Mata and Ashley Morgan, is a kinetic, darkly humorous tale of feminine agency, a “soft-core, arthouse, thriller, trash production” f...

  • Pyschic

    When a visit to a psychic takes an unexpected turn, Benji is forced into difficult decisions about her life and future. Directed by and starring Dana Sorman, “Psychic,” is a probing personal drama (not without moments of biting comedy) about career and family hangups. An aspiring actress and stan...

  • LP

    A Loss and Prevention officer faces a difficult moral decision in Alexander Etseyatse’s “LP.” An attempted theft leads to a tense back-room stand-off in this riveting drama, placing complex characters in an agonizing dilemma. While it stays grounded as a personal account, it also raises larger qu...

  • White and Lazy

    Set in 1991, this comedic portrait of a mumbling and indecisive young man trying to collect rent from his eccentric roommates taps into the grand lineage of poor college kids living as weirdo artists in houses with way too many people. It’s tried and true and "White and Lazy" captures it with per...

  • Auxiliary Man

    Vincent, a neurotic millennial with a middling credit score, needs work bad. A life of crime could certainly pay if he ever gets a chance, and one night he does. “Auxiliary Man,” directed by and starring Max Roux, infuses its 90’s style crime tale with bumbling humor and energetic soul tunes. The...

  • Partners in Crime

    Two best friends rob a house to get fast cash for an abortion. | Writer and Director: Kerry LeVielle. Cast, Phoebe Amirault, Cassidy Stanley, Kristine Gallo.

  • Hot Water

    Freshly divorced and new to the US, Jeanne finds herself navigating the world of housemates for the first time. Madeline Mack directs “Hot Water,” a complex drama exploring social misunderstandings, power dynamics, subtle manipulation, and misogyny. Arriving in L.A. with no job or place to stay, ...

  • Princess Rita

    A lonely insurance adjuster in Florida becomes consumed by his desire to meet his internet girlfriend, who claims to be a princess from a faraway country. Blair Waters directs “Princess Rita,” a uniquely realized portrait of an odd man dreaming of a new life. While composing a series of love lett...

  • Cornholios

    Three devoted Cornholio enthusiasts struggle to make ends meet in New York. Presented as a direct cinema black and white documentary by the Maysles' Brothers, “Cornholios” (actually directed by Jess Lane), is an inspired low-art gag about being obsessed with a character from “Beavis and Butthead”...

  • Knickknacks

    An attempted e-commerce transaction goes awry. | Director: Ryan McGlade. Cast: Edy Modica, Tynan DeLong.