A camping trip puts a platonic friendship to the test. “Mountain Friends,” directed by Jon Mackey, is an intentionally stilted comedy that follows two friends into the Angeles Forest and one man into a flailing attempt to become more than friends. After hiking to their campsite, night falls quick...

A couple tries to make a sex tape but she has a question and he doesn’t know the answer. “Boobies,” directed by Emma Chevalier, dedicates five minutes to a pair of breasts and a couple’s discussion of love, desire and genetic predispositions. A young man positions his girlfriend in front of the c...

A series of intimate moments between two roommates in their shared bathroom. “Toilet Movie,” directed by Jillian Moray, speeds through a sequence of kinetic scenes between two charismatic young women. We never get their names, but we do know their bathroom serves as a sacred space. We witness eve...

A queer woman’s sleepover with her girlfriend resurfaces buried sexual traumas, blurring the lines between fantasy and pain. Tiger Hornby directs “Night Milk,” an experiential drama realizing the hallucinogenic disassociation between mind and body during sex and its internal epicenter. It’s the e...

When a struggling artist returns to her stifling hometown, she must confront who she is now and what she left behind. “It Will Happen to Us Again,” directed by Sarah Bloom, is a wintery, coming-of-age drama about a bittersweet homecoming. It’s a few days ahead of Christmas and Fernanda returns to...

A young woman is meeting her friend for a movie when a voice from another place tries to reach her. Pat Mooney directs “DX350,” a silvery, 16mm slice-of-life with lowkey bursts of sci-fi. Elena descends a shopping mall escalator. Her iPod classic and wired headset are relics threatening the moder...

A filmmaker builds a self-portrait of her two relationships with men and the objects they left behind. Abigail Holland’s “kid with a pearl earring” offers a snapshot of young love and grief told through forthright narration over vivid images of New York City. She retraces the arc of a relationshi...

A young man becomes suspicious of his downstairs neighbor after letting her use his fire escape. Camille Casmier directs “Intruder,” a compelling drama that graphs exponential unease and distrust that may be racially complicated. While preparing dinner, Sam, a white man, hears a knock at the door...

A man with shit for brains struggles to cope with his strange condition. “SHITHEAD”  directed by Riley Donigan, follows a young man on the brink of physical and psychological implosion. The opening sequence aptly foreshadows the portrait ahead. A log floats in the toilet while we overhear a phone...

A new retiree’s world is upended when she is tasked with chaperoning her daughter’s abortion. Lucy Sandler directs “the weight of a dog,” a dramatic look at a mother and daughter relationship through the lens of generational disconnect. Mariah, in a complicated break period with her partner, need...

A graphic designer endures a hostage situation disguised as a feedback meeting. Logan Fields directs “BOLD,” a workplace comedy peeking into the cringey confines of a branding conversation. She’s three matchas in and feeling a little jittery when her boss bangs on her table with feedback on the V...

Over the course of a muggy summer day in New England, two friends meander from place to place, getting high and avoiding the aftermath of a recent family tragedy. “Out of Body,” directed by Miles Dixon, is a moment-to-moment observation of both the joy and aloofness of a youthful bond. Cam and Ry...