When his girlfriend expresses interest in opening their relationship, a young man turns to a handball rival for advice. Eli Beutel directs “Handball,” a back-and-forth comedic portrait of young love and keeping up appearances. On a compact Manhattan street corner, Charley sits with his homeboys in Arc'teryx jackets and sunglasses. They talk Matcha cortados, signal chats, and other combinations of words. When Charley gets a call from his girlfriend wanting to talk, he heads to see her (not before stealing a jacket and chain smoking cigarettes). They chat on a park bench—she wants to open up the relationship and Charley responds poorly. That’s when Luigi, a local handball legend, makes an intervention. “Handball” is a sharp, concise Gen-Z rom-com embracing a New York City backdrop and the ever-present novelty of it all. -JM. Writer and Director: Eli Beutel. Starring: Ben Groh, Cassidy Rose Gyetvan, Luigi Ortega, Alex Guerra, Brett La Fronz, Producers: Adina Alterman, Evan Patterson, Marco Barratta. Director of Photography: Eli Freirich. B-Cam Operator: Rhys Scarabosio. Assistant Camera: Nell Geer. Sound: Victor Solorzano. Production Designer: Charlie Chaspooley Robinson, Key Grip: Brett LaFronz. Assistant Director: Chris Dagostino. Production Assistants: Cassy Callari, Dylan Oesch-Emmel, Nolan Weinschenk, Gus Korsh. Editors: Jake DePinto, Marco Barratta. Post-Sound: Adrian Artega. Color-Correction: Jordan Tetewsky.