Mean Spirit
Under 5 Minutes • Short Films, 28-Jul-2020
Two friends enjoying a night to themselves realize they're not the only ones in the apartment. “Mean Spirit,” directed by Nick Funess, is a darkly funny snapshot of gossiping pals, bad roommates and getting caught in an awkward situation. While drinking wine one night, one of the friends, played by the film’s co-writer Samantha Carroll, expresses dismay with her new roommate — she writes notes when the dishes don’t get done, and cries herself to sleep because “she’s like a hospice nurse or something.” When the chit-chat is interrupted, the girls head out for cigarettes before returning to the apartment for an unsettling surprise. Writer/star Carroll is a talented director in her own right, responsible for two previous shorts we’ve featured, “Damsel,” and “Toxic,” both incisive portraits of self-absorbed young people. She’s just as astute in front of the camera, alternating between free-flowing shit talk and face-saving cordiality.
Up Next in Under 5 Minutes
-
Zablah
Zablah, a demon baby boomer, seeks to convince a millennial to eat at Applebee’s. Ryan Betschart and Rachel Nakawatase direct “Zablah,” a gritty comic oddity shot on 16mm (using a film stock that looks almost like 8mm) that uses a clickbait headline as a springboard to tackle a generational divid...
-
A Key for the Kid
A young mother finds a key that opens the door for her son’s escape. A kinetic experimental film made entirely from still photographs, Thea Lorentzen’s “A Key for the Kid,” is a small marvel in abstract ingenuity. The year is 2100 and the task is to find a blinking red key hidden in the forest. T...
-
QUEENDOM
A woman fantasizes about a romantic night at a bar, including a fling with her bartender. “Queendom,” directed by Nat Gee, is a lighthearted music video shot on 16mm and filled with colorful production design and costuming. A woman and a man make eyes, he makes her a drink and offers her a rose, ...