Maddy finds herself stranded somewhere off of the highway after being stood up by a guy named Mike. This 16mm short directed by Joseph Barglowski is an ambling, low-key mystery rooted with moments of dry comedy. The locale is right off the interstate (the titular exit 9) where Maddy is set to meet Mike at his job, a dingy indoor golf facility called The Only Game in Town. When she arrives, he’s not there, and he’s left no trace. Having been dropped off by a friend, she’s left alone to deal with the predicament. And so she sets off on foot to track him down, a lone wanderer in a land of cars, parking lots, and strip malls. Led by a wonderfully understated performance by Kati Rehbeck, and equally restrained direction from Barglowski, “Exit 9” perfectly captures its small town American setting and atmospheres. It also nails the feeling of being in your 20’s, that untethered age where you may be lost and confused but you’re free to roam. -KA. Written and Directed by Joseph Barglowski. Starring Kati Rehbeck. Cinematography by Robert Orlowski.