When a young line cook hears the voices of his favorite podcasters beckoning him like sirens, the mundane becomes macabre. Ahmad Barkin directs “Happy Ending,” an account of a young man quietly reckoning with his loneliness, precise in its dark tone and heavy atmosphere. Pete doesn’t feel too good and tells his chef that he has to leave for the day. Friends invite him to drinks later, but the young man declines. On his commute, the city has scenes to observe, but Pete tunes it all out with his favorite podcast. In the show, two young women casually covering everything from blowjobs, to SSRI’s, and Jean-Luc Godard. Pete returns to his messy apartment, further into isolation, seemingly held together by the company in his earbuds. As with his previous short, “moulded,” Barkin explores themes of modern loneliness with decisive visual choices, stylish and original. -JM. Writer + Director: Ahmad Bakrin. Producers: Kate Costanza, Siân Lathrop. Director of Photography: Josh Sheehan. Production Designer: Sharon Reiss. Based on the short story by: Daniel DiLoreto. Editor: Patrick Drummond. Cast: Euan Lathrop, Mira Korngold, Faith Harper.