A poetic essay film portraying Baltimore in a moment of reckoning, shown uniquely through humble observations and personal recollections. “Diary,” directed by Gillian Waldo, tracks the summer of 2020 with its nationwide cataclysms revolving around Covid-19 and police brutality. The film is presen...

In order to finally be seen, a forlorn teenager takes the biggest action of her life: auditioning to be church cantor at her Christian high school. Kate McCarthy directs “Look, Mira,” a coming-of-age comedy delivered with colorful verve, a sweet-natured take on not fitting in. Overly sensitive fr...

A L.A. couple takes a shortcut down a steep staircase while playing a question-and-answer exercise designed to rekindle intimacy. “Hellmouth,” directed by Gus Reed, is a dramatic vignette that’s vaguely unsettling, almost dream-like in tone, and shouldered by performances from Rhian Rees and Shan...

A depressed writer in L.A. tries to find her way through the grieving process while her estranged brother returns home after a three year absence. “Pasadena,” the directorial debut feature from Gaston Stabiszewski, is a patiently observed character study about two siblings stuck in extreme patter...

Celeste and Aurora have lived together for awhile but sometimes their friendship finds them bickering over mundane issues. “Dye Red,” directed by Vittoria Campaner, is a character study filled with vivid color and atmosphere, presented in vignettes that flow into one another with hidden cuts. The...

When Sandy and Mitra get into trouble, they come to their friend Alyssa for help. “Alyssa Learns to Drive,” written by and starring Sandy Honig, Mitra Jouhari, and Alyssa Stonoha, is an ingeniously silly sketch that cycles through a smorgasbord of random accents, absurd phrasings, botched languag...

A mechanic in a small midwestern town would do anything to leave her boring life but she can’t seem to break free. Tipper Newton directs and stars in “The Dangerous Type,” an entertaining throwback to 80’s (and before) tropes that renders its snappy banter and B-movie characterizations with style...

While making an animated film, a filmmaker must decide whether to stop working with his assistant or stop sleeping with her. “Brontosaurus,” directed, animated, and voiced by Jack Dunphy, is a brutally honest and darkly funny portrait of a messy relationship, presented as a series of pencil drawi...

A young man with vision problems deals with his caustic friends and a bizarrely ominous influence. “Eyeballs,” directed by Cooper Herzog Olson, is an experimental oddity, a stream-of-consciousness DIY tone poem about learning to see, but not too much. Wandering around a small beach town, Dennis e...

An awkward teenager in Park Slope, Brooklyn goes out one night in search of a boy, any boy, to bring home and prove to her sister she’s actually normal. Sophia Bennett Holmes directs “Big Crush,” a coming-of-age vignette that captures the tentative expressions of a teen girl on a weekend when her...

On her 21st birthday, Alex spends the night partying with friends, looking for more alcohol, and planning her escape from an existential crisis. Christina Offley directs and stars in “Of Age,” a lively coming-of-age comedy about getting wasted and/or entering adulthood. Alex still lives with her ...

Two con women in a romantic relationship take a man prisoner in his own home. “Bandits,” directed by Natalie Fält, is a stylish pulp crime drama, a darkly poetic noir about dissociation and twin flames. After kidnapping and robbing a man, two lovers - Sweetie and Rose - keep him captive in his be...

An inventory specialist at a weed shop gets asked to try a newly engineered product before it goes on sale to the public. Duncan Dickerson directs “Wet Mouth,” a stoner comedy (run time: 4:20) sketched in with the essentials, i.e. oddball characters, zany line deliveries, and surreal breakdowns. ...

In West Berlin in 1989, Manny Jumpcannon prowls his dingy apartment phoning various degenerates from his past. Maxwell McCabe-Lokos directs and stars in “Midnight Confession,” a darkly funny character study which paints a remarkably full backstory of deceit from a series of unsolicited phone call...

If one of those demented Roman emperors was reincarnated today, where would he find his eunuchs? What would he look like? Most importantly, what kind of stuff would he be into putting in his butt? So as not to commit any spoilers, I’m leaving the solutions to these pressing questions until the en...

After revealing something new to her long-term partner, a young couple has an emotionally fraught conversation at the grocery store. “Chores,” directed by Christina Tucker, is a dramatic vignette on the subject of poor communication and hitting personal limits. In the vegetable aisle, Samantha br...

A group of disillusioned L.A. couples compete in an obscure sport to obtain money and social status. “Hill Hikers,“ directed by Elizabeth Godar and Mitch deQuilettes, is a mockumentary about a hiking “race” started by a couple trying to keep their sexual chemistry alive. Vague as the competition ...

A YouTube food critic goes to great lengths to try the new Taco Bell™ Crispy Chicken Wings©. Bobby McCoy directs the internet culture satire, “Trying The New TACO BELL CRISPY CHICKEN WINGS (Food Review),” which reflects the abundances and absurdities of a hyper-corporatized modern age, in a fashi...

A close friendship goes through a harrowing trial when one of them lays an egg. Stephanie Ibarra directs “Egg,” an absurdist comedy, remarkably lighthearted, that cleverly renders its outlandish concept on a small scale and naturalistic setting. While discussing dreams with her roommate, James, A...

After distancing herself from a complicated relationship with her father, 22-year-old Kate Young returns home for the Thanksgiving holiday. “Returning, Again,” directed by Jinho Myung, is a family portrait shot on Mini-DV that details a persistent family divide, doing so with an astute sense of p...

After a night out in Miami, a young woman reckons with the dwindling chemistry between herself and her ex-boyfriend. Paula Andrea González-Nasser directs “Limestone,” a relationship study that paints a complicated portrait from an ordinary night out in the city. At a club, the woman reunites with...

Inseparable sisters, Henriette and Anais, find their relationship being torn apart under mysterious circumstances. “Perfect as Cats,” directed by Kevin Vu, is an atmospheric drama that moves in dreamy ripples, crafted with stylish visuals, costuming and production design. At an austere boarding s...

A small time travel vlogger’s tour of Coney Island is interrupted by an unexpected phone call. Amber Schaefer directs “NYC Tips and Tricks,” a satirical portrait of a man so preoccupied with filming his frivolous-seeming video that he struggles to fulfill basic fatherly responsibilities. With his...

On the anniversary of his father’s death, Tariq dedicates a dance to him, triggering childhood memories. “Muscle Memory,” directed by Saladin White II, is a poignant tone poem about fatherhood presented in vignettes of the present day and flashbacks. We follow Tariq, himself a father to a young b...