Shelly is a peculiar young woman making a movie about a seahorse named Imogen. She picks up footage at the local aquarium and in her Brooklyn apartment while pursuing a deep sea diving certificate, so she can record the seahorses in their natural environment. We don’t quite trust the intentions o...

This intimate glimpse at two teenage girls in a Moscow locker room is a simple but rich exploration of burgeoning sexuality and a search for expression. Alice can’t help but steal some glances at her teammate while she changes, catching flashes of skin, reflected in searching close-ups. The teamm...

Somewhere in America, right this instant, a roomful of young women are waiting to audition for the role of a lifetime. In her headspacey short film, Anu Valia plucks her heroine Clara out of this room and momentarily holds her up to the light, before gently nudging her back into the anonymous str...

In the aftermath of an assault, a woman tries to come to terms with the violation, or just get through her day. Director Naima Ramos-Chapman uses an unexpected dose of magical realism to express a poetic response to a loss of dignity. The quiet morning at first feels mundane, but as new details e...

Discharged from the hospital after a partial face transplant, Eva is struck with an intense curiosity about her donor. Shot in gorgeous, richly textured 35mm images, the film is minimally constructed but full of ideas. The miracle surgery seems to have taken — the surgeon is pleased and Eva’s ric...

Set in 1991, this comedic portrait of a mumbling and indecisive young man trying to collect rent from his eccentric roommates taps into the grand lineage of poor college kids living as weirdo artists in houses with way too many people. It’s tried and true and "White and Lazy" captures it with per...

A titillating California drama with splashes of unexpected humor. Or maybe it’s the other way around. The gist: a divorced mother attempts to break up her daughter’s relationship. Maybe it’s to protect her... or maybe it’s out of jealousy. The handsome, smooth-talking boyfriend named Whit seems t...

As his father suffers in the hospital, Dylan forgoes a chance to see him in favor of performing with his small-time improv comedy troupe at a local club. Brilliantly conceived as a comment on those of us so consumed by artistic pursuits (perhaps of questionable societal value?) that we fail to re...

Following a trio of friends around town as they dance choreographed routines in grocery stores and give acting workshops in Bingo halls, "Ford Clitaurus", true to its name, is a hilarious head-scratcher. It’s best to watch without knowing much. As in, stop reading this right now and press play ab...

An incisive dissection of jealousy, and the need for independence within a relationship. It stumbles into some absurdly funny territory, but it's largely a drama, one that burrows deep quickly and leaves you feeling punched in the gut. The explosive performances by writer/director Ben Petrie and ...

A slapstick comedy in super slow motion. An unnamed tourist with a leg injury searches for physical and spiritual healing on a week long Carnival cruise vacation from Baltimore to the Bahamas. Floating between narrative, documentary, and experimental tendencies the film creates an atmosphere simi...