After the death of her high school boyfriend Lou, Nicole returns home to New Jersey where she finds herself directing Lou’s unproduced screenplay. “The Ultimate (By Lou Fescano),” written and directed by Daniel Jaffe and co-written and starring Michelle Uranowitz, crafts a delicate balance of funny, incisive, edgy, and touching. Knowing that Nicole is in the film industry, Lou’s brother propositions her to bring Lou’s vision to life (the script was found under a Metallica t-shirt in his room). The problem is, the script is crude, violent, formulaic, with racist and homophobic overtones. Nicole, more at home with intellectually stimulating fare, is forced to weigh loyalty to her old friend with her artistic integrity. Ingeniously constructed, brimming with vivid details and a rolling rhythm, the film is perfectly cast and performed. Jaffe and Uranowitz previously created “Goodbye, Brooklyn,” one of our favorite shorts from 2018.

Director: Daniel Jaffe. Writers: Daniel Jaffe, Michelle Uranowitz. Cast: Michelle Uranowitz, Brandon Uranowitz, Clare McNulty, Lisa Haas, Jonathan Marballi. Director of Photography: Adam Gundersheimer. Editor: Cecilia Delgado, Daniel Jaffe. Producers: Kate Hopkins, Emily Kron.