Native Immigration - Eric Romero
There is a concept called "Punching Down" that basically equates to mocking those of a disadvantaged class if you are of an advantaged class. It's a tough idea, actually, but it also makes sense. Native Immigration is an interesting piece, funny, and very detailed, but I worried at times that the filmmakers were punching down. At the same time, I was laughing at the finely crafted gags. Presented as a BBC-style expose of Britons who were only now discovering that they were, in fact, immigrants, it's got all sorts of things to enjoy, from posters in the background, to humorous sub-titles and graphics. There are a few points where I looked side-ways at a gag, wondering if that was offensive in the UK, and realising that there is a significant difference between our countries when it comes to race, and especially class, issues. The film's funny, and a lot of fun. The 'interviews' in the mockumentary are strong, and funny, especially the Kenyan who is a devout racist (and it works on so many levels right now, what with the frequent calls of 'Reverse Racism' leveled at various groups) and the Spaniard who thought he was Scottish. There were various points that if I heard that joke on the streets of San Jose, I would be uncomfortable. Well-made, maybe a couple of minutes longer than the material it presented warranted, and while it made me question my own attitudes, it also presented a powerful form of satire, a near-perfect send-up of the television issue documentary. You can see it at ​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZNP7L-brT8

Elsewhere - Misan Akuya
This story of a racer who broke both his legs and now has to deal with his regular life is a pretty picture, one that understands the goal of the film, but also takes a bit of a round-about way to get there. There's a lot to like, from the well-seasoned cinematography to the well-considered sound design. The acting is solid, and the characters and the script work hard. The problem is it doesn't hold you all the way through, and lost me at least twice, though both times managed to bring me back. The thing that brought me back - Dianna Cruz. Her magnetic performance and charm is contagious, and when she comes on screen, you really can't help but dial back in. 

You can find more at https://misanakuya.wordpress.com/

The Device - George Wroe
Science fiction has markers. From the very get-go, you know The Device is going to be a science fiction film, and a time-travel short as well. It's the story of a father and son who develop a device that allows them to go back in time. The Father has a plan, but doesn't share it with his son, not fully at least. They manage to go back, but face a minor set-back. The film has a couple of effects, which is nice, but the most important part has to be the fact that they manage to create a family dynamic that I bought into. If you can accomplish that, the science fiction elements become far less important, and the language of the characters is precise, and that part of the script is strong and ultimately is what pushes the film into its best presence. The production values are strong, and the set and prop work isn't flashy, which adds a layer of believability; if a father-son super-science team was working without a government research grants, everything would be kinda slap-dash! That's a really nice touch. 

All The Better - Rebecca & Thomas Haffey 
This is a tiny, one minute take on the Little Red Riding Hood story. It's a microshort, just one minute, and it doesn't really show too much, just a girl walking, a smash to black, a scream, and a return. That's it, with a lovely and original score from Debbie Allen that I found to be the most memorable portion of the film. At one minute, you can't really do much, but I think what they gave was well-done and I really wanted a little more of this, as I think they could easily handle the material and give us the same story, over two minutes, and be clearer, with a stronger hit. The cinematography is solid, and the forest, and young Ella Haffey, both take to the camera well, and made me want more. Still, that soundtrack alone makes All the Better ​worth it, as it's still running through my head. Also, and I rarely do this, but the design of the poster is incredible. I mean, look at it! You can see it at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8-NqaaPN58 

Fruit of the Fungus - Josh Mitchell
The "Un-understood Map" is a wonderful trope of the Adventure genre. Fruit of the Fungus isn't an adventure film, but it uses it to great effect. The script is smart and funny, though things move a bit jumpily, and the delivery of lines ain't quite there, but there is so much fun to be had, you won't hardly notice. I loved the concept, and the way it unfolded was nice, though the pacing seemed a bit off at points, which was a touch frustrating because when it picked up, it was really good, but it would slow again, and so on. The technical aspects were all clean, especially the editing, and it was funny, which was enough for me to give it every chance. The ending was patently ridiculous, but it actually fit in with the oddness of the rest of the short. I don't feel like it failed in doing what it set out to do, not at all, but I do feel like it could have been tightened up a touch. 

Hope - Fabio Ballisco
This short has little to it. A woman, left at the base of a set of mysterious pillars, follows the sound of a hammer contacting an anvil to watch appears to be a forge house in the woods. 

After that, it gets weird. 

This is such a simple story (and we're told that it's a trilogy) that I wondered where things were going. It wrapped up so quickly, with little given to us but a base hint. That's important as we're assuming that this is a linear narrative, that the things shown are connected, but at the same time, we have no certain hook for hanging that assumption on, which leaves us guessing. While it may be easy to see where our minds SHOULD be going, it is also not 100% certain that that is where our minds MUST go, and that sort of thing will drive some crazy. Me? I like ambiguity, and though there wasn't enough to this film for my tastes, I have to say it got me thinking by the end. You can find out more at https://www.facebook.com/JaborandiMovies/timeline

Nightfall of Eden - Daina Papadaki
This is a highly allegorical film dealing with the descent of humanity into war and hatred. We are presented Eden, populated by nymphs wearing only  leaves, who frolic about being all sweet and adorable. The scenario then changes to one where projections of war and death occupy what was once an idyllic garden. We are then taken to Heaven, and then things get metaphysical. The production is beautiful, stunningly so, and the joy of those first shots is improbably effective. The metaphysical portion of the film is beautifully done, though it had a strong scent of Lord of the Rings visually. I enjoyed the message, and particularly the beauty of much of the short, and while I can certainly understand those who might say the message beats out everything else, I do not agree. Still, I am anxious to see more from Daina Papadaki, as her eyes is certainly well-trained. You can find more at https://dainapapadaki.wordpress.com

First Anniversary - James Huang
Kate T. Billingsley and Keith Chandler play a couple divorced for a year who are meeting again a year after a shared trauma, the lingering feelings turning the meeting awkward. That's the basic plot, but hardly all there is to this lyrical short. Director James Huang, screenwriter Chin Yu, cinematographer Massimo Crapanzano, and editor Emma Arnold put together a fantasic looking short that maximizes the impact of the fantastic acting. Perhaps it is Mike Higbee's score that really shines, perfectly completng the mis-en-scene and production values. A wonderful interpersonal short that is truly heartbreaking. The question of whether love is enough is never really answered due to another question popping up - how much time will it take?
​You can find out more at http://www.tentenpro.com 

All Our Yesterday - Jacob Strunk
I find it amazingly complicated to interact with a film where I have nothing to grab on to other than mood. It's difficult because I find myself having difficulty when I want tell, but get nothing but show. Films without dialogue can be a very trying process for me, but All Our Yesterdays managed to do something impressive - it made me forget all that and lose myself in the tone of grief it presented. Jacob Strunk has done a remarkable job presenting us a story of loss. No, not a story of loss, an audio-visual tone poem to loss and loneliness. It it precise and lyrical in the way it allows a character who seems of a single mind, consumed by memory and pain, as she moves wordlessly through the scenario. Yeah, I lost the thread a couple of times, but I was so moved, I didn't really care. 

How Not to Disappear Completely - Stuart Perkins
Every once in a while, young people have to flee their situation. Typically, fleeing only makes the participant realize what they are trying to run away from is their own damn self. Watching How Not To Disappear Completely, a story that revolves around Tom, a photographer who scurried off to India, found himself, has returned and is now looking for his half-sister. Perhaps this dropped so hard on me because of my own story of discovering half-siblings following my Dad's death. Tom's path towards self-discovery is at times lonely, but the overall journey is one that's so valuable. The performance of Damien Walsh was wonderful, and he carried much of the film, but I was completely won over by the electric performance of Emma Whittaker, who imbues every scene she's in with energy and lightens the entire film. It's gorgeously shot, well-acted, and a powerhouse film for fans of emotional journeys. You can read more at https://www.facebook.com/HowNotToDisappearCompletely/

Monsoons Over the Moon: Parts One and Two - Abstract Omega. 
A dystopian future Nairobi is the setting for the struggle of Shiro, an abused girlfriend of a criminal. When a rival criminal group kidnaps her and tries to use her as a vehicle for getting to her boyfriend. She runs, and as part two starts, she is away, but her mind has been opened by an outlawed manuscript. The setting and tone of this short works to bring about the impact of Shiro's travails, and Part two moves between black-and-white and color seamlessly to add to the sensation of other-worldliness. The emotion expressed through the performance of Anita Kavuu Ng'ang'a is palpable; she is a perfect combination of frantic confusion and enlightenment over the course of the two parts. Taken as a whole, this story has elements of The Matrix and Alphaville, but is far more impressive in the ability for us to connect to our character's issue. In short, it is one of the best examples of near-future science fiction on film. 

Sturgis: Rallying Back - 
I only know of the Sturgis Rally from the days when WCW would run the annual Hogg Wild pay-per-view at the Rally. I had no idea that there was a Sturgis, Mississippi which had done a rally called Sturgis South. The nearly hour-long doc Sturgis: Rallying Back documents the fall and re-birth of Sturgis South. The film is well-shot, though early on, it does feel a bit stretched, with the interviews going over the same material many times. That said, it's also an impressive view of what an event like a Motorcycle Rally can mean to a small town like Sturgis. When they get to the point where the Rally preparations are being shown, and the Rally itself, it  becomes a much stronger doc, making good use not only of the sights of the bikes and events, but of those who came in from all over the place. You can learn more about the film, and a bit about the rally at https://www.facebook.com/SturgisRallyingBack

Footprints - Denes Ruzsa & Fruzsina Spitzer
Comprised of held images, captures that appear to be held for a few frames before moving, Footprints gives everything a slightly disjointed look, which makes the more fluid moments in the film a bit jarring. That shows the power of the choice to create the film in that vein. The strength of the film lies in the contrast between images that are natural to our world, shots and impressions of life within the Built Environment, and of Space exploration. The imagery could have straight out of films like Wallace Berman's Aleph, or some of the better films of Robert Smithson. The evolution of human interaction, first with nature, later with the our controlled environment, and finally with space, is apparent as the meaning flows out across the film. This story of our first voyage to Mars is built on impression and metaphor more than delivery and linearity, which makes every image significant. A spider in its web has implications in the thought of humanity as a building animal, and the rest of creation (as we see it) being caught in its web. There is so much here to be waded through that multiple viewing is not only required, but strenuously rewarded. It is a worthy entry into the Avant Garde of the 21st century. You can see more at http://dokuweb.hu/en/footprints/

Four Wise Monkeys - Julija Iruskinaite
There is a new British cinema rising. It's small, underground, but you can see it starting to break through. These are personal stories, typical character studies focusing on young people, and they are typically made on tiny budgets. Four Wise Monkeys belongs in this group, and it is an interesting, if imperfect, entry. The story features Shawn, heartbroken after being dumped, dealing with his friends, family, and life in a very difficult manner. He's the focus of the film, and the performance of James Unsworth is strong, but the flaw is we never seem to connect deeply with the scenario. The scenes play out well, but there is less emotional resonance coming from the characters until the final moments. That is a feature of these kinds of films, something perhaps borrowed from New York mumblecore or the disaffected Millennial cinema that is bubbling up in LA and Austin. The skilled eye of director Julija Iruskinaite, who has produced a film with strong movement, good pacing, intelligent plotting, and wise cinematography, manages to make this a movie that seems to draw you in, but also keep you at something of a distance. You can see the trailer at ​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9Fy5AVrhEk

You're a Dead Ringer Too - Craig Quinn
This is a sequel to the film You're a Dead Ringers and it's a very stylish short at roughly 30 minutes. This British dark crime comedy has a lot in common with films like Snatch and the better Tarantino films, but it also has a lovely originality that energizes the production. I'll admit, I thought I had this film nailed early, but moved on me. The use of music, to hammer home points, and amp up the impact, is downright perfect. There are a few small issues with the sound mix, but the overall production values are fantastic, especially the cinematography and editing. You can find out more at https://www.facebook.com/MomentaryRevolution

Save the Bees - Marta Topolska
The plight of Bees in our polluted world is serious. We're losing them at a tremendous rate, and the danger to the future of our species (and many others) is 100% at stake. The short Save the Bees is a beautifully animated documentary. It tells us why we're seeing the great die-off, and how we can help. It's an important message, and it's delivered in a bright, easy-to-absorb fashion. Director Marta Topolska has done a wonderful job crafting a skilled educational piece. You can see it at ​https://vimeo.com/133728249 (and you can learn more about helping save bees at save-bees.org/) 

When the Giant Says The Bookstore is Closing - Patrick Delhougne
Over the last few years, us bookgeeks have been losing our sacred spaces. Bookstores, both big and small are going under, harmed irreversibly by the likes of Amazon and eBay. In just about a minute, director Patrick Delhougne has his tough-as-nails lead devastate the owner who has announced the closing of his shop and shove him in the back of a truck, where she continues beatin' on him. It's all the frustration that us readers have felt in recent years. Stylish, well-shot, and just plain cathartic, it's a film that made me feel better. 

Discredit - Danny Miguel
The thriller is a favorite genre for me, and Discredit plays in the vein quite well. The story of a returning agent put on a new mission is well-told, and felt like an entry into something from Tom Clancy or the Jason Bourne franchise. There are a few technical issues here and there, mostly in sound, though the story has so many markers of quality, from effectively fluid editing, well-placed use of effects and graphics, it never pulls you out. The movement of the action isn't frantic, but more measured, and that serves the film well. As a whole, Discredit is a film that delivers thrills brilliantly. 

The Wolves - Dominique Rochon
Living isolated from the outside world can drive even a totally sane person mad over time, and loneliness can drive anyone into any available set of arms. In Wolves, we are presented with a couple, James and Karina, who live out of town in the forest, and they are faced with various issues, including a wolf who is stealing hares from their traps. While that is the scenario, the real story is the one between our hero and his wife, and the difficulties of their life together. The writing, acting, and the perfect use of silence, combine well to give us a strong film which speaks to the desperate state of those who live apart from the rest of civilization. You can get a glimpse of it at https://vimeo.com/125759664

Do You? - Gio James Bertoia
This is a love letter. It is a love letter to New York City, to the people of New York City, and to the idea of love. The filmmaker goes interviews many individuals and asks "Do you believe in love?" and the various answers he gets show not only the diversity of NYC, but also the diversity of human emotion. The way it's shot, from stiff close-ups to two-shots in profile with the City looming in the background, it's just about the perfect way to present this material.There is a lovely performance of Hare Krishna that might have gone on a bit long, and the other bits of music are actually phenomenally well-chosen. I'm betting you'll find an interview subject whose world view matches yours, and you'll attach as strongly as I did to this film. 

Sweet As - Danny MAlin
I'm sometimes confused by the central conceit of a film. In the case of Danny MAlin's Sweet As, it's a difficult thing to come to grips with. There are two old twins, and apparently they're only two years old, perhaps suffering from a form of progeria. Their alcoholic father has been hiding the truth from them. The story gets weird, and there are two strange witches, a lesbian sub-plot, and magic. The make-up is obvious, the script is absolutely nuts, and the plot nutty, but the cinematography and editing is phenomenal, every bit as strong as your average Hollywood endeavor. It's weird, and difficult to mentally synthesize, but I have to say that I could not look away and strangely came to love it. You can find out more at http://www.sweetasthemovie.ca

Life and Death in Spoon River - Richard Redmond
An adaptation of the legendary Spoon River Anthology, Richard Redmond does a very strong job  giving the actors a chance to express the words of Edgar Lee Masters with impressive gusto. Some are better than others, of course, but we are greeted with an impressive performance from Syl Farrell as Pauline Barrett, who delivers her portion of the film with perfect measure and restrained force. The real downside to the production are the rather simple production values. The graphics are week, and the voiceover is unbalanced in volume. Some of the music seems out of place with the material surrounding it. The overall impact of the film seems to do justice to the source. You can find more at http://www.richardredmondproductions.com/index.html

Le Disque - Guillaume Vallée
As I watched Le Disque, I quickly found my mind turned to the American Avant Garde films I spoke of on Registry - A Podcast. This film, a woman dancing against a projected background, then heavily video-manipulated, brought to mind many of the films I'd talked about, including OffOn and Interwoven. The soundtrack, which reminded me of nothing so much as a record player needle being allowed to drag across the bare platter, adds to a disquieting sense of mourning that this seems to project. It is a layered film, and for five minutes, you're witnessing something in only peeks and hints. It's a well-done piece of contemporary Avant Garde.  More at http://www.gvallee.com/pages/le-disque

Requiem for my Father - Quentin Perez
A naked man in the forrest. Search lights combing our field of vision. Our naked man screaming "J'taim Papa!" along with an increasingly frantic soundtrack amplifying the tension. This is what we encounter early on in Requiem for my Father. As the film progresses, it changes into a more naturalistic and lyrical film, as if our nude protagonist is coming to grips with the Stage of Grief, or perhaps more aptly, post-traumatic stress disorder. As such, the experiment this film represents is a powerful one, though it may be a bit much for the uninitiated. Director Quentin Perez and DP Aurelien Marra have created images that are so searing to be both challenging and enlightening.

You can see the trailer at https://vimeo.com/108140351

Mer Depre - Margaret Orr
Animation is an exceptionally important thing to me. Like most kids of the 1970s and 80s, I grew up watching cartoons, and when I aged, I discovered the more difficult cartoons that had been bubbling up in the underground from the likes of Harry Smith and Robert Breers. Mer Depre, by Margaret Orr, is an example of what is possible in the world of abstract animation. The organic, somewhat sticky, forms that inhabit the film gives an impression that seems almost oily against the screen, which brings with it powerful hints to experimentation of the past. Connections with films like Bad Burns, and Dwinell Grant's Composition 1 (Themis) hit me hard, and it made me want to delve further into Mer Depre, which continues the experimentation started in the days of 16mm avant garde animation. 

You can find out more about Margaret Orr at http://margaret-orr.com

Harmony - Margaret Orr
Same filmmaker, but a completely different feel. Harmony is a story of two women as they grow from young girls to the grave. The style could not be further from that of Mer Depre, as it features bright color and Keith Haringlike characters. There's a sort of tribal feeling to those characters, perhaps enhanced by the xylophone and drum-based soundtrack that feels like those 1950s Jazz compositions that openly acknowledged their debt to traditional rhythms. The strength of the film is the joy it brings, not just through the explosion of color, but via the message of friendship through it all. That makes this piece of animation even a bit more magical. 
You can find even more Margaret Orr at https://vimeo.com/margaretorr

In 2015, I watched a lot of Iranian films. Some were amazing, and like any fairly large body of work, there are some stinkers. Luckily, the feature film the hill of kites is one of the best examples of Iranian film I've seen in years. 

The story centers around a Sergeant Major who has children write their wishes on kites and then fly them. young Amirali writes Maryam's name on his kite. This is the beginning of a long-run film that follows these characters and how they evolve, explore the space between one another, and their feelings. This film is a full investigation of how children form attachments, and how duty plays into every life across stretches of time. That one sentiment makes the film a emotional powerhouse, but when you combine that fact with the incredible cinematography, and the precise camerawork. There are some lovely locked-down static camera shots that really enforce the characters and the content of their existence. 

Director / Writer Ali Delgoshaee presents a wonderful film that plays across the screen with remarkable clarity and impact. This is one of the best films I've seen in years.  

The twist film usually only works if you can't see the twist coming. That's a key element, right? In the Spanish short Cowboys, I saw it coming, I knew early on, but it did not prevent it from being one of the most powerful shorts I've seen in ages. 

Martin is an actor who is down on his luck, and his agent gets him a gig. A young boy who saw Martin in a lottery commercial wants him to go to an amusement park with him for a costume contest. Martin has a grown son of his own, but he's still not a strong fatherly type. The two have the experience that was paid for, and then Martin decides he has to go one step further, and that's when we really see the human that Martin is, as well as the carelessness he brings to his life. 

Clive Arrindell, the ACTUAL face of the Spanish Christmas Lottery as El Calvo, is a fantastic actor who gives a performance that is layered, largely unsentimental, and positively breathtaking in its complexity. He does not fall into the obvious trap this material could have led him into, and instead he gives a world class performance. The cinematography, especially of a horse race, is strong, and the direction of Bernabé Rico gives this short the chance to make a strong impact, even if you know what the final minute will reveal. 

​You can find out more at http://cowboysthefilm.com

There are many stories about love that defies convention. In fact, there are even some that are so weird that there are conventions dedicated to them. Yours Accidentally is just about as unconventional as you can get, and it's also a delightful film that made me smile in a totally, unapologetically so-wrong-its-right way. 

Here's the story - Luke works on a lavender farm, and one day after a hard day's work, he hits a beautiful young maiden with his car. Instead of taking her to the hospital, he drives off to take her home, and along the way, she works her considerable charms to win him over. 

You may be thinking you know exactly where this is going. You are kinda right, but if you see how it's really working, you're a mindreader. 

The story is so strong, and equal parts creepy and romantic. There's the world in which Luke and the girl of his dreams are living, and there's the world of everyone and their views. That's the central tension, but moreso, there is also a certain amount of magic happening. It's the kind of magic that may come from a very dark place, but it's magic nonetheless. 

The performances in Yours Accidentally are super-strong, and the shooting is great. The editing is crisp, and the sound is great. Director/writer Stephen Forrester has crafted a well-structured piece that makes us root for the strange outcome and the victory of love of taboo. 

You can find out more info on Yours Accidentally, as well as other works from Formidable FIlms, at http://www.theformidablefilmcompany.com/#!about/c2414

There is a legendary documentary called Grey Gardens. The fim documents the lives of two women, Big Edie and Little Edie, aunt and cousin of Jackie O, and how they live in a falling-down estate in New York, incredibly co-dependent and broken. 

In I Love You Both, twins Crystal and Donny are not quite so intertwined as the Edies, but they're not far from it. They can't seem to make a decision without the other, and they seem to only take comfort in their pairing, or deadening themselves. They're good at that, making themselves numb to the world of emotion, and it shows whenever they are together. Much of the film, it feels as if they are islands in a strange, slow-moving stream; a stream that deposits a guy that both of them fall for. 

And doesn't it make total sense that the perfect guy for both of them is the same guy? 

I Love You Both is an interesting study in modern dating, though with a decidedly old-fashioned bent. As a guy who spends a lot of his time around polyamory and bi-sexually-varied relationships, the fact that things go down with as much difficulty as they do is a bit stretched, and at the same time, it feels quite natural. A terrible date between our Phantom Stranger Perfect Guy and Crystal seems to make so much sense, not because they're not great for one another (and I read the two of them as just about ideal for one another) but because the attraction is so wrong for her relationship with her emotional symbiote. 

That is what got me the most. The fact that they not only seemed to feed off each other, but they seemed to feed themselves TO one another. There's a scene at the end of the film where we see how deeply tied they are, but how much one can hold the other back, either on purpose or by complete accident. It's a powerful scene, and when I re-watched it, I really picked out the little things that made it so powerful. The interactions of the twins with their Mom were also hilarious, and while the rest of the movie is a sort of comedic nihilism, there are some very comical points in those phone calls. 

The revelation in this film is the magnetic Kristin Archibald. Her performance powers the film along, and it's never overly-showy or too measured. She hits middle grounds, even when she's put in over-the-top situations where choosing on of those paths would have been easiest. I found myself lingering on her in scenes she shared with every other character because she put out an amazing amount of energy. While there are no weak performances to be found in the film, and Doug Archibald as Donny is really good in particular, Kristin Archibald plays her role exactly as it should be played. 

I had twins back in May. They're the light of my world, but we're raising them with an idea in mind: they are two people, and they will live their lives not as halves of a set, but as individuals who are supposed to look after each other. I hope, PRAY, they're not Donny and Crystal. I hope they can each find within themselves the power to be themselves, which is something the fictional pair in I Love You Both have such a hard time with. 

I Love You Both shows Friday March 4th at 7pm, Sunday the 6th at 915pm, and Tuesday the 8th at 215pm

There are formulas. Film fans get used to them. The dependable workplace comedy has a formula; a pair who are obviously perfect for one another meet, they banter along a path that go through loathing, they eventually get together, they struggle with the relationship, and eventually it all works out. It's dependable, reliable, and produces feel-good endings. It's basically Coke Classic. 

But, you see, I loved New Coke. 

Temps, starring Grant Rosenmeyer (Ari from The Royal Tenenbaums) blows through what would otherwise be the first season of an ABC 10pm Dramedy in about five minutes. They go through that awkward, combative phase so quickly that it hammers it home that this isn't about the pursuit, it's about the perfection. That concept alone make Temps so appealing. What we get instead of the pre-dating banter, we get the early relationship banter right away, and with Rosenmeyer and the incredibly charming Lindsey Shaw's Stephanie combining to deliver that sort of engaging material. While it's chock-full of sexual shenanigans, it's also full of the lack of growth these two characters have been through in their lives. 

That's, perhaps, the nicest. These characters are every bit as emotionally stunted as they should be. Realistically, these characters are so distanced from what most of us would see as the Adult World that the lack of maturity in these characters is completely realistic. The two are both battling demons - her of having a lack of adult romantic relationships, and him by having no focus or goal outside of skiing with his roommate. Of course, as a non-milennial, I probably just don't get it...

The secondary characters give a certain flavor to the events that amped up tension. Eden Sher (Modern Family) is nice in her caustic sarcasm. 

What is amazing is the varying portrayal of sex. It ranges from quick-cut fucking to slow, loving gentle Teddy Pendergrass slow-jam-style doin' it that makes you believe these characters are capable of love.  Maybe that's what's most impressive. if you can make me believe that characters I really do not wish the best for can find their heart, then you've done something. 

This same cast of characters, with only minor changes to the individual performances, could have turned Temps into a dark, mean-spirited and cold Neil LeBute film. Instead, we find ourselves walking through a field of realism within a sno-globe of ever-deepening water. We know that the world they live in is contained within very tight bounds, because the characters can not look outside themselves. We also know that they don't have to, because there is so much there to see. 

Temps is the kind of film I go to festivals to find. Smart, up-to-the-minute, and well-proportioned. Plus, if a film argues the gender of Gojira, I'm likely to watch forever.