Though change is an expected and necessary aspect of life, it can often be difficult to embrace and perhaps even harder to initiate. Transitions in jobs and relationships can stir up insecurities and force difficult conversations, but even simple transitions — like the shift from night to day — can present their own challenges.
Our latest VOD/web series picks follow people navigating transition on different scales. “How to Be Alone” sees its protagonist struggling in the period between togetherness and solitude, “Nevada” follows a young couple having a tricky discussion that pushes their relationship to a new level, and “Unstuck” highlights the strife that often accompanies career shifts.
VOD
“How to Be Alone” (Short) – Written and Directed by Kate Trefry
In thrillers and horror films, the transformation of day into night often signals the arrival of something menacing. When a protagonist is left alone in a house or apartment, it conjures up a sense of anxiety, as once benign spaces become ominous and threatening. In her directorial debut, “How to Be Alone,” writer and director Kate Trefry engages these sensations with neon-lit cinematography and biting wit.
The film follows Lucy (Maika Monroe) after her husband, Jack (Joe Keery), leaves for the night shift. His leaving signals the transition from day to night, and, more importantly, the transition from being with others to being alone. Immediately after the door closes behind Jack, Kate enters survival mode, listing the steps she must take in a dark, often humorous, monologue.
A wardrobe in the couple’s home plays host to snakes, crying babies, and a frightening figure in a latex suit and gas mask. As Kate interacts with the physical manifestations of her nightmares, she also grapples with internal insecurities about herself, her job, and her marriage. The result is a surreal yet relatable short film.
Trefry explained in an interview that the film intended to “expose the weird, embarrassing, scary secrets we keep locked up, [that] wait for a moment when we are alone to pounce.” Though the film’s title is “How to Be Alone,” Trefry sees it as a reminder that “no matter how strange or scared or different you feel, you are not alone.”
Watch “How to Be Alone” on Vimeo.
“Nevada” (Short) – Written and Directed by Emily Ann Hoffman
Transition is intrinsic to most relationships, as individuals and their desires shift over time. In her short film “Nevada,” writer and director Emily Ann Hoffman explores one such transition, as an unexpected birth control malfunction forces Zoe (Chet Siegel) and Eli (Jonathan Randell Silver), a couple in their honeymoon phase, to have a discussion about their hypothetical future family.
In the vein of critical darling “Anomalisa,” “Nevada” uses stop motion, humor, and realism to capture the sometimes-awkward but intimate nature of a relationship. Zoe and Eli argue about buying the generic-brand Plan B, converse about their hypothetical child’s name, and enjoy their mini-vacation in a charming Airbnb, as Hoffman explores the minutia of a couple’s interactions and intimacies. Crucially, Hoffman depicts a young couple conversing realistically about family planning, contraception, and sex in general.
In an interview, Hoffman stated that she wanted to show a couple having conversations that women often have in the shadows without the participation of their male partners. She explained that she “wanted to shed some light on an experience that is very common and very relatable in sex that can lead to pregnancy.”
In 2018, “Nevada” won Best Short Film at the Edinburgh International Film Festival, Best Narrative Short at the Oak Cliff Film Festival, and Best Animated Short at Palm Springs International ShortFest, and it was also nominated for awards at Sundance, the Los Angeles Film Festival, and the Brooklyn Film Festival, among others.
Watch “Nevada” on Vimeo and Hoffman’s website.
Web Series
“Unstuck” – Created by Tézya Jackson and Farren Jackson
Job hunting and career transitions can be one of the most challenging aspects of adult life. “Unstuck” follows Katrina, a woman who works at an erotica-driven call center, as she struggles through disappointing interviews and a soul-sucking corporate work environment on the road to finding her dream job in tech.
The series sees Katrina grappling with encounters that will feel familiar to anyone who has ever hated their job and had little luck finding a new one. Using humor and intelligence, writers and creators Tézya Jackson and Farren Jackson engage viewers from Episode 1 all the way through Episode 7, leaving us eager for Season 2.
In the final update to the show’s Kickstarter campaign, Tézya wrote that it “became [her and Farren’s] mission to share [their] story to encourage others that may feel stuck in jobs they hate, hopeless romantic affairs, and complex friendships that need the extra push to get ‘unstuck’ and on to happiness.” “Unstuck” does just that, by highlighting a protagonist who doesn’t have it all figured out but fights for her dream anyway.
Watch “Unstuck” on YouTube.
