IN SICKNESS AND IN HEALTH is a short about a woman named Veronica (Yumarie Morales) who struggles to reconnect intimately with her husband, Luis (Rufino Romero), after he underwent an exorcism.

Director Alexandria Collins & writer Montserrat Luna-Ballantyne use conventions of the possession subgenre to reflect on how trauma lingers in the body, the difficulty in reconciling one's religious devotion and frayed mental health, and spousal abuse.

This interview hops all around: Mexican Catholicism, bilingual childhoods, beautiful improvisations, the distinct glee expressed when messing up a gorgeous space with goofy fake blood, the works!

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In SEAWEED SNACKS, Ellis (Patrick Cage) is a dad trying to traverse the awkwardness of being the only parent at a kid's birthday party who doesn't know anyone else...and who also just doesn't wanna be there.

Enter Rick (Kamal Angelo Bolden). He's everything Ellis isn't: bubbly, outgoing, embraced by every other parent. And he's walking in Ellis' direction - ah, damn it.

The movie takes a surrealist approach to entering me into Ellis' mind as he's bombarded by Rick's social (and overly personal) invasion. It's playful, mischievous, but that's mostly because I can also see way too much of myself within Ellis and I think I need that weird angle or insane sound effect to keep from reflecting too hard upon my life.

Plus, I think the director, Sylvia Ray, is a big proponent of giving oneself grace if (and when) perfection isn't achieved. ---

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*FULL SPOILERS AHOY FOR BRB, ALL HOPE ABANDON YE WHO ENTER HERE*

I interview Autumn Best, the lead actress in BRB, which premiered last Friday, Feb 20, at the Slamdance Film Festival in Los Angeles.

In it, Best plays Sam, a socially awkward teenager growing up in the socially awkward early '00s. It's a time where dial-up and Myspace coexisted, a transitory time wherein people took their first steps in establishing a digital identity alongside - or in some cases, a replacement of - their analog one.

Sam meets a guy on a chat group for fans of her favorite TV show and bolstered by her older rebellious sister Dylan (Zoe Colletti), who may have ulterior motives for supporting the following venture, they travel cross-country on a quest to meet Sam's online crush.

Best's performance makes Sam like a raw nerve, to be tenderly handled lest a fiery or heartbroken reaction be provoked. She physically restricts herself in her body movements, her layered wardrobe. She'll look at herself in the mirror as though her own body is an outfit that doesn't fit right. It makes for a naked performance, one that feels honest to my experience as a teenager who's (still) so much more comfortable expressing myself behind a screen than in person.

BRB is one of the current highlights of my year and Best my favorite performer. I can't wait for y'all to meet her.

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