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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*FULL SPOILERS AHOY FOR MURPHY'S RANCH, ALL HOPE ABANDON YE WHO ENTER HERE*

I interview Mikey Riva, Jr., the director of MURPHY'S RANCH, which premiered yesterday as part of the Unstoppable Shorts program at the Sundance Film Festival in Los Angeles.

The program highlights films made by and including artists with disabilities, bringing their stories and perspectives to the screen.

MURPHY'S RANCH stars Hosea Chanchez and Lee Pugsley (a low-vision actor) as adopted brothers working as pool cleaners for high-value clients in the Hollywood Hills.

They arrive at a new job. The client's a dismissive asshole - typical L.A. shit. But what gives them pause is the client's teenage foster child. It's not the social awkwardness but rather, the hesitation with which he discusses not wanting to be forced out into this camp by the "dad." The more they talk, the more nervous they get, the more they question if they need to intervene.

MURPHY'S RANCH is a welcome dose of sun-drenched '80s buddy cop nostalgia, imbued by Riva's sense of comedy and wit. I liken it to how Edgar Wright put his own spin on genre tropes with HOT FUZZ. By the time the short ended, I was pumping my fist, ready for the story to continue. I'm happy to report that a full feature is Mikey's plan for the future.

This was a fun hang. Hell, the movie's 12 minutes long and this interview is 90, so you can deduce that we had a ton to talk about: Mikey's origins, his choices, the chemistry between Chanchez & Pugsley, the importance of healthy community on a film set. Get a snack and drink and strap in. This interview's a doozy.

MURPHY'S RANCH will play as part of another Unstoppable Shorts block on Feb 22nd, at 7:30 in Theater 5 at the Landmark Sunset Hollywood Theater.

Find more of Mikey's work here.

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This year's Slamdance Film Festival kicks off on February 19 in Los Angeles! From the 19th to the 25th (and extended to March 6 via an online program featured on the Slamdance Channel), the most exciting voices in independent film get to strut their stuff.

In order to raise the proverbial curtain, here's a guide, from A to Z, of what shorts, features, documentaries, etc. you should give a shot.

Check out the full Slamdance festival lineup here!

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CRIME 101 sees AMERICAN ANIMALS director Bart Layton hop back into the heist genre by adapting Don Winslow's novella about a high-level jewel thief (Chris Hemsworth) whose meticulous style has allowed him to get away scot-free from a string of robberies along Cali's 101 freeway.

However, his final score brings into the mix a set of monkey wrench characters: a morally troubled insurance saleswoman (Halle Berry), a chaotic and violent motorcycle-riding thief (Barry Keoghan) and an experienced, though disillusioned, cop: (Mark Ruffalo) the only one closing in on the jewel thief's tail.

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