A nomadic musician embarks on a road trip up the pacific coast to spread his mother’s ashes. Daniel Freeman directs “Teddy, Out of Tune,” a docu-fictional portrait—part road movie, part meditation on grief—brought to life with vivid detours and musical bursts. Teddy doesn’t have (or need) much aside from his pick-up truck and the piano strapped in the back. Often without a shirt, there’s much more than meets the eye to this modern drifter. He’s trekking northward, passing through the…
Lori Felker directs “Patient,” a docu-fictional account of a training exercise for medical students. Each student is paired with an actor, also known as a "standardized patient,” who is assigned with a specific backstory, injury, or illness. The simulations, made to test the students on their ability to correctly diagnose, and also on their bedside manner and empathy, blur human interaction into a grey area. Beyond a unique, insider look at a training process, we’re left with our own reflections on acting and performance, as layers continue to peel away. -JM.
Tynan DeLong directs “Dad & Step-Dad,” a rolling deadpan comedy feature that’s lighthearted and strangely moving about the odd relationship between two dads and one son. Arriving at a peaceful country home next to a babbling brook, Jim and his 13-year-old son, Branson, look to unwind. Also at the cabin is Branson’s step-dad, Dave; as Branson runs off to entertain himself, Jim and Dave are left to chit-chat about a litany of mundane subjects — air mattresses, cigars, grilling hotdogs, guitars,…
Adrian Anderson and Patrick Gray direct “Pomp & Circumstance,” a comedic, college-set feature shot on 16mm, set amongst the quaint and crunchy backdrop of Burlington, Vermont. As a power point presentation goes from one slide to the next, a professor of the liberal arts passionately rambles to a classroom of semi-focused students on post-war architecture. Meanwhile, a local Elvis impersonator prepares for his daily outing, and the film’s main cast of friends, Charlie (Sociology BS), Marie (Filmmaking BFA), and Thomas (Literature…
