A Guide to Not Dying Completely Alone

A Guide to Not Dying Completely Alone is an ode to living after being close to dying. Kevin (Kevin Yee) is taken to the hospital after he faints at a gay bar. He befriends the person who found him (Brittani Nichols) because they have something in common: they were both alone at a bar in the middle of the week. There’s a loneliness in each of them that has to do with losing connections to their families and living in Los Angeles, a city notorious for being difficult to make friends in. It’s this friendship that spurs Kevin to finish the book he’s long desired to write. It’s a charming premise and a great title, but the film is bogged down by too much expositional voiceover from Kevin. It’s a classic case of show, don’t tell, where the actors aren’t given space to convey their characters’ emotional arcs.

Hotter Up Close

Hotter Up Close follows Chris (Christopher Matias Aguila), fresh off of a break-up and in the midst of an identity crisis, on his birthday. At the encouragement of his friend Dana (Liz Jenkins), Chris agrees to go to a pool party hosted by Aiden (Francisco San Martin), his crush from dodgeball. It’s the chemistry and buddy friendship of Chris and Dana that makes Hotter Up Close so charming. Aiden plays second fiddle to their friendship, and rightfully so. As dreamy as Aiden is, the heart of this short is in the ride-or-die friendship of Dana and Chris. They have the wittiest lines and the best comedic timing. Hotter Up Close is a sweet take on the buddy move with a rom com, crowd-pleaser ending.

Mal de Amores (Lovesick)

Mal de Amores (Lovesick) sees Natalia (Fiorella Vescovi García) reeling from losing her job and hearing the news that her ex-girlfriend is engaged. Rather than being coddled by her friends, Natalia is forced to face the hard truths of her own actions. Mal de Amores takes on the burden of a main character who is continuously letting her friends down. They’ve grown frustrated with Natalia’s choice to live in her own wallowing self-pity instead of making an honest effort to improve herself. It’s a valiant, lofty theme to address in a fifteen-minute short, but Mal de Amores manages to pull it off. There are plenty of longer movies about codependent, self-centered friendship break-ups that don’t handle the theme with nearly as much grace as Mal de Amores. The audience really wants to believe Natalia is interested in changing for the better, and she does. Mal de Amores is a heartfelt testament to the people who stick around and realize that lasting change begins with the smallest step.

Agents of Change, Project: Polymer

Agents of Change, Project: Polymer is a queer, trans-led spy flick. The plot is more ecologically centered than most, but the short film offers most of the trappings of the genre within its short runtime. There are no Tom Cruise, Mission Impossible-style stunts, but there’s sneaking around, breaking in, and the general suspense the audience would expect from a movie about spies. The editing invokes memories of old-school James Bond with transitional wipes. It’s also surprisingly humorous, thanks to sight gags and wordplay. The actual mystery at the film’s heart isn’t nearly as exciting as seeing an action/spy flick led by queer and trans actors.

Interdimensional Pizza Portal

Interdimensional Pizza Portal. This is the kind of ridiculous conversation that comes from two best friends with a weird idea. Perfectly executed, delightful. A bizarre and psychedelic way to spend less than five minutes.

Gorditx

Gorditx is a magical realism, feel-good sports movie with the hint of a kung fu flick. A mercilessly teased young girl, Ursula (Mila Ibarra), befriends the trans masculine head chef, Cormac (River Butcher) of the country club where her dad works. Together, they train so Ursula can win the end-of-summer kids’ golf tournament. It’s kind of incredible to see Cormac shot like a rockstar. The slow-motion shots of Cormac walking through the restaurant, the ring of keys on their belt loop, the bandana in their hair. Cormac is unequivocally cool and their friendship with Ursula is undeniably charming. They make up the sort of mismatched friendship that seemingly only exists in the movies. Gorditx is full of heart and humor, not to mention a charmingly nostalgic flashback to the ’90s/early 2000s end-credits scene.

Co-Pilots

Co-Pilots is a comedically claustrophobic look at a break-up. Not only are they coworkers, but, as the title implies, they’re co-pilots. Draco (Steve Han) and Harry (Jordan Stafford) are airing out their grievances at 30,000 feet with a full plane of passengers behind them. It’s a clever way to make the post-break-up fight more interesting and create high stakes, although it’s unclear why all the characters have names from the Harry Potter series. This may have been a great joke to work into the script, but as it stands now, the audience is left wondering why the characters are named Harry, Draco, and Neville (Dickie Hearts). Beyond that, it is humorous to listen to the ups and downs of their relationship scattered among announcements to the passengers. The gag at the end is the cherry on top.

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Outfest Fusion '23 - Tickled Pink Shorts Program