With/In

I stumbled across these short films and absolutely LOVED them. They were completely addictive. A must watch. All the actors were excellent and the fact they were made on iphones during lockdown just adds to their beauty. Some are funny, some sad, and the cast is terrific. No pain and all gain. Julianne Moore, Sanaa Lathan, Debra Winger, Don Cheadle, Rebecca Hall, Griffin Dunne, Rosie Perez, Bill Camp, Emily Mortimer and her gorgeous kids, Julianne Nicholson who won the Emmy for Mare of Eastown. Are all in it. I can't believe they got this cast in lock down to make these films. My teacher at USC played these for our short film class.

I watched these on a plane having no idea what to expect but I wanted something different. I was laughing and crying. Wow. Incredible. My wife watched them too and these short films are unrealised gems. I cannot stress enough how good they all were. Griffin Dunne the actor/director has one about a one night stand gone wrong that's darkly hilarious. Julianne Moore and Don Cheadle and Talia Balsam star in one about a family fractured over race, middle age and isolation. Sanaa Latham of Love and Basketball plays an OCD therapist on zoom with a lunatic client when a dog is abandoned at her house. Each story is a perfect length.

This is an incredible short-film anthology written during the pandemic and beautifully shot by the actors themselves from home. One short film that stands out in particular is "Leap," by Margaret Nagle - a poignant short film about a psychologist dealing with anxiety about COVID during the pandemic. Definitely worth checking out and watching the whole anthology of films.

In Volume I, the effect of shooting indoors and by family members of the main actors feels a little claustrophobic. The best segments (4 short films) were Intersection starring Julianne Moore and Don Cheadle, and Mother starring Rebecca Hall.