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SXSW: Same Same But Different

Rana (Medalion Rahimi) is working as a caretaker for a wealthy family in Cape Cod when she impulsively agrees to get married for a green card. She’s been hooking up with her boss Rebecca’s (Joey Lauren Adams) son Adam (Logan Miller) and they both agree to throw a small wedding at the home. Rana invites her two best friends, who are the closest she has to family as her mother still resides in Iran, to the event. Setareh (Laya Mohammadi) is a lawyer who is struggling to come to terms with her boyfriend Pat’s (Richie Moriarty) change in career. Nadia (Dalia Rooni) is a fitness coach who is in a loving relationship with Ryan (Michael Bazsler) but is too strong-willed to take the next step with him. The trio come together to both celebrate and commiserate. Alternately speaking in English and Persian, they discuss Rana’s big decision while also grappling with their own romantic futures.

Among the cast of characters at the beach house is Malena (Lauren Noll ), Adam’s attractive lesbian half-sister who has Setareh questioning her sexuality. Siddartha (Kevin Neal), a kooky spiritual guide and personal advisor to Rana, is as eager to officiate the ceremony as he is to collect the Venmo payment for his services.

Credit: Nathaniel Krause

Directed by Lauren Noll and written by  Dalia Rooni, Same Same But Different is a modern day romantic comedy that has all the charm of its mainstream counterparts with more dynamic and realistic characters. At the heart of this movie is a story about a friendship, one that is tightly bonded in culture and that thrives on mutual love and understanding. The movie does take a bit too long to establish the characters and loses momentum in the beginning. But stick with it because once it picks up and proceeds at delightful pace with a satisfying payout.

Same Same But Different is based on a true story. In a Q&A screenwriter Dalia Rooni (who also plays Nadia in the film) says, 

“this story was inspired by a real weekend that I now see as the turning point of my life. I was invited to a spontaneous wedding on Cape Cod, where my free-spirited foreign friend married a man she had only been dating for a short time…Alongside the joy, there was something else, something that felt almost like grief. For the first time, I understood what it meant to lose my innocence. I felt the quiet, painful threshold of becoming a woman.”

Movies like Same Same But Different demonstrate what the world of indie filmmaking has to offer: vibrant and unique stories that audiences have been craving.

Same Same But Different had its world premiere at the 2026 SXSW Film and Television Festival.

Posted Short Films

Sundance 2026 Shorts

Here are my favorites from this year’s Sundance Film Festival lineup of short films:

Albatross
dir. Amandine Thomas

When being a caretaker becomes too much, a wife entertains the attention of a Mexican mariachi player and briefly leaves her husband behind at a restaurant. What some might interpret as a lapse in judgement others might see a cry for help. This story may be polarizing but those who understand will see it as a poignant tale about the burdens of caring for someone in cognitive decline and the importance of self care.

Agnes
dir. Leah Vlemmiks

An older lady desperate for community takes an offer from a new neighbor to attend a social club. But a misunderstanding leads her to another kind of club much more suited to the liveliness she’s looking for.  This short is the epitome of the phrase “you’re only as old as you feel.” It hits on the isolation felt by the elderly and exemplifies the importance of seeking joy and community.

The Baddest Speechwriter of All
dir. Ben Proudfoot and Stephen Curry

You probably know Martin Luther King Jr.’s I Have a Dream speech he delivered on the March on Washington in 1963. But do you know about Clarence B. Jones, MLK’s lawyer, advisor and speechwriter who contributed to that famous speech? This intimate documentary spotlight an important albeit reluctant contributor to the Civil Rights Movement. It includes a tightly framed interview with Jones, archival images and footage as well as animated illustrations. At about 29 minutes, it seems perfectly suited for a one episode doc on PBS.

Balloon Animals
dir. Anna Baumgarten

I thoroughly enjoyed this off kilter comedy about two  jaded grocery store employees having fun playing F*ck-Marry-Kill and some helium as they help a customer with balloons for a birthday party. It’s a story that doesn’t take itself too seriously but also feels validating for those who feel like they’re at the bottom rung of their social existence.

Poster image of Candy Bar by Nash Edgerton, an official selection of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute.

Candy Bar
dir. Nash Edgerton

Nash Edgerton continues to flex his mastery of the short form subject in this new film that showcases his signature brand of deranged humor. Damon Herriman plays a man on a date with his wife at the movies. While complaining about the cost of concessions, he is approached by a young girl (Zumi Edgerton) who insists that he looks like her recently deceased father. She asks him to roleplay her exchanging the goodbyes she never got to experience. The man accepts only to then discover the girl’s true intentions. Keeping in line with his trilogy Spider (2007), Bear (2011) and Shark (2011), Candy Bar is delightfully twisted. I particularly loved that the girl is played by Nash Edgerton’s real life daughter and the actor Herriman, who also wrote the script, looks a bit like him.

Ivar
dir. Markus Tangre
Ivar is a Norwegian stop animation short about a woman who is annoyed by everything her husband does but a moment of clarity reignites her empathy. The payout in that final scene makes a big impact.

Image courtesy of Sundance Film Institute

Jazz Infernal
dir. Will Niava
A jazz trumpeter from the Ivory Coast travels to Montreal, Quebec to stay with his aunt and reconnect with his jazz legend father. Everything about his trip seems to go awry especially when he encounters two rogue artists who take him on an adventure. I usually think that short films should stand on their own but this one really seems like an audition for a feature-length film. The antics are not believable but the vibe, the setting and especially the main character makes you want to linger.

Once in a Body/Una vez en un cuerpo
dir. María Cristina Pérez González

A  dynamic, visual representation of the concept that “the body keeps the score,” this animated short portrays a woman whose past trauma is personified by a strange being trapped inside of her. Her body changes as her unhappiness causes chaos in her body. Women will get it.

Sauna Sickness
dir. Malin Barr

Set in a remote part of Sweden on New Year’s, a couple enjoying a stay at a cabin (and a tryst in the sauna) find themselves locked out in the cold. The man enjoys the comfort of the sauna and makes the woman walk to the neighboring cabin in order to ask for help. The woman is not only burdened with this task but also faces danger when she encounters a couple who see her as a sexual conquest. Sauna Sickness is a psychological thriller about the vulnerability of women in a society where the looming threat of male violence regularly puts us in danger.

Together Forever
dir. Gregory Barnes

A young Mormon man struggles with his sexuality when he finds he’s more attracted to the male DJ than his own bride. As the couple attempts to consummate their relationship on their wedding night, the groom tries to find a way to avoid the inevitable. With the ongoing discourse on compulsory heterosexuality, this little glimpse into sexual intimacy in an otherwise rigid world seems very timely.

Posted Documentaries

Secret Mall Apartment

“So much of what the mall sells us is this performance of a consumer lifestyle. The mall apartment was this opportunity to have this set where we could play out the unrealistic and unattainable fantasies of the mall… You love beautifying things? Well, so do we.” — Adriana Valdez Young

When the Providence Place Mall debuted in 1999, it was a destination for lovers of mall culture. It faced the highway and was easily accessible via a dedicated exit on 95. The mall’s purpose was not to serve its own community. In fact there were no entrances to the mall facing downtown. Instead, the mall was positioned in a way that attracted customers who could arrive, park, shop and eat and leave without seeing any other part of the city. And in turn the city would benefit from the increased business.

In the early 2000s my mom and I would venture out to Providence just to visit the mall. In the time we were there wee wouldn’t see a single other part of the city. That is except for a small stretch along the Woonasquatucket River where we drove past seemingly abandoned factories to get to the mall’s parking garage. The contrast between the city’s crumbling architecture and the shiny new mall always made a bit melancholy. Little did I know that at the time in that area was a thriving artist community protesting the capitalist monstrosity with hidden museums and art installations. And one of those installations would make its way into the mall.

Directed by Jeremy Workman, Secret Mall Apartment chronicles a time in Providence, Rhode Island history when a group of eight artists lived in a makeshift apartment in the mall. The intent wasn’t to get free housing. Rather, the secret apartment was both art installation and protest. The artists observed the unique architecture of the mall, found a void in the space that was inhabitable and mastered the art of going undetected as they built and lived in a unique space all their own. Smuggling in items for the apartment, residing and avoiding getting caught by security was all part of their performance. The secret apartment was also a space for these artists to discuss their plans for public art works and using their art to honor their community as well as victims of terrorist attacks.

“I do really believe that art and aesthetic experiences are good in and of themselves. That they’re not means to anything but that they make life better.” — James Mercer

This fascinating documentary includes archival footage of the experiment, interviews with the artists involved and a history of the mall and the local art scene. The film captures a unique time in the city’s history but more importantly  contemplates the purpose of art and the importance of human connection.

Secret Mall Apartment is distributed by Music Box Films and is available on DVD, Blu-ray and Video On Demand.

Posted Short Films

Shorts Spotlight: The Last Observers

The Last Observers
dir. Maja Mikkelsen
25 min.

Karin Persson and Lennart Karlsson have spent nearly forty years observing the patterns of migratory birds in Falsterbo, the most southern part of Sweden. They live and work in a lighthouse; tracking birds, observing clouds and reporting their findings to local weather stations. With the rapid development of technology, their unique service is no longer needed. Now it’s time for this husband-and-wife team to say goodbye to a career that brought them a lousy salary but a happy life.

The Last Observers is a short documentary made by Karin and Lennart’s daughter, filmmaker Maka Mikkelsen. This is a magnificent film. It captures so beautifully the tenderness this couple has for each other and the joy that their work and their time in nature brings them. It also serves as a gentle reminder that climate change is a looming danger and that technology can never replace the human heart and mind.

If you enjoyed films like Fire of Love (2022) or Songs of Earth (2023), make sure to check out The Last Observers.

Posted 2 Comments on Shorts Spotlight: Ma mère et moi Short Films

Shorts Spotlight: Ma mère et moi

Ma mère et moi
dir. Emma Branderhorst
19 minutes

A tender portrait of a mother and daughter parting ways.

On their road trip to Marseilles, where Kees (Celeste Holsheimer) is going to college, mom (Hannah van Lunteren) is clearly not quite ready to let go of her only child. Director Emma Branderhorst beautifully captures this fledgling dynamic where a young person is both eager for independence but sad about losing familiar comfort.

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