Aaron with 2 A's
2022 · 17m · United States
Directed by Michael Goldburg
Tones: contemplative, humorous, tender
A 65-year-old retiree finally chases his lifelong dream of becoming an actor, only to discover his own self-doubt may be his biggest obstacle.
Picked by Zoe
The scouts
It's a feel-good retirement indie that could've been a Hallmark card, except it commits to the actual *weight* of self-sabotage instead of resolving it with a standing ovation — and that refusal to console is what makes it sting.
A modest film working in the lineage of character-driven comedies (think Paterson, Nebraska), where the formal restraint — letting awkwardness breathe, refusing sentimental music cues — situates it as craft-aware dramedy rather than sentimental premise.
The entire film hinges on Goldburg's decision to shoot Goldburg's own performance with unflinching intimacy: every flinch, every moment the actor's real doubt bleeds through the character's doubt, turns what could be generic underdog comedy into something achingly *specific*.