Shafted
2023 · 20m · USA
Directed by Emerson Collins, Del Shores
Genres: comedy, LGBTQ+, romance
When Joel finds himself trapped in a stalled elevator with his longtime gym crush Rafi, he works up the nerve to ask him out — but as the awkward flirtation deepens, the fourth wall shatters and the fantasy collapses into the filmmaker's own wish fulfillment.
Picked by Zoe
The scouts
The fourth wall break is cute but it's really just a punchline—the film knows it's doing wish fulfillment and congratulates itself for the self-awareness, which is the safest possible version of subversion.
A cleanly executed rom-com that understands its debt to the elevator-as-liminal-space tradition, though the meta reveal feels slightly more clever than earned by the emotional groundwork preceding it.
That moment when the fantasy shatters and we realize we've been watching Joel's projection the whole time—it lands because Collins commits to the performance sincerity first, letting the artifice crack from genuine vulnerability rather than winking at the camera.
Reviews
A very charming, relatable award-winning drama... [it] should find the audience it deserves now that it is screening on YouTube.
Skillfully directed by Emerson Collins and Del Shores of the Sordid Lives franchise with spot-on performances by Hayes and Alexander Pimentel.
Festivals
- Hell's Half Mile Film & Music Festival 2023
- Las Vegas International Film & Screenwriting Festival 2023
- Utah Queer Film Festival