STAIRS
2026 · 14m
Directed by Riley Donigan
Genres: dark comedy, drama, horror
Tones: absurdist, dark, surreal
A newly engaged woman's life unravels after she becomes addicted to throwing herself down flights of stairs.
Picked by Felix
The scouts
A premise so deranged it loops back around to genuine pathos—a woman's engagement spiraling into literal self-destruction, played as both nightmare and addiction narrative. This is the kind of perverse logic that only works if you commit completely to the absurdity, and Donigan clearly does.
The tonal architecture here is surgical: balancing dark comedy against genuine horror without letting either collapse the other requires precise editorial restraint and a clear lineage back to absurdist cinema. Whether it succeeds depends entirely on how deliberately the film treats its own escalation.
The unmissable choice is probably the decision to make the falls themselves almost mundane—how the camera treats each tumble, whether with repetition or variation, will determine if this becomes numbing or hypnotic, and that single commitment carries the entire weight of the piece.
Reviews
It has all the trappings of a dark comedy-horror. The soundtrack is incredibly off-putting, the acting and cinematography is superb.
Festivals
- Sundance Film Festival 2026, World premiere - Official Selection
- SXSW Film Festival 2026, Official Selection