Written By
2022 · 15m · USA
Directed by Callie Bloem, Christopher J. Ewing
Genres: comedy, drama, fantasy
Tones: absurdist, contemplative, humorous
Kenzie, a 20-something Angeleno, discovers during a routine check-up that she is a fictional character — written by a male grad student for his thesis novella — and spirals into an existential crisis as she tries to take control of her own narrative.
Picked by Felix
The scouts
A genuinely subversive premise that could've been a think-piece gets weaponized as absurdist comedy—the support group for fictional women is the kind of audacious centerpiece that makes you realize how tired the *other* approach to metafiction actually is.
The film situates itself squarely in a lineage of postmodern narrative play, but what elevates it beyond clever concept is the restraint in execution: it understands that the idea *is* the form, and doesn't oversell the joke.
The decision to ground the metafictional spiral in a support group—a space of collective vulnerability rather than solipsistic breakdown—is what transforms the premise from gimmick into something genuinely moving; the chemistry between the actresses carrying that scene is doing all the heavy lifting on a modest budget.
Reviews
A really fun take on a familiar idea, with an emotional gut punch of an ending.
Some good stuff to say just about being young and figuring your shit out.
Festivals
- Portland Film Festival 2022
- Dakota Film Festival 2022