Jon, a first-time filmmaker, finds himself in Lansing, Michigan to present his film at a local film festival. Vince, his high school friend who is now a volunteer fireman and small-time drug dealer, also visits the town to support Jon on his big day, or so it seems. After a raucous hello and much backslapping, it appears that there is an undercurrent of tension in the air.
Acting
Hawke's Vince is pure toxic charisma masking bottomless insecurity.
Direction
Linklater's digital video intimacy predates our entire Zoom era.
Writing
Stage dialogue that breathes through pauses and camera proximity.
Director
Richard Linklater
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Shot on digital video in 6 days for under $100,000—Linklater's return to his Slacker roots.
The tape recorder as truth-device now reads almost quaintly naive in our deepfake era.
US
