Seven minutes of sweat, longing, and the coach who should know better.
Sam - 16, queer, and falling in love - struggles to untangle himself from his abusive martial arts coach.
Direction
Antebi weaponizes the short runtime—no escape, no relief.
Acting
Lerner's eyes do the heavy lifting. Devastating restraint.
Director
Daniel Antebi
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The title 'Soft' weaponizes masculine fragility—it's what the coach wants Sam to be, and what Sam fears becoming. The film refuses easy villainy; the abuse lives in proximity, not spectacle.
Premiered at SXSW 2020 right before lockdown, this micro-short anticipated the wave of queer trauma narratives (Moonlight, Euphoria) but with zero budget and maximum discomfort.
US
