She sells fake intimacy. A lost cat sells her something real.
The worldview of a young woman working as a girlfriend-for-hire begins to change after she returns a lost cat to its lonely owner.
Acting
Rusama Islam's guarded vulnerability carries every frame.
Writing
Economic storytelling that trusts silence over exposition.
Director
Christopher Yates
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The girlfriend-for-hire economy reflects gig-work alienation applied to emotional labor—Jia's 'dates' mirror food delivery drivers smiling for ratings.
Director Christopher Yates developed this from his SXSW short 'Walden,' expanding the cat owner's perspective to center Jia's interiority instead.
US
