Joe and the Whale
- Short Narrative | 24 min 30 sec
- Directed by Fernando Santacruz, USA
Joe is jobless and aimless in his 20s, trying to find a way forward in San Francisco’s Mission district, but getting slapped backward instead.
As Joe burns through friends and dodges commitments, he takes stock of his life and realizes he needs to face the reality he’s trying to avoid. The whale nods to the tradition of magical realism, as hints of the enchanted creature appear in otherwise mundane settings.
Told with grit and honesty within a 24-hour period, Joe and the Whale offers a glimpse of redemption as Joe reluctantly realizes both the necessity and the loneliness of relying on himself.