A LITTLE STIFF

Less is more in this minimalist comedy, in which the players use their real names and recreate their relationships together for lengthy, real time edits. Caveh (Caveh Zahedi) is a romantically hopeless young filmmaker infatuated with Erin (Erin McKim), a pretty, somewhat spacey art student who may or may not care that he exists and may or may not be serious about tripping out on toad venom. Caveh's awkward strategies to win her heart are bittersweet and quietly hilarious, all the more so for taking place during long, completely stationary shots tightly disciplined camerawork that sharpens the viewers' senses for the smallest details. Lensed in glorious black?and white by codirector Greg Watkins, who also appears onscreen (as “Greg Watkins).