There's something gloriously and wondrously demented about co-writer/director Daisy Rosato's 15-minute short film Possum, a film described by Rosato as a "queer absurdist horror short" and a film that weaves together whispers of social satire, spot-on dark humor, and a pinch or two of horror as it plops us down in the middle of an artist residency where we're immediately greeted with a banner proclaiming "Eat beans, not beings." 

You get a strong sense of the group you're about to meet - Pinecone (Misha Brooks), Tilly (Michelle Davis), Blaze (co-writer Sophie Sagan-Gutherz), Hadley (Gilbert D. Sanchez), and Annabella (Hannah Shealy) - with an opening sequence that includes everything from eloquent land acknowledgements, breathing exercises, and enough intertwining to make this shy boy blush. So, it comes as more than a little surprise when Pinecone, frustrated by a possum that keeps eating the group's cauliflower, pretty much goes whupass on the creature when he spies it chowing down early one morning. 

Off we go. 

Everything about Possum is a blast. From its satirical stick pokes at artist residencies to the delightfully created possum, and I dare not spoil that surprise, to pitch black humor and a story that gets increasingly and absurdly demented the longer it plays out. The ensemble cast is uniformly strong with Misha Brooks's Pinecone being a particular highlight with his vegan love child turning into possum bully. Tonally inspired and visually an absolute delight, Possum is one of those films I went into a little bit wary and ended up looking up just about everyone's filmography because this is just a fun, dark, and inspired short film. 

Ariel Loh, who recently became the first Asian American trans woman to win a Grammy Award, serves up the film's original music and it perfectly complements the film's unique narrative rhythms. Lensing by Zach Sky leans into the film's absurdism as the camera seems to dance around this delightful ensemble. 

Of course, kudos must be given to Daisy Rosato, a queer, neurodivergent filmmaker from New York whose effort here makes me eagerly anticipate the future for this up-and-coming filmmaker. 

Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic