Pet Names
80 MIN
Filmmakers scheduled to attend
Director: Sarah Smith
Screenwriter: Phillip Guttmann
Producer: Sarah Smith, Phillip Guttmann
Cast: Frances Chewning, Paula Lauzon
Tender Touches: Maniac
narrative • English • 2018 • Digital • USA • 5 MIN
In this delirious, bite-sized musical comedy, an animal healer (Frances Chewning) rehabilitates a despondent parakeet named Portia de Rossi through song. (ZZ)
section: Wisconsin's Own
Director: Carol Brandt
Screenwriter: Meredith Johnston
Producer: Chris James Thompson, Suzanne Jurva
Cast: Meredith Johnston, Rene Cruz
Pet Names
narrative • English • 2018 • 2K • USA • 75 MIN
Grad-school-dropout Leigh (Meredith Johnston) ducks out of Milwaukee, where she cares for her ailing mother, for a weekend camping trip with her ex (Rene Cruz). Mixed signals and power games follow suit, as the two awkwardly dredge up their past. With frank discussions of sex, desire, and heartbreak, this anti-romantic comedy foregrounds queer experience to a natural and refreshing degree. Handsomely shot and rife with small moments funny and true, Pet Names clinches Brandt's reputation as one of Wisconsin's most perceptive up-and-comers. Rounding out the talented cast is Goose (Chato), hands down the cutest and chubbiest pug on screens at the fest. 2018 SXSW Film Festival. (ZZ)
section: Wisconsin's Own