Revel in the chaos of the early days of COVID in Theda Hammel’s queer comedy that was a hit at Sundance. Hammel co-stars with John Early (Search Party) to poke fun at the politics of bougie Brooklynites.
Stress Positions
Director
Runtime
95 Minutes
Country
United States
Classification
Unclassified 15+
Theda Hammel and John Early present a biting, queer comedy on Brooklynites coping in the early days of the pandemic.
Dubbed the “first genuinely enjoyable film made about the pandemic” (Variety), Stress Positions offers a chaotic satire on everything from politics to class, race, gender and sexuality. Filmmaker Theda Hammel joins forces with John Early (Search Party) to poke fun at bougie Brooklynites struggling to cope during the height of COVID. Terry (Early) is recently divorced and staying in his ex-husband’s brownstone with his nephew Bahlul (Qaher Harhash), a young, beautiful model with a broken leg. As Terry tries to maintain his sanity, he must try to cope with the visits from his friend Karla (Hammel), who is bored and captivated by Bahlul. Revisit the disorienting early days of COVID in this queer comedy with an unpredictable directorial approach from Hammel, whose use of sound and image only adds to the wonderful chaos.
“Throughout, Hammel proves a sharp humorist fixated on showcasing and satirizing annoying, ignorant people.”
Variety
“Hammel and Early make for a wickedly funny pair, playing off each other’s misanthropy and deftly personifying what a long-term friendship that started a decade before in college now looks like in the 30s.”
IndieWire
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Film Credits
Director
Theda Hammel
Year
2024
Country
United States
Language
English
Type
Feature & Fiction
Program Strand
World Cinema
Producer
Brad Becker-Parton p.g.a., John Early p.g.a., Stephanie Roush, Allie Jane Compton & Greg Nobile
Writer
Theda Hammel
Cinematographer
Arlene Muller
Editor
Erin DeWitt & Theda Hammel
Cast
John Early, Theda Hammel & Qaher Harhash
Music
Theda Hammel
Film Source
Transmission Films
Genre
Comedy & LGBTQIA+
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