DISC (2025)

-Written by Kyle Bain.

After a one night stand, Carey (Jim Cumming) and Alex (Victoria Ratermanis) are forced to deal with the aftermath. DISC begs the question: Do I See Change?

Writer-Director Blake Rice and Director of Cinematography Nyk Allen rely heavily on extreme closeups to drive DISC forward. The film is meant to be intimate, and it certainly is, but what it also manages to do, primarily as a result of the cinematography, is create a sense of unease that transcends the entirety of the film. What that does for the film is effectively invite viewers into Carey and Alex’s world and help to mirror the scenario in which they’ve found themselves. In short, DISC’s cinematography is aggressive and that greatly benefits the film. 

What Rice and Co-Writer Ratermanis attempt to do, and it’s something of a bold move, is insert comedy in a film that has the potential to be wildly uncomfortable and dramatic. To a degree it seems necessary to include tonal diversity into DISC in order to achieve a balance, but there are moments when I’m not entirely sure that the comedic sentiment lands the way that this writing duo had hoped. There is one particularly long scene in which Rice uses a bit of mystery to develop character depth as well as insert comedy into the height of the dramatic meat of the film. There are a few reasons why this particular scene doesn’t work:

1. It’s far too long. The fluidity of an already jumpy narrative is fractured further, stealing nearly a minute from a short film. This feels unnecessary, and in some ways it’s detrimental to the viewer’s reception of the film.

2. I can’t fully grasp why Rice and Ratermanis determined that mystery was necessary in this short film. This scene ultimately leads to something of a bait and switch, again, an unnecessary attribute wedge into this narrative. 

3. The comedy at this moment is fully irrelevant. The purpose of this moment (one that I have intentionally attempted to avoid spoiling) is to see Carey grow. Comedy doesn’t supplement this sentiment, it only draws viewers further from DISC’s primary storyline for, again, far too long. 

DISC is an effective dramedy that hits most of the right notes, blending the two genres into something relatively simplistic, accessible, and balanced--but there are moments that steal from the essence of the film and alter the trajectory of the film’s narrative tonally. Unfortunately, those scenes are the ones that stuck with me. 

The invasive nature of Allen’s cinematography, and Rice’s direction continue to make the film enjoyable throughout, even in the frumpier moments. DISC, as advertised, is a not-suitable-for-work short film that is cringey, sexually charged, uniquely funny, and slightly heartwarming in the same breath. 

Directed by Blake Rice. 

Written by Blake Rice & Victoria Ratermanis. 

Starring Jim Cumming, Victoria Ratermanis, Dawnnie Mercado, & Donald Didion Jr. 

7/10 = WATCH IT FOR FREE