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Logline

When a misanthropic hammer salesman accidentally steps on a rusty nail, he struggles to determine whether the world’s sudden and violent turn against him is real, or the result of the infection consuming his body and mind.

Synopsis

Carroll’s worldview is dominated by the threat of catastrophe and loss of morality in the face of human extinction. He navigates the modern landscape, searching for romance and fighting for truth, all while trying to maintain his declining health and sanity.

Attempting to fix the world is a job no lone hammer salesman can accomplish all by himself. Especially one with as much traumatic heartbreak as Carroll has endured. As his moral crusade edges ever closer to self-assured destruction, he learns that although the world might need fixing, change must first come from within.
 

Meet the Filmmakers

Oliver Bernsen – Director
Oliver Bernsen is a director and screenwriter. His fascination with the macabre and the strangeness of our world is threaded throughout all of his work, and can be seen most prominently in his short films Memory Box (Beyond Fest 2024) and Connective Tissue (LA Shorts International Film Festival 2020). He currently lives and works in Los Angeles, CA, working as an Art Director for TV and commercials, while running his residential landscaping business and painting and sculpting in his free time.

Henry Bernsen – Writer
Henry Bernsen is a writer based in Los Angeles, CA. After a decade in marketing for various tech startups in New York City, he returned home to pursue a lifelong dream: writing and making offbeat independent films with his siblings and friends. While he has yet to receive any major recognition or awards, he’s anxiously awaiting his first.

Zoe Rosenberg – Producer
Zoe Rosenberg (CHOXIEE) is an award-winning producer whose work has been showcased at festivals, including Slamdance, Seattle International, Beyond Fest and Palm Springs International. Zoe is celebrated for bringing bold, unconventional narratives to life from emerging voices in film.

Adriel Gonzalez – Cinematographer
Adriel Gonzalez is a highly respected cinematographer known for his work in film and television. With a career spanning over a decade, Adriel has a proven track record of creating stunning imagery and telling compelling visual stories. His work has been recognized at many festivals, including AFI, Tribeca, and Outfest. His debut feature length documentary, Copwatch, was nominated for best Cinematography at Tribeca in 2017.

Nicholas Nazmi – Editor
Nicholas Nazmi is a Swiss-Iranian American television and film editor based in Brooklyn, NY. His recent work includes the HBO series Ren Faire (SXSW, 2024), for which he won an HPA Award for Outstanding Editing, and the short film Never Fuggedaboutit (SXSW, 2023), which he both edited and starred in as an editor. He also works on his own hand-drawn animated films featuring Iranian poetry from his family.

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Contact

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