Person to Person

Director: Dustin Guy Defa
Screenwriters: Dustin Guy Defa

Institute History

  • 2017 Sundance Film Festival

Description

During a single day in New York City, a variety of characters grapple with the mundane, the unexpected, and the larger questions permeating their lives. An investigative reporter struggles with her first day on the job, despite help from her misguided boss; a rebellious teen attempts to balance her feminist ideals with other desires; and a young man seeks to reconcile with his ex-girlfriend, even as her brother threatens revenge. Meanwhile, an avid music lover traverses the city in search of a rare record for his vinyl collection.

Dustin Guy Defa’s hotly anticipated second feature is a playful ode to the analog, the unassuming, and to New York itself. Shot entirely in 16mm, Person to Person effortlessly humanizes its characters, invoking an earnest realism in the performances of its ensemble cast: Michael Cera, Abbi Jacobson, Tavi Gevinson, Philip Baker Hall, George Sample III, and Bene Coopersmith, who came to prominence in Defa’s short film of the same name (2014 Sundance Film Festival). Defa once again demonstrates his aptitude for honest storytelling as he explores the absurdity and challenges of forging human connections.

Screens with It's a Date
This film explores miscommunication, perceptions, and vulnerability in the modern world. Everyone is an alien at first.

— A.S.

Screening Details

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