Shafted

Joel and Rafi are in what seems to be a standard romantic comedy. What do you do when you find yourself alone in an elevator with your gym crush? For Joel, with his floor fast approaching, he throws caution to the wind and asks the guy out. Rafi pauses a second too long, Joel is desperate to escape, and the elevator comes to a sudden halt – they are stuck! They awkwardly begin getting to know each other, thanks to Joel’s “contingency plan for this sort of thing,” wine. The connection between the two of them grows and as it reaches its hopeful climax, the fourth wall doesn’t break – it shatters completely. Mat, the filmmaker, playing “Joel,” steps out of the elevator fantasy set and into the harsh reality of his own wish fulfillment. Is he foolish for making this film to tell a story he’s not sure he believes in?