On the Waterfront

October 14, 2021

Rooftop Films

Some recent films have suggested that five emotions help humans navigate our complex world, but the characters we meet in these short films display a much more complex network of passions, sentiments and affections in response to modern life. For some, like a woman whose Valentine’s Day spent with friends turns into a viral, kinetic and very public freakout, emotions run high. They seem unable to fight the stirring from within. Others must control their feelings for employment or survival like a very zen referee facing near constant provocation from players on the soccer pitch and shark diver who confronts fear under the roiling ocean surface. Still others must dive deep to seek out their emotions like a son whose sweet, befuddling and hilarious send off to his dead father releases the sadness bubbling inside. Thank goodness for the therapists, meditation instructors and even the tears teachers – a very real teacher who encourages adults to cry more – who also populate these filmic spaces. Come experience the anguish and awe, the sorrow and surprise and maybe even a new feeling you’ve never felt before on this short film journey through human emotions.