Experiencing Interruptions?

I'm Good At Things

A young lad desperately tries to find something he's good at

  • Max Helmueller
    Director
    You Walk Weird, Lost in the Woods, The Intruder, Rot, A Man Explodes, The Audience Member, Confined, Pink Eye, Xanten Rain, The Wasp's Nest, Decay, The Forever Game, Jane Doe, A Very Sad Man, The Road Ahead, Mirror Image, The Negotiator, I Me Mine, Wafflemaker
  • Max Helmueller
    Writer
    You Walk Weird, Lost in the Woods, The Intruder, Rot, A Man Explodes, The Audience Member, Confined, Xanten Rain, The Wasp's Nest, Decay, Jane Doe, A Very Sad Man, Mirror Image, The Negotiator, I Me Mine, Wafflemaker
  • Max Helmueller
    Producer
    You Walk Weird, Lost in the Woods, Rot, A Man Explodes, The Audience Member, Confined, Pink Eye, Xanten Rain, The Wasp's Nest, Decay, The Forever Game, Jane Doe, A Very Sad Man, The Road Ahead, Mirror Image, The Negotiator, I Me Mine, Wafflemaker
  • Owen Hicks
    Key Cast
    "Gavin"
    Xanten Rain, A Very Sad Man
  • Max Helmueller
    Editor
    You Walk Weird, Lost in the Woods, the Intruder, Rot, A Man Explodes, The Audience Member, Confined, Pink Eye, Xanten Rain, The Wasp's Nest, Decay, The Forever Game, Jane Doe, A Very Sad Man, The Road Ahead, Mirror Image, The Negotiator, I Me Mine, Wafflemaker
  • Max Helmueller
    Sound
    the Negotiator
  • Max Helmueller
    Cinematographer
    You Walk Weird, Lost in the Woods, Rot, a Man Explodes, The Audience Member, Confined, Pink Eye, Xanten Rain, the Wasp's Nest, the Forever Game, the Road Ahead, Mirror Image, the Negotiator, I Me Mine, Wafflemaker
  • Travis Alajoki
    Cinematographer
  • Max Helmueller
    Poster
    You Walk Weird, Lost in the Woods, Rot, A Man Explodes, the Audience Member, Confined, Pink Eye, Xanten Rain, 2 Drunk 2 Draft 1, the Wasp's Nest, Decay, Jane Doe, the Road Ahead, Mirror Image, the Negotiator, I Me Mine
  • Owen Hicks
    Stunts
  • Derek Hicks
    Stunts
  • Genres:
    Comedy
  • Runtime:
    10 minutes 46 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    October 28, 2025
  • Production Budget:
    0 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    21:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Cloven Hoof Film Festival
    Winona, MN
    United States
    April 18, 2026
    North American Premiere
    Official Selection
Director Biography - Max Helmueller

If you were to tell Max Helmueller at age 13 that he would become an independent filmmaker later in life: I don't know what he'd do, but he definitely wouldn't be thrilled. He hated going to theaters; movies were just 'boring' to him. Flash forward 10 years and Max can't imagine wanting to do anything other than filmmaking! Max was 16 years old when he first got invested into the medium of filmmaking. Since then, he's written, directed, edited, and starred in 40+ short films. Dedicated to improving his work, he frequently asks friends to help him with short films at least every other month, whether it be with acting or technical aspects. All of Max's short films are uploaded directly to his YouTube channel, Zolar Films, which he runs with his friend Derek Hicks. Max often likes experimenting with different genres and prefers to go out and film something with the resources he has now. Along with the 40+ short films, you could say he's very efficient at what he does.

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Director Statement

If you ask any filmmaker, artist, or creative in general, if they believe their art is of any quality or if they'd consider it "good", chances are that a vast majority aren't going to give a resounding "YES" is their answer; heck, many may believe their art is crummy or of bad quality. This is something I've struggled with for a long time: are any of my films good? Well, probably! My friends say they're good, they get into local film festivals, and people seem to like them there! But what if that's not actually the case? We are our own worst critics, and I can find SO MANY flaws in my work, so maybe other people do too but they're just being nice? Maybe they do think they're terrible and I'm not good at the one thing I enjoy most. Whether or not any of this is true, this phenomenon about being more negative towards your own work is widespread throughout any form of creative expression. I wanted to try and explore this strange occurrence through the medium of film; get this feeling off my chest and maybe get a chance to laugh at it
Enter I'm Good At Things: a film about an innocent, happy-go-unlucky young man who tries to find something he's good at, but fails at even the most menial of tasks. It takes a more comedic approach to this self-negativity feeling, with the activities our main character can't seem to do right. This is for everyone who feels just a little incompetent at things other people can do with ease. It's okay to take baby steps, for the journey might be long, but with the right mindset and effort, you'll get there!