Rent Control

Kelly and Jessie are roommates, best friends, and very different Myers-Briggs types.

Jessie lets Kelly know that their lease is up, and they have to decide whether to renew. Luckily, Kelly, who hasn’t paid rent in months, can avoid the conversation by going on a Hooked™ date with Todd.

Unfortunately, Todd sucks. Against her better judgment and Jessie’s warnings, Kelly lets Todd walk her home and use the bathroom. When Todd forces himself on her, she hits him over the head with the nearest heavy object - a molcajete - and accidentally gets Todd’s brains all over the floor. He’s dead.

Jessie returns home from grocery shopping to find Todd’s dumb body in the middle of the floor. She starts to call the police as Kelly freaks out, but hangs up, realizing she loves Kelly too much to trust her to the criminal justice system.

Just then, there’s a knock at the door. It’s Sammy, their kind, nosy neighbor. They rush to hide the meat sack formerly known as Todd and meet Sammy at the door. Thank god Sammy doesn’t see very well, because the body is in a way too visible location and there’s blood everywhere. They shoo Sammy off as quickly as possible. Now what do they do?

  • Cameron Morton
    Director
    Soft Landings; Grenadine; Whalebone; August
  • Jeannine Frumess
    Writer
  • Catharine Daddario
    Writer
  • Matthew Klein
    Writer
  • Catharine Daddario
    Producer
  • Jeannine Frumess
    Producer
  • Catharine Daddario
    Key Cast
    "Kelly"
    The Good Fight; My Best Friend's Dead; The Rose Ceremony
  • Jeannine Frumess
    Key Cast
    "Jessie"
    The Kid (The New Group); Clive (dir. Ethan Hawke)
  • Harold Surratt
    Key Cast
    "Sammy"
    The Blacklist; For Life; Orange Is the New Black
  • Matthew Daddario
    Key Cast
    "Viktor"
    Shadowhunters; The Last Hunt; Why Women Kill
  • Jamie Kennedy
    Editor
    On My Block; Love, Victor; Die Hart; Modern Family
  • Bruce Wemple
    Director of Photography
    Altered Hours; Lake Artifact; My Best Friend's Dead
  • Project Type:
    Short, Television, Web / New Media
  • Genres:
    Black Comedy
  • Runtime:
    13 minutes 15 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    December 9, 2021
  • Production Budget:
    15,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    RED Helium 8K
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Cameron Morton

Cameron is New York City based, originally from Atlanta, GA.

She is an alum of the Telluride Film Festival Student Symposium and a graduate of North Carolina School of the Arts with a BFA in Acting. She was a Jacob Burns Film Center Creative Culture Fellow from 2019 to 2021. Her short film, AUGUST, premiered at the New Orleans Film Festival and is currently available on NoBudge. Her short film, Whalebone, premiered at the Maryland Film Festival.

She is currently in post-production on her most recent short film, Soft Landings. The film is being supported by The Jacob Burns Film Center and The Puffin Foundation.

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