Bill Stertz

The Listener

Beth is a helpline volunteer – part of the small army that gets on the phone every night across America, fielding calls from all kinds of people feeling lonely, broken, hopeless. Over the last year the tide has become a tsunami. As Beth goes through her shift, the stakes rise: is this the night she will lose someone? Save someone? Eventually, Beth’s own story comes to light, revealing why she does it. All along we remain with her: listening, comforting, connecting – patching the world back together, one stitch at a time.

Users

A mother wonders, will my children love their perfect machines more than they love me, their imperfect mother? She switches on a smart-crib lulling her crying baby to sleep. This perfect mother is everywhere. She watches over us, takes care of us. We listen to her. We trust her.

I Love My Dad

A hopelessly estranged father catfishes his son in an attempt to reconnect.

We Need to Do Something

Seeking shelter from a storm, a family finds themselves trapped in a bathroom for days with no sign of rescue and untold evils lurking just beyond the walls.

Dinner in America

An on-the-lam punk rocker and a young woman obsessed with his band go on an unexpected and epic journey together through the decaying suburbs of the American Midwest.

Skippers

In search of transcendence through stone skipping, an idealistic drifter arrives in a quiet lakeside town. Facing resistance from unimpressed locals, and pursued by members of his former skipping crew, he is forced to consider the merit of his lifelong quest.