John Otterbacher

Silt

A Native botanist, grieving the death of a beloved aunt, travels alone to northern Mexico, where she is nourished by images of the last trip they took together traversing the Colorado River.

My Last Martini

One evening at an elegant cocktail lounge, a frustrated writer impulsively breaks a self-imposed rule and decides to have a third martini. Moments later, he is joined by a mysterious woman who drifts over from the next booth, looking for a good listener.

Barney & Herb

A charming retiree and his 30-something friend find comfort, happiness and mutual enlightenment in navigating the human condition together.

Handle with Care

A woman and a man go on a blind date, both for the first time in years. Each faces the dilemma of how open and honest they should be.

Moving Parts

Zhenzhen is smuggled into Trinidad and is threatened upon her arrival. Her brother Wei, who is working on the island in construction, intervenes and although he doesn’t have the money, he promises to pay her debt. Wei finds Zhenzhen a job at a Chinese restaurant and tries to get an advance from his employer.

Melon Head

Gordon is a timid and lonely man that wants nothing more than the attention of Wendy and frequents the laundromat where she works just so he can be close to her. Wendy, on the other hand, has very little interest in Gordon. After Gordon receives some bad advice that the only way to turn on a woman like Wendy is to get her scared, he comes up with the perfect plan for a date: a late night trip into the woods where cannibalistic creatures known as the Melon Heads are rumored to live. Gordon is convinced that if he takes Wendy on the most terrifying date of her life, he'll finally win her attention and her heart.

RiffRaff

At Chicago's North Avenue Beach, the lifeguards are the law. These ragtags will do everything in their power to make sure you don't go out past your waist. Best friends Hughie (the hopeless romantic) and Otis (the ladykiller) get caught in one love triangle after another as young vixen Maggie and tomboy May make it hard for them to keep their eyes on the water at all times. As the summer sun heats up, so does tension among the crew, and their despotic superiors make sure that's it's never just another day at the beach.

I Agree With You

A 30-something couple has a rare day off together at home. As the day goes on it’s clear that there are deep-seated problems within their relationship that neither of them possess the emotional intelligence to tackle head-on. Instead, they engage in their usual routine of jokes and games and it devolves into a role play that gradually consumes their entire existence. However, it is through this experience that they are finally able to genuinely communicate with each other and determine whether or not they should even be a couple at all.

Tales of Harsh Gruder

A recovering addict contemplates the point of living, when an unexpected visit by his life-long buddy sets in motion a night of psychedelic absurdity and devastating revelation.