Neo-noir Western Neo-Dome, an episodic pilot starring Anna Camp, is playing the film festival circuit and shows a lot of promise as a hopeful TV series.

After an economic collapse in America, Monica Dawes (Anna Camp) travels alone toward the promise of a distant Utopian dome. When she hitches a ride with Gary (Michael Mosley) and Larry (Nicholas Logan), her journey takes an unexpected turn on the road to the Neo-Dome.

Completed in an impressive three days, this neo-noir Western demanded a production where everything ran like clockwork—and it did. Road movies are never easy, yet the team pulled it off. Add in guns, stunts, and the necessary VFX, and the achievement becomes even more remarkable. Having seen Bonnie Discepolo’s GraceLand at Tribeca a few years back, I already knew what she could deliver as a filmmaker—and she takes those talents to the next level here, accomplishing so much in so little time. Anna Camp’s name alone would have been enough to pique my interest, too. Anyway, the ample rehearsal time beforehand clearly paid off.

I won’t spoil the ending, but I’m eager to see where the story might go next. While the dome’s location remains vague, Gary’s California plates hint at his and Larry’s origin, if not where the dome might be found. Should a network or streamer pick up the series, I’d love to see what the state of America looks like after the economic collapse. Is there a functional government and are they all within the dome or elsewhere? Gary and Larry’s early comments to Monica suggest the road ahead grows more dangerous—especially for those without tickets.

One thing that surprises me is that Neo-Dome runs just 15:16 in length, with about thirty seconds of credits. For an episodic pilot, I would have expected it to run something closer to 20–30 minutes, but the current length serves its purpose.

I missed the world premiere at SXSW last year due to transphobic state laws on the books, but the festival’s audience awarded it the Independent TV Pilot Audience Award—a well-deserved honor. The same goes for its Grand Jury Prize for Best Episodic at the 2024 Nashville Film Festival.

If Neo-Dome never makes it to series, the episodic pilot also works as a stand-alone short film.

CREATORS: Matt Pfeffer & Mark Pfeffer
DIRECTOR: Bonnie Discepolo
SCREENWRITER: Matt Pfeffer
CAST: Anna Camp, Michael Mosley, Nicholas Logan, Anthony Discepolo

Neo-Dome holds its West Coast premiere during the 2025 HollyShorts Film Festival. Grade: 4/5

Please subscribe to Solzy on Buttondown and visit Dugout Dirt.