Blake Winston Rice’s new dramedy, DISC, is an unhinged short film about connection starring both Victoria Ratermanis and Jim Cummings.

After a one-night stand at a work conference, Carey (Jim Cummings) and Alex (Victoria Ratermanis) find themselves caught in an unforeseen predicament. On the cusp of delivering a crucial presentation, the pair—still practically strangers—are forced to handle an uneasy closeness and the delicate connection that begins to surface.

The film’s logline describes it as “the story of a hookup gone too far up,” and that’s not an exaggeration. This is one of those shorts that works best if you go in knowing very little, so I won’t spoil the details. What matters is the way Carey and Alex are pushed into a crisis that’s both absurdly awkward and startlingly intimate. Even the poster art hints at what’s coming, but the payoff is best discovered in the moment.

All I knew going in was that DISC was unhinged and starred Jim Cummings. I wasn’t familiar with writer-director Blake Winston Rice or Meisner-trained performer Victoria Ratermanis, who co-wrote the script with him, but Cummings’ involvement made it an easy must-watch. If you’ve seen him in Thunder Road or The Beta Test, you know how well he thrives in escalating discomfort. Even so, I saw things here I never imagined would end up on screen.

At just 14 minutes, DISC makes every second count, amplified by Kevin Garrett’s score. You feel for these two near-strangers as they scramble through their predicament, only for housekeeping to knock at the worst possible moment. What makes it stand out is how it frames a uniquely female-centered bodily crisis through a lens of comedy, unease, and empathy. Few films are willing to engage with this kind of material so directly, and the result is both fresh and daring.

Unsettling as it may be, DISC is a sharp showcase for Rice’s directorial voice and for Ratermanis’s dual talents as both co-writer and performer. Together with Cummings, they fully commit to a premise most filmmakers would never touch. The short leaves you wondering what led these characters here—and what might happen after. Honestly, I’d love to see this idea expanded into a feature.

DIRECTOR: Blake Winston Rice
SCREENWRITERS: Blake Winston Rice & Victoria Ratermanis
CAST: Victoria Ratermanis, Jim Cummings

DISC holds its world premiere during the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival in the Short Cuts program. Grade: 4/5

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