Diane and Mike are both sardonic, commitment-phobic outcasts. The only thing they don’t seem to have in common is their age.

Synopsis

Diane, a 21-year old, sardonic poet feels as though she has no place in the world to go. Certainly not home. That is why she is crashing on her friend Mike’s couch for now. Mike is 38, works in a library and lives in a tiny apartment crammed with old Sci-Fi books.

The two of them get along just fine, sharing a certain cynicism for life itself. While Mike is getting his ego bruised from unsuccessfully dating young women, Diane finds herself perpetually on the run, whether that is from committing to her non-girlfriend or the very concept of belonging somewhere. As Diane expresses herself through her work, Mike gets caught up in the similarities the two share.

Inspiration

Zora was inspired to write this story because most young women will have a moment in their lives where they think they are being seen by an older man for their intellectual prowess or personhood, only to come to the crashing realization that they’ve been reduced to a sexual object.

This story is very loosely based on the moment she herself had this realization, even though it is, of course, one you get to keep having over and over for the rest of your life. Another inspiration was Diablo Cody’s "Juno“, which handles this theme with a lot of care and tenderness. It is a complicated situation because you get to ask yourself all these questions: How could you have been so naive? What did you expect was going to happen by you being nice and spending time with him? You’re a woman, after all.

The Writer

Zora Lewiz Link is a filmmaker, writer and poet from Germany. She was born in 2002 and obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Motion Pictures at Hochschule Darmstadt in 2025. She is the writer and director of six short films and one series pilot, and has co-written and produced a number of other projects.

Her written works have appeared in a number of independent publications, such as The Battering Ram and Gypsophila Zine. Her narratives explore the depths and complexities of (mostly non-traditional) interpersonal relationships, often supported by layers of the surreal, absurd and/or magical.

The Director

Mariana is a producer, writer, and director based in Chicago. She studied communications and video production at Columbia College Chicago which helped her filmmaking career truly begin in 2021. Since then, Mariana has produced several short films and has worked throughout Chicago's independent film scene in various roles, deepening her passion and love of filmmaking.

Mariana's several years of experience and growth as a creative has taught her that what she feels is most important is telling stories of marginalized communities with representation both in front of and behind the camera.

The Unhappy Poet

A short film by Muffy Film Productions