Clocking in at just over 17 minutes, Sean Glass’s short film, A 1984 Period Piece in Present Day (Act One of a feature in development) teases the viewer into thinking there will be more. Act One is this film’s only act, which makes everything Glass accomplishes (in less time than it takes to watch a Curb episode) that much more impressive. An AFI Fest (American Film Institute) competition selection, the short—Glass’s first in this genre, following a decade-long career in music and technology—stars the filmmaker alongside Isabel Sandoval and Carlos Dengler (formerly of the band Interpol). It tells the autobiographical story of a guy (Glass) who realizes years later that the romance in a cherished childhood film was actually rape. Filmed in a motel outside of Atlantic City—“It was already bad before Trump,” says Glass, “but he really left the place in ruins”—the movie asks today’s universal question: How can we know who we are if we’re shaped by our entirely unreliable memories? —J.V.

A 1984 Period Piece in Present Day
–
American Film Institute / Los Angeles
American Film Institute / Los Angeles
A still from the movie, starring the filmmaker Sean Glass opposite Isabel Sandoval. The cast and crew stayed in the motel throughout filming.
Visit
American Film Institute
2021 N Western Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90027, United States
Get Directions »
Start a New Search
Subscribers Only
Start your free trial to access the full Arts Intel Report
Subscribe to Air Mail to access every article
and search our entire Arts Intel Report.
Already a subscriber? Sign in here.