s she gets her hair done and her nails painted in a salon, aging actress Celia Dalvi (Jane Kaczmarek) sheds a tear, thinking about the divorce decree sitting in her lap. Her husband, Harrison Baldwin III (Eric Roberts), has traded her in for a much younger model – revealed on social media, which Celia agitatedly investigates later that morning. And that’s not the only thing on her mind. She’s also expecting a call from her agent.

“You didn’t get the part. They’re looking for someone younger, even though technically you are the correct age.” Everything seems to be going wrong all at once for poor Dalvi, though she still has a luxurious home (nattily decorated to match her oddly incompatible coquette aesthetic), a private tennis court, and a household full of staff – including a personal assistant, Maya (Shi Ne Nielson), who reluctantly gives up the key to the pantry when her disgruntled, frustrated boss demands some Cheetos, which have been purposely locked away to discourage impulsiveness.

“Are you feeling okay today?” Kaczmarek is sensational in her role, though it’s one that doesn’t inspire much sympathy as she goes through humorously morbid stages of angst, not unlike Norma Desmond from “Sunset Boulevard” (a concept not lost on writer/director Rani DeMuth, who specifically references it – admittedly having undergone a corresponding series of tribulations in her personal life). She’s finicky, picky, and disconnected from normality thanks to her life of wealth and privilege; she’s very used to getting her way. Nevertheless, her downward spiral is entirely watchable; there’s a curiously ghoulish fascination to her episode of self-destruction and potential, hopeful redemption, particularly as she remains the focal point, almost never sharing the stage with anyone else for more than a few seconds.

With just enough going on to sustain the minutely overlong runtime, along with visual components that demonstrate a high quality for a short subject (including precise cinematography, effects-laden editing, and exceptional set designs), it’s a surprisingly entertaining piece. And while it deals with somber topics (without digging too deep into the severities of depression), it also acknowledges the need for a punchy climax, which tends to leave a better lasting impression when it comes to the arrangement of a short film. In the end, it’s difficult not to be amused by the intentionality of the littler details coalescing in the comical circumvention of a darkly apocalyptic outcome.

– Mike Massie