Slamdance Film Festival 2025 – At the artist residency that’s the setting for the short film Possum, banners read “Eat beans, not beings.” The small group opens each session with long-winded land acknowledgements and intense breathing exercises. Yet, when one of the residents accidentally kills a possum that frequently eats cauliflower from the garden, well, ideals are tested in hilarious fashion.

Directed by Daisy Rosato, who co-wrote the script with Sophie Sagan-Gutherz,  the film stars Misha Brooks as Pinecone, the brutal killer of the possum, Michelle Davis as Tilly, Sagan-Gutherz as Blaze, Gilbert D. Sanchez as Hadley, and Hannah Shealy as Annabella, the group leader. This cast works well together, and the humor simply works. Though the film never comes across as mean-spirited, it certainly pokes fun at artist residencies and everything that goes along with them. For instance, the group debates endlessly about what to do with the possum once it’s dead. Should they stick it in the freezer? Should they bury it and give it a ceremony? Ultimately, they decide to eat it, since it fed off the land. Never mind that some of them claim a vegan lifestyle.

Yet, for as much as the film is a comedy, it does have dashes of horror. Pinecone’s encounter with the possum is utterly brutal, especially the helpless noises of the animal, which is a puppet on-screen. Pinecone’s actions cause strife among the group, all while leading to an ending that’s surprising, yet still funny. Rosato really knows how to maintain tone, even while mixing genres.

Possum is a great mix of horror and comedy that lambasts PC culture. This short is one creative romp that underscores Rosato’s talents as an up-and-coming filmmaker.