Sundance Film Festival 2026 – For a young trauma victim, it turns out that utopia and living on a commune isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be. That’s the case in writer/director Meagan Coyle’s short film Prime. The movie also reminds us that sometimes it’s best never to meet your heroes, in this case a self-help guru who has deadly intentions.
Katie Mumford stars as Claire. Throughout the film, we see brief flashbacks of what caused her trauma. The movie doesn’t fully dive into this, but we see enough to know and understand that Claire is deeply wounded and seeks connection and a means to process what she endured. It’s why she listens to audiobooks by Rhea (Anita Durst) on repeat and joins a commune at the film’s outset. At first, its residents seem like hippies that merely live off the land and eat as organically as they can. However, when one of them quips about Claire joining the cult, it’s the first warning sign, along with everyone’s matching outfits as they say a prayer over chili.
Rhea takes a growing interest in Claire, and by the film’s halfway point, she rarely leaves Claire’s side. At first, the young woman is surprised and charmed by Rhea. This is the author she looks up to, after all, the guru who shaped Claire’s recent philosophy and drew her to the commune in the first place. As the short progresses, it’s clear something is deeply wrong at the commune, and it goes beyond cult status.
To say much more than that would spoil the movie, and Prime is the sort of film to watch while knowing as little as possible. It’s best if viewers don’t see or read about any of the narrative turns. Coyle crafted quite a strong script, and it’s enhanced by Durst and Mumford’s performances. As the lead, Mumford does a great job at showing and expressing her character’s vulnerability and wounded mental state. It’s clear Claire aches to fit in and find purpose in her life, to help her overcome her trauma. Meanwhile, Durst makes a heck of a non-traditional villain, reeling Claire in with her philosophy, initially masking the sinister intent and the commune’s true purpose.
Prime is the kind of short that immediately left me wanting more. This one deserves feature-length status. It’s funny and unnerving, and it builds to a shocking conclusion. The film serves as a reminder to be wary of utopia and gurus that peddle bs. They just may have sinister intentions.
