Sundance Film Festival 2025– In the short film Somebody Cares, Barry’s (Shawn Parsons) debts have caught up with him. Either he pays up, or he’ll die. The short revolves around whether or not Barry can acquire $30,000 in time to save his own life. Yet, you get a feeling that this guy doesn’t exactly have many friends or people to rely on. Most likely, this is his own doing.

Directed by Julien Lasseur and written by Brian Groh, the short wastes no time getting started. About a minute into the runtime, a hit man named Vince, played by Cjon Saulsberry, comes to collect. He crushes Barry’s windpipe in the process, kidnaps him, and forces him to figure out how to obtain the money. If Barry doesn’t succeed, well, it’s lights out. Vince doesn’t particularly care either way what happens to Barry.

The cast is rounded out by Kristin Hansen, who plays Barry’s sister, Margo. She’s the only one Barry relies on to help him obtain the funds. Yet, even if she complies, it may be too late at that point. There’s a sense that Margo is used to Barry’s antics. She hardly shrugs when she realizes that Vince is in the background, holding a knife near Barry’s throat when he video calls Margo. Yet, there’s nothing else really revealed about Barry, other than his debt. At only five minutes long, the short doesn’t offer much room for character development.

In terms of tone, the short works both as a thriller and comedy. Parsons is funny in the lead role, especially his interactions with both Vince and Margo. There’s an interaction he has with Siri, where it struggles to hear him, that’s one of the strongest moments in the script. If this is ever developed as a feature-length film, I hope more laughs are incorporated.

Overall, Somebody Cares offers a brief glimpse into the life of Barry, a dude with a lot of debt. More than anything, this short works well when it leans into comedy. Though it’s light on character development, the film still entertains and has some solid comedic beats.