By GRACE DETWILER
Few things are more terrifying than a group of artists left to their own devices, and POSSUM understands that better than most. A queer absurdist horror short from writer-actor Sophie Sagan-Gutherz and director Daisy Rosato, the film takes aim at performative allyship, moral posturing, and the messy contradictions of progressive spaces. Shot with a handheld, cinéma vérité style that lends it a raw, documentary-like energy, POSSUM walks the razor’s edge between horror and satire. Its darkly funny and deeply unsettling portrait of a community unraveling is as absurd as it is painfully recognizable.
The film’s inciting incident is simple: Pinecone, a resident at an artist retreat, kills a possum—represented by a puppet—that had been eating their cauliflower. When he presents the corpse to the group, the residents, a diverse mix of queer, POC, and disabled characters, react in ways that expose the tensions within their collective. What begins as a moral reckoning quickly becomes something stranger, as their overlapping identities and ideologies clash in increasingly theatrical ways. Pinecone, desperate to rationalize his actions, blames his violence on his male rage and proposes a radical solution that only escalates the absurdity.
What makes POSSUM so effective is its refusal to paint its characters as simple villains or heroes. The film doesn’t mock marginalized people so much as it critiques the way communities—especially those built around shared values—can become consumed by the need to prove their own virtue. The residents’ attempts to process Pinecone’s crime reveal the contradictions within their own moral framework, where ideological purity often takes precedence over genuine care. With sharp editing, committed performances, and a biting script, POSSUM ultimately forces its audience to sit with the discomfort of these contradictions, right up until its hilariously horrifying climax.
Ahead of their screenings of the short film today and tomorrow as a selection of the Slamdance Film Festival, the creative team behind POSSUM was kind enough to share their inspirations with RUE MORGUE.
POSSUM explores the contradictions within progressive spaces, particularly how moral purity can sometimes overshadow real compassion. What drew you to this theme, and how did you approach balancing satire with sincerity?
We were drawn to this theme due to a moment in 2020 when artist spaces pledged to do better for their artists but didn’t necessarily know how. It’s also about the fear of doing something wrong and how that can lead to freeze followed by doing nothing at all. We balanced satire and sincerity in approaching the text in a way that everyone is capable of saying the wrong thing and that from a place of empathy satire can be rooted in honesty.
The film blends horror and dark comedy in a way that feels both absurd and deeply unsettling. What were your biggest cinematic influences when crafting this tone?
Midsommar for the day-time horror and group hysteria, Madelines Madeline for the group toxicity and blending of worlds as it relates to artists community and Search Party for their ensemble cast of characters who are related and extremely flawed. Also Search Party’s treatment of absurdity as more honest than realism. Additionally, our excitement around slasher films and psychological thrillers.
The group’s reaction to the possum’s death turns into something almost ritualistic, blending performance, grief, and moral posturing. How did you develop this scene, and what were you hoping to say about collective guilt?
This scene took on a lot of different forms throughout the process from the writing to the directing in both production and post. It was complicated to craft because it is the culmination of multiple genres. This particular section came from our experiences with experimental theatre as well as our skilled Costume/HMU artist Ripley Padell (who is also a brilliant drag artist). We also leaned into improv on the day. Continually, sound became integral to the tension building and relief in this scene as well.
POSSUM will screen as a part of Slamdance Unstoppable on Sun, Feb 23rd, 9:30 AM at the Panasonic LUMIX Theater & Mon, Feb 24th, 1:30 PM at the Summer & David Theater.
