Richie is in his bathtub, wrists slit, when the phone rings. It’s his estranged sister, desperate for someone to watch her daughter Sophia for a few hours. Against all logic, Richie bandages himself up and takes the job — and the unlikely pair spend a surreal night at a bowling alley that neither of them will forget.
Editorial Perspective
Shawn Christensen wrote, directed, and starred in Curfew, and the film’s raw honesty suggests autobiography even when the plot goes to fantastical places (a synchronized bowling-alley dance sequence is somehow both absurd and emotionally devastating). The neon-lit cinematography transforms New York’s seedier corners into something almost beautiful. Like the best short films, it finds a complete emotional journey in a compressed space — despair to connection in 19 minutes.
Where to Watch
Later expanded into the feature film Before I Disappear (2014). The original short is available on Vimeo and YouTube.
Historical data reconstructed from archive.org snapshots of the Manhattan Short Film Festival website.
