SOFTSHELL

Softshell, Jinho Myung’s debut feature captures the awkwardness of early adulthood as two siblings stumble through tangled, quiet lives. Shot on grainy 16mm film, this dramedy captures the rhythm of life in New York as we follow Thai American siblings Jamie (Caledonia Abbey) and Narin (Legyaan Thapa) carving out new paths after their mother’s death. Their sharp, tender banter brings life to a relationship brimming with unspoken understanding, while their experiences with fetishization and cultural identity reveal unsettling truths about the world they inhabit.

With its Mumblecore aesthetics and shaky handheld camera movements (by DP Rhys Scarabosio), Softshell brings a unique perspective to the American indie landscape, balancing surreal, offbeat humor with deep moments of melancholy. The film’s vivid, at times grotesque imagery — like the siblings’ connection to a pet chameleon or a whale shark — adds layers of symbolic weight to a story about the tense spaces between people and the quiet moments that define connection.

Softshell won the Belfort International Film Festival Grand Prix Janine Bazin Juried Prize.

This film contains graphic content in the form of violence toward animals.