Possum (2024)
Directed by Daisy Rosato
Written by Daisy Rosato and Sophie Sagan-Gutherz
Starring Misha Brooks, Michelle Davis, Sophie Sagan-Gutherz, Gilbert Sanchez and Hannah Shealy
Runtime: 15 minutes
Will play at Slamdance beginning Sunday, February 23, tickets here

by Avery Coffey, Staff Writer

I recently watched a queer horror short that reminded me how horror doesn’t have to be gritty or sinister in order to be unnerving. I still felt a familiar rumble beneath the surface as the tension built. And it shares the kind of disruptive spirit that other beloved queer horror media are credited for. Subversive in nature, the themes carried through these narratives represent perspective and accountability. The black comedy in Possum gets the last laugh, and we’re left to ruminate with our reflection.

The senseless murder of a garden intruder calls the morality of a performance art collective into question. It’s a weighted wedge that creates claustrophobic tension for the characters and the viewer alike. Chatting with the team behind the film, the inspiration for the screenplay came from their own experience in a theater collective. Sophie Sagan-Gutherz, who wrote the original screenplay, explained, “It’s similar to a story I heard once (…) when I heard this story about vegans thinking about a dead possum, and what unfolded, I just had to sink my teeth into it.”. Hypocrisy. Virtue. Respectability. These are all themes that they were drawn to in crafting Possum’s narrative. A large part of the runtime is spent watching a witch hunt of sorts as each character’s respectability is thrown under a microscope.

The cast of characters are introduced as peaceful, non-confrontational, and holistic. Their household slogans include: “eat beans, not beings” and “be one with the phases”. I’m too familiar with this archetype. There’s only so much positivity one can use to bandage their true feelings before it spoils. And in the face of conflict, a collective victim mentality threatens what they believed to be a safe space. Substitute the possum’s murder with any other act of ignorance and the story’s trajectory wouldn’t change. The mob mentality and virtue signaling perpetuated in the climax can only best be described as what we witnessed on the internet in 2020. Sagan-Gutherz noted, “I just think those kinds of dynamics have been replicated (...) and in 2025, we’re still doing that. I don’t want to excuse myself. I make mistakes. I’m a hypocrite. But how can you not be in this universe?”. In approaching their story with this mindset, it’s not a ridicule but, instead, a testament to embracing humility.

Horror and comedy have had a long standing coexistent relationship with one another. It helps the tough-to-swallow pills go down easier. Jackie Monoson, producer of the film, explains that’s what drew her to the screenplay and led her to search for a team that appreciated those shared genre structures. She said, “[Our editor] comes from some comedy editing and has a good eye and emotional sense for pace and beat.”. Though the short’s editing plays a large role in the comedic tone, its puppetry also breathes a life of its own. Director Daisy Rosato spoke to the use of a possum puppet as a subversion to the story: “The bigger conversation was, ‘do we show the puppeteer or not?’”. The choice to do so was just another subverting element that kept me engaged.

Despite the comedy that shines in its absurdism, Possum stands on passion: for film, for community, and for oneself. It’s a story motivated by the true nature of accountability. Love should be critical and it should be honest. Mistakes are inevitable in the human experience. More often than not, we spend our time tip toeing around egos and fragilities rather than embracing the inevitable confrontation. Possum grants us access into the fall and rise of a group that learns how fixable their imperfections are under submission. And, once the credits roll, maybe you’ll even share their feelings of freedom. Isn’t it freeing to know that human mistakes can have happy endings after all?

Listen to Avery’s full interview with the minds behind Possum: here or wherever you get your podcasts!

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