“I am beautiful. I am enough. I am my own box.” So goes the self-therapy refrain in the short film Hummus, directed by, written by, and starring Marcelo Rodrigues as the deeply troubled Marko. A film with one character isolated in a room, talking mostly to themselves, can become dull and monotonous without some imagination. Rodrigues engages the viewer with visual artistry, including the set design and props in Marko’s apartment reflecting his subtle shifts in mood. With a little absurdist humor and the juxtaposition between comforting routines like making hummus and moments of desperation like putting a box over his head while repeating his mantra, Hummus is a poignant portrayal of a man desperately trying to talk himself into loving and accepting himself.
The one-man show is effective in keeping the focus on Marko’s internal journey, which must come entirely from within. It is only when he feels more in touch and at peace with his identity that Marko is in a place where he can begin opening his window and reaching out. Everything in Hummus is richly symbolic: the box, the window, the lilies signaling the world outside. Hummus is one of the more challenging films in the festival because we’re not used to witnessing the journey of an individual’s struggles with anxiety and belonging to self-acceptance unfolding within one person and one room without any kind of interruption of outside stimuli. Yet that is often where the most important growth takes place, and I have to applaud Marcelo Rodrigues for being brave enough to experience it and find a way to show it.
You can watch Hummus for FREE right now through 11/2 in Shorts Block No. 2: Hummus | Shorts Block No. 2 | Mental Filmness 2025 Virtual Festival
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