A Place to Stay

Danny is stuck. He splits his time between working as a substitute teacher and a waiter at a steakhouse. He wants something to change, but can't make any changes. A lot of cigarettes get smoked in the breakroom. Danny's stuck, and he knows it's mostly his own fault. He spends his time working as a sub at the high school, where he finds a friend in one of the other teachers, and as a waiter at a steakhouse, where the employees wear ties and spend most of their time avoiding the customers. As days become months, his girlfriend is losing patience and his friends are increasingly unwilling to pretend he's not at fault for the position he's in. To make matters worse, the only person he feels comfortable around is probably the last person he should be spending his time with. The film explores the lines between autonomy and selfishness, friendship and infidelity, independence and cruelty. Questions are left unanswered, ends left loose, and decisions left unmade. A lot of cigarettes get smoked in the breakroom. —Henry Snyder