A seemingly trivial couple’s fight turns unexpectedly violent in Bettas, a frenzied and deliberately over-the-top short thriller from director Benjamin-Shalom Rodriguez.
Lovers Frank and David (Jose Diaz-Oldenburg and Nick Ley) are showering together in a bathroom that isn’t their own. They’re away from home celebrating both Frank’s birthday and the wedding of his best friend.
David is harboring some resentments at the start of the film. Not only is he salty about having paid for the trip, but he’s not happy that Frank coerced him into having sex by the public pool of their hotel.
After a particular song comes on and Frank declines David’s invitation to dance, all hell breaks loose – and their simmering relationship troubles come to the fore in a shockingly bloody crescendo.
Uncomfortably funny and made with a brisk, kinetic energy, Bettas is a deliciously twisted “anti-romance.” We recommend watching it on a date night with your significant other – if only as a cautionary tale about anger management.
Check out the poster for Bettas below. The full short film is now streaming on Dekkoo.
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