Directed by Blake Winston Rice, DISC tells the story of a couple (Jim Cummings and Victoria Ratermanis) at the tail end of a one-night stand. Waking up in a motel room from a night of sex, these two people know barely anything about one another and are about to return to the conference that they were attending until disaster strikes. Suddenly, the woman finds herself in the middle of a crisis with her feminine hygiene product, forcing the man to get involved in a way that he could never had imagined.
In DISC, Rice uses the hookup trope to tap into the clumsiness of sexuality. In doing so, DISC uses the awkwardness of taboo topics like menstruation and sexuality as an opportunity for honest conversation about them. It’s raw and honest about sex in a way that few films dare to go.
But what’s most surprising about DISC is how genuinely intimate the film becomes. As much as the film could have been played for broad comedy—and it certainly has its moments where it does—Cummings and Ratermanis tap into an entirely different energy.
Trapped in the most awkward of moments (especially for two people who are essentially strangers), the couple are forced to be entirely open with one another. There’s a trust that’s established between them in this space that was not achieved during their sexual encounter. Here, Rice manages to create an experience so embarrassing for everyone involved that they need to find a new level to their relationship that they don’t have.
Somehow, stuck in this bathroom together, they find true intimacy.
By keeping the camera closely attached to the faces of his characters, we watch them connect with one another through intense eye contact. And somehow, this experience creates something more meaningful than they did the night before.
To hear our conversation with Blake Winston Rice, click here.
DISC is playing at TIFF ’25. For more information, click here.
