L'Homme et le Poisson

Martin Freeman (The Hobbit) has fallen in love and can’t get up. A man’s fervent attempts at subverting happiness once it begins to cause him bouts of narcolepsy are put to the ultimate test when he falls in love. How does a man who is — literally — paralyzed by happiness find love? Thanks to a condition called cataplexy — a rare disorder that causes him to lose control of his muscles whenever he is overcome by strong emotion, particularly joy — Brooklyn librarian Charlie (Martin Freeman) has learned to carefully edit all delight-triggering people, places, and events out of his life. Family weddings, cute babies, adorable puppies, and, yes, romance are all fraught with peril in Charlie’s carefully managed world. But when the beautiful, spontaneous Francesca (Morena Baccarin) falls for him, the risk-averse Charlie finds himself at a crossroads: suppress his feelings of attraction, or take a chance and let love in? Based on a true story originally featured on This American Life

Martin Freeman (The Hobbit) has fallen in love and can’t get up. A man’s fervent attempts at subverting happiness once it begins to cause him bouts of narcolepsy are put to the ultimate test when he falls in love. How does a man who is — literally — paralyzed by happiness find love? Thanks to a condition called cataplexy — a rare disorder that causes him to lose control of his muscles whenever he is overcome by strong emotion, particularly joy — Brooklyn librarian Charlie (Martin Freeman) has learned to carefully edit all delight-triggering people, places, and events out of his life. Family weddings, cute babies, adorable puppies, and, yes, romance are all fraught with peril in Charlie’s carefully managed world. But when the beautiful, spontaneous Francesca (Morena Baccarin) falls for him, the risk-averse Charlie finds himself at a crossroads: suppress his feelings of attraction, or take a chance and let love in? Based on a true story originally featured on This American Life

All film heroes need a problem. You don't have a story until the trouble begins. We selected these shorts because of their high quality and because we loved the originality of how each hero dealt with their crisis. Some are surprising, some delightful and some will break your heart.

All film heroes need a problem. You don't have a story until the trouble begins. We selected these shorts because of their high quality and because we loved the originality of how each hero dealt with their crisis. Some are surprising, some delightful and some will break your heart.