MORELIFE
With his Twin Cities Film Festival 2026 World Premiere, C.J. Renner offers audiences a quietly profound tale of connection laced with pure heart and unexpected whimsy. In MORELIFE, two men pause their suicide attempts on the edge of a bridge. Shawn is a young man in his 20s. Kermit is older. How much? We don’t know, because he has a fish head. Striking a deal to experience something worth living for, Kermit describes the rumored collective joy of the rare morel mushroom. A quest to taste one ensues. This unique road movie will bewitch you.
The dialogue is equally quippy and philosophical. Shawn and Kermit explore topics across the board: capitalism, art, environmentalism, religion, childhood, regret, and love. Kermit becomes the ultimate hype man for existence, challenging Shawn’s apathy at every turn. But the tables slowly turn as the duo comes closer to finding personal happiness.
No one in Shawn and Kermit’s sphere bats an eye at Kermit’s face. His appearance becomes normalized as he and Shawn get deeper into their journey. It doesn’t physically change, but the audience becomes so accepting that you eventually forget about the mask entirely. It’s a true testament to Renner’s dialogue and Clayne Crawford‘s performance.
Jackson Whitman is exceptional, keeping pace with his foil’s eccentricities. Clayne Crawford is enchanting and funny, putting on accents and letting his body language become living theatre. Their chemistry is heaven-sent. It’s like watching a chess match of sarcasm, anger, silliness, and yearning.
Sarah Mevissen’s editing is truly impactful. Her utilization of slow motion is perfection. The soundtrack swings between intoxicating and celebratory. The score is like a curated list of meditation tracks, perfect for soul-searching. Ben Enke‘s cinematography is delicious, filled with thoughtful close-ups and unusual angles that make you sit up a bit straighter and focus on the dialogue.
The metaphor of a morel is fascinating. The audience hears Shawn explain the mushroom’s elusive prestige through voice-over, forcing elegant, contemplative moments. The film’s final shot is everything. Renner understands the simplest truths; it is the small things, connection is life, and we don’t always get a happy ending. MORELIFE exquisitely captures it all.
MORELIFE Trailer:
MORELIFE actively embraces a lo-fi aesthetic that harkens to the heyday of 90s and early-00s offbeat cinema, giving shades of Charlie Kaufman, early Wes Anderson, and Richard Linklater in his prime. Shot against the backdrop of Minneapolis, this beautifully strange, life-affirming drama stars stage actor Jackson Whitman (recently seen in The Public Theater’s Free Shakespeare in the Park production of The Winter’s Tale in New York’s Central Park) and Clayne Crawford (star of FOX’s Lethal Weapon), with the latter’s utterly-remarkable performance completely under a rubber fish mask.
MORELIFE is written and directed by C.J. Renner, and stars Jackson Whitman and Clayne Crawford. It is produced by Back40 Pictures.
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