GRIND
Filmmakers Brea Grant, Ed Dougherty, and Chelsea Stardust bring Sitges 2026 audiences a new horror-comedy anthology with twisted, tongue-in-cheek takes on capitalism, gig work, and hustle culture. GRIND begins in the aisles of an innocuous DRGN distribution center, when a worker must locate a black box marked for Special Delivery as punishment for not pulling product quickly enough. Chelsea Stardust tackles the corporate warehouse rumor head-on. And yeah, it really is like that. I know a floor manager.
Enter Brea Grant’s hilarious rip on the MLM Lula Roe; we follow a fledgling girl boss as she jumps into the cutthroat world of Lala Leggings. Selling your soul comes with fine print, and the consequences of not reading the contract are relentless and supernatural. Gotta make that money, honey, or else.
Barbara Crampton nails the perfectly coiffed Founder, with Jessika Vann playing the newbie and Courtney Pauroso as her pyramid scheme mentor. The chemistry and performances are outstanding. Sarah reaches her breaking point as the absurdity increases tenfold. It will have you doubled over.
Grant continues with gig-work giggles in the food delivery industry. Our protagonist, Benny, constantly takes abuse from customers only to come up short on shared rent. When one bizarre delivery request ramps up the tips, the awkward asks deem too tempting to stop. All Benny has to do is follow the customer’s instructions. Simple, right?
Vinny Thomas is outstanding as Benny. His infectious positive energy has you rooting for him to make that money, honey. The text bubbles and interactive instructions are genuinely cool. This sci-fi short is almost like playing a horror video game. Or maybe it’s the definition of insanity.
Ed Dougherty’s Content Moderation segment brings back the underlying concept of dopamine hits as an eager DRGN employee scores a trial period on the ground floor. It just so happens to be content moderation from the internet’s darkest dregs. Equal parts gory violence, stupidity, and hysterically funny, the audience gets a rapid sneak peek at it all.
The closer Joel gets to finishing his 6 million-plus videos, the more encouragement and pressure from his colleagues he feels to make it out. As the lines of reality start to blur, Joel’s modicum of sanity quickly wanes, or before he discovers something more sinister. We can hate all we want, but capitalism might kill us all.
Christopher Rodriguez Marquette, who I absolutely loved in Fear, Inc. (which deserved a damn franchise), is spectacular. Playing it straight, narrow, and mostly calm against Rob Huebel‘s elite nonchalance as Andy, a DRGN exec.
Dougherty’s second segment finds a small group of Neptulia Coffee employees as they initiate a lock-in to unionize. A knock at the door and the delivery of a monolithic black box throw this eclectic group into further chaos. Can differently minded co-workers band together? Buyer beware, this brand is killer. This hilarious ensemble cast hits every comedic beat. Huge shout to Ify Nwadiwe. Make his coffee always be hot, but not too hot.
Stardust finishes us off with one final surprise, wrapping GRIND up in a shiny red bow, or rather, one last black box. Chef’s kiss. Grant, Dougherty, and Stardust deliver seamless transitions from one story to another, while cleverly connecting to each other with either a visual, an actor, DRGN delivery trucks, or an overarching corporate monster (*pun intended).
GRIND features a large and unbelievably talented group of artistic collaborators. Every detail is accounted for. The editing is truly fantastic. Production design is a hand-crafted delight. Camerawork is fun and immersive. Don’t move during the credits for some extra ear candy and laughs. My smartwatch clocked signs of distress while watching the film. If that’s not some diabolically honest, real-time feedback, I don’t know what is. Well done, Team. Grant, Dougherty, and Stardust never miss a satirical analogy. The filmmaker is to the critic as the worker is to the consumer. Money makes the world go round, but it might also kill you. GRIND is an instant classic.
Back in 2016, I saw a disturbing and memorable short called The Stylist. Some of those images are still burnt into my brain. It’s not often I say that about a short. Now, writer/director/ producer Jill Sixx Gevargizian has developed that very short into a feature. That’s the funny thing about hairstylists. We totally end up telling them all about ourselves. It’s this unspoken, universal rule. We trust them with our hair and our secrets. Returning in the titular role is Najarra Townsend. She has this timeless look, with her gorgeous red hair and her vintage wardrobe. Signature colors people. Bravo to the costume department here. She has incredibly low self-esteem and social anxiety. Also, she’s a serial killer. This woman hates herself and craves connection. Gevargizian’s expertise as a real-life hairstylist shines through the opening scenes. She clearly guided Townsend’s hands to perfect the realism.
Brea Grant, who can do no wrong in my book, shines as Olivia, magazine exec, bride-to-be, and the unique object of Claire’s affection. She’s a firecracker. Her energy is the perfect foil for Najarra’s (mostly) quiet demeanor. Townsend has an amazing presence. Even when the focus is supposed to be on Olivia, her silhouette looms like a ghost in the background. She lives in the complexity of Gevargizian ‘s screenplay. She is both unsettling and mesmerizing.
We have to talk about the audio. The sound editing will make you cringe. The original score will throw your brain off-kilter and feels like an ode to 70’s horror classics. The editing is smart with side by side frames showing us Claire and Olivia as they navigate what seems mundane. The more we see them together, the more we realize how different these two women are. This script is built on the need for acceptance. There was a bit of a Single White Female (1992) meets May (2002) thing happening and I was all in. The Stylist is visually striking. You are enveloped in the lighting and overall color choices. The cinematic elements combined with stellar performances and an intense script creates a wildly successful atmospheric film dripping in nuance. Your heart is in your throat, constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop. It’s a very uncomfortable and bone-chilling watch. That. Final. Shot. And Cut.
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