When mouthy, sassy Tai walks by mistake into his apartment, he begins to realize that there may be more to life than the fridge and the TV set. Then again, considering that his romantic repertoire consists of such lines as 'Baby, you make me proud to be a heterosexual man'? maybe not.

Sunnyvale is one man's hilarious, edgy, and ultimately sweet attempt to navigate the turbulent waters of dating and relationships as Tai; Dakota, Tai's tough, jealous girlfriend; and dippy, gun-toting Internet date Rain, all end up figuring into Ricardo's increasingly troublesome romantic juggling act, when he dates all three at the same time.

James Ricardo, who also wrote and directed, leads a memorable group of characters fumbling in the fields of love. Good-humored and unpredictable, Sunnyvale is a deliciously tart look at the never-ending mysteries of love, and how a loser's life can change if only he's willing to get off the couch.

Fernando F. Croce

Screening with:
Late Bloomer; dir. Craig Macneill; 13min/16mm/United States Something is happening in Miss Lovecraft's seventh-grade sexual ed class, something darker than the assigned lesson.

EMERGING MAVERICKS / NEW VISIONS