Hank Dobson just wants to live near the beach and make enough money to get by. Landing a job at ToyCo seems like a promising start to his arrival in Galveston, Texas. But it doesn’t take long for strange things to start happening—and for him to begin questioning what’s real.

ToyCo manufactures a toxic polymer and mandates that staff wear head-to-toe protective gear at all times. After Hank witnesses a coworker have a breakdown, he begins to have troubling dreams.

His feelings are intensified by interactions with an off-kilter bum named Jomar, who believes shadows are sentient and spends most of his time playing saxophone on the beach. While Hank admires Jomar’s freewheeling lifestyle, his disturbing theories about ToyCo fill Hank with unease. But the pay is good and, as he tells Jomar, “Some of us have to pay the rent.”

When Hank realizes the prior tenant of his apartment also worked at ToyCo and recently disappeared, he starts wonder if ToyCo is brainwashing him or worse—and sets out to uncover the truth.

The vitals:
Wednesday, 11/8 at AFS Cinema
6:30 - doors
7:00 - WORK DREAMS
(take a look: https://vimeo.com/amyandjimmie/work-dreams-trailer)

Post-screening Q&A to be moderated by Richard Whittaker, Culture Editor for The Austin Chronicle.

About the filmmakers:
AMY MCCULLOUGH AND JIMMIE BUCHANAN JR. have been making movies together for over a decade. From provocative horror stories (The Serum of Life, Beast Lover) and outlandish cop dramas (Operation: RAVEN) to mysterious tales of redemption (Gary and the Underworld), every story is thoughtfully told and executed with a workmanlike seriousness.

The most unusual thing about their productions is that Amy and Jimmie do everything themselves—yes, everything. A two-person writing, directing, and production team, they enjoy the creative challenges that come with extreme independence and meager funds. As The Austin Chronicle’s Richard Whittaker wrote of Gary and the Underworld—naming it a Top Ten Festival Film You Haven’t Seen Yet: “I've seen movies with bigger budgets, but you can't buy heart, charm, or creativity.”

Amy and Jimmie live with a singing hound dog in Austin, Texas, where they are thankful for the abundance of tacos, the free day shows of SXSW, and the historic cemetery adjacent to their backyard. Most people find it interesting that they once lived on a small sailboat and their only phone is a landline.

See you at the movies!

Please note: This film contains a sequence of flashing lights that may affect viewers with photosensitivities.