Video Barn

Jules and Hannah are two friends working at a small-town video store. One night, Hannah leaves early – and by morning, Jules has vanished without a trace. Can Hannah figure out the mystery behind happened to her friend? S/W alum Bianca Poletti (Radical Honesty, I am Whole) is back on our site with her latest short, Video Barn. With its charming nostalgic aesthetic and carefully created atmosphere, the film is both captivating and quietly chilling – a must-watch, especially for fans of genre storytelling.

“I aimed to hint at the current struggles women face regarding their rights and autonomy over their own bodies”

While the premise of Video Barn initially appears rather straightforward – a modern-take on the classic missing person storyline – the film reveals itself to be much more nuanced, with multiple themes woven into its genre narrative. Blending elements of coming-of-age with commentary on the societal expectations women face, Poletti and Allison Goldfarb (who also wrote and starred in Poletti earlier short, Radical Honesty) cleverly create a surreal story that, with hindsight, feels more real than it seems. “With Video Barn, I aimed to hint at the current struggles women face regarding their rights and autonomy over their own bodies, and to visually portray how we’re essentially being pulled back into the past – disappearing into an abyss where the past and future collide”, Poletti explains. Written by Goldfarb, Video Barn is a ​​surprisingly effective and entertaining metaphor that balances its varied tones.

Reina Hardesty stars as Hannah, trying to unravel the mystery behind her missing friend.

Visually, Poletti cites the work of photographer Gregory Crewdson and author Stephen King as inspirations, revealing her love for “small town, middle of America stories”. The VHS store featured in the short was entirely built from scratch inside of “a really old and beautiful 1970s record store in Pasadena, CA”. With DP Corey C. Waters, Poletti worked to make sure they captured the nostalgic feeling associated with those stores. Celebrating the nerdy vibe these places would have held for movie lovers, the director also ensured they didn’t overlook the weird vibe that came from those clients more interested in the adult section. Video Barn has an undeniable immersive quality – at first pleasant, before slowing trapping us alongside its characters. 

The friendship between the two protagonists serves as the emotional core of the film. Both actors, Grace Van Dien and Reina Hardesty, share great chemistry that instantly make us root for their characters. With very few words they are able to convey the depth of their friendship, making the disappearance of Jules all the more impactful, since we experience it from Hannah’s perspective.  

Ahead of its online debut, Video Barn had its World Premiere in the Midnight Short Competition of the 2025 edition of SXSW. Poletti and her writing partner Goldfarb are currently developing a series version of their previously featured short Radical Honesty and are also pitching another feature film idea.