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A man digs graves. Gerry is a lonely gravedigger who takes great pride in his craft, taking special care with all the details. But at the cemetery where he works, he feels overlooked and underappreciated. As he goes about his work in the cemetery, his longing for recognition grows. Gerry accelerates his efforts to seek validation. When one man seeks him out for his special talents and attention to detail, Gerry finds the recognition he craves -- but he also discovers the wider meaning of his work. Directed and written by Girault Seger, this dark yet emotionally grounded dramedy short balances mordant humor and existential angst as it tracks one man's quest for worth and validation in a world often indifferent to his efforts. Gerry is almost comically focused on his work; he treats his gravedigging almost like art, with his care, attention to detail and emotional investment, painstakingly documenting his efforts. But in his quest for recognition, his perspective grows narrow until he's shocked into enlarging it. The storytelling is a balance of sly absurdism and finely honed character portrait, often playing dark subject matter and details with comical cheeriness and shooting them with a bright, often sunny light and color palette. But Gerry's efforts are carefully observed, his eye focused on the clean edges of the grave sites; we're immersed in his painstaking efforts to dig the best graves possible. Yet at the funerals, no one ever compliments his work or appreciates the care he exerts with each plot. His efforts to gain that recognition are funny, but he's also serious in his quest for validation, which leads him to escalate his efforts. It all seems to pay off when an older gentleman, Sylvester, notices Gerry's work. He requests that Gerry dig his grave prematurely, and the two men form a bond. Gerry is thrilled to be going through the process with someone who appreciates his craft and care, and he drinks in Sylvester's interest and respect. For the first time, Gerry feels someone understands the dignity of his work. As Gerry, actor Victor Williams is the heart of the film, with a natural gravitas that gives the film a grounded intensity. Tony Award-nominated actor Lee Wilkof gives Sylvester a lively, down-home cheerfulness -- a demeanor he maintains even when he takes shocking action, jolting Gerry out of his myopic point of view and into the larger meaning of his work. Macabre, wry yet surprisingly sweet, DIG DEEPER takes a page out of the playbook of dark, funny but deeply humanistic filmmakers like Martin McDonagh, weaving gallows humor with emotionally rich observations of human nature. There's a social commentary element in the film, highlighting the blue-collar workers who toil at the margins of our everyday lives, their efforts often going unnoticed or unappreciated until they're gone. But with its elements of mischievous whimsy and wit, the film also feels like a modern parable or fable in its portrayal of a thirst for validation. Quenching it feels all-consuming, and its aftertaste is both bittersweet and strangely fleeting. DIG DEEPER. Courtesy of Girault Seger at https://linktr.ee/giraultseger.