Repeat was a short film created during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic at Joshua’s home. It marked an important starting point for him as he explored new creative avenues and pushed himself to try something outside of his comfort zone. With the help of his friend Katie Kreutzer, who played the role of Jennifer in the film, Joshua took his first steps into filmmaking. While the final product wasn’t perfect, it represented a significant milestone in his journey of learning and experimenting with new ideas and techniques.
The story of "Repeat" centers around a husband, Jason, and his wife, Jennifer, who are characters in a classic 1960s-70s sitcom-style show. The premise is rooted in the repetitive routines of television storytelling. In each episode, Jason comes home, greets Jennifer, asks what’s wrong, and listens as Jennifer responds with her issue. Jason then delivers a joke in response, wrapping up the scene. As the narrative unfolds, it becomes clear that Jason is growing increasingly frustrated with his monotonous life, endlessly “repeating” the same cycle. Determined to break free from this pattern, he decides to change things, disrupting the predictable routine of their lives.
Through this short film, Joshua aimed to spark a conversation about the repetitive nature of media and storytelling. Repeat delves into the idea that much of what we consume in entertainment follows familiar patterns, which can become exhausting over time. By using a nostalgic sitcom setting, the film highlights how people—whether real or fictional—can feel trapped in routines, both on screen and in real life. Although the project was a small-scale production, it allowed Joshua to experiment with themes, storytelling, and filmmaking techniques, providing a foundation for future creative projects.
"Repeat was my first lower budget short film that I did during covid. We were all online as a class, in highschool, and because of that the drama program kind of turned into a video program. It was then that I got to start writing and come up with cool story ideas, and one of the stories was Repeat..."
Joshua wanted viewers to initially believe that Jason and Jennifer were simply actors trapped in the universe of a sitcom, living out scripted scenes in an artificial world. However, the film takes a dramatic turn near the end, introducing a glitch effect after Jason fires the gun that disrupt the seemingly normal flow of the story. These elements suggest the existence of higher forces at play, raising questions about whether Jason and Jennifer are truly “real” or if they are merely creations bound to the rules of their fictional TV show’s universe. This twist leaves viewers pondering the nature of their existence, much like the thought-provoking themes explored in movies like "Pleasantville" or "The Truman Show".