Casting Call – Male Lead (20s–30s) – Surreal Short Film
ROLE: unnamed lead guy aka. "GUY"
Age: 18 – 30
Gender: Male / masc-presenting
Ethnicity: Open
Location: Basel
Shooting Dates: Targeting mid/late summer to early autumn 2025.
Duration: 2-day shoot.
Compensation: To be confirmed — currently in the process of securing funding.
Language: Fluent English required — neutral/standard accent preferred for clarity.
Role description:
A dissociated, overstimulated young man who steals eleven bucks on a whim just to feel something, anything to break the monotony. He’s nervous, erratic, and trapped in spiral-y thoughts, his ADHD-like, fidgety energy buzzing beneath every move. And yet there’s an effortless cool about him, an acceptance of his own chaos that somehow grounds him, making him unpredictable but utterly compelling.
think:
- He Qiwu (Fallen Angels)
- Park II-sun (I’m a Cyborg, But That’s OK) - intense and offbeat but sweetly strange
- Jesse Pinkman (early Breaking Bad) - raw, impulsive, soft on the inside
Synopsis:
The Scratch-off Lottery ticket is a surreal, offbeat short film about a dissociated young man who impulsively steals eleven dollars from a cashier one night - not out of desperation, but from a fog of overstimulation and underthinking. Just as the moment spirals into panic, a girl in a red plastic dress - unbothered, gum-chewing, oddly serene - quietly joins him, like it's the most normal thing in the world.
The two drift through a city that feels like it's stuck in time - quiet, fluorescent, strangely familiar. What follows isn't a love story or a crime story, but a subtle exploration of what it feels like to be disconnected from reality, from yourself, from meaning - and how human connection can still emerge in those strange, liminal spaces.
With visual influences from Fallen Angels, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and the dry absurdism of Tatami Galaxy, the film blends dark humor, existential undertones, and a soft surrealist aesthetic to tell a story that feels fleeting, yet oddly permanent - like a moment you've lived before, even if you can't prove it.
If you are interested please email melanie27emailer@gmail.com and include:
- A headshot or recent photo
- Reel and/or short introduction video :)
- A short note about yourself and what interests you about this role
Deadline: 11 May 2025
If you have questions feel free to reach out!
Non-traditional backgrounds and first-time actors welcome. If you feel like this character lives somewhere in you, that’s what matters. We're looking for real energy and presence, not polish.
