The reason that everyone heads to the kitchen at parties is that it’s the agreed-upon location to look like you’re being social while still avoiding awkward interactions. But what if there’s no kitchen? That’s a recipe for overwhelming social anxiety.
In “Hi, Friends!” the new short from New York-based filmmakwer Wheaton Simis, screening at this week’s Austin Film Festival, that awkwardness is amplified to terrifying and hilarious levels. The cringe kicks in when a couple feels the social framework decay around them at a picnic in the park, yet cannot flee because of one of the most restrictive bonds of all: politeness.
Austin Chronicle: So, it’s a running joke in the film, but how bad are you with names?
Wheaton Simis: I’m not great and showing no signs of improvement!
AC: Social anxiety is often treated as a personal problem, but “Hi, Friends!” definitely leans into the idea that Hell is other people. What was the inspiration for telling the story in this creepily comedic fashion?
WS: Yeah, over the past few decades mental health has been dumped on each of us when it really is a group effort. Healthy communities make happy people, and our communities are suffering. It’s like our paleolithic brains have no clue how to connect in this bizarre digital world we’ve built. We are living in a sci-fi horror film. So, I tried to capture that (for laughs).
AC: Part of what makes the experience here so mortifying is that the party is a picnic, so there’s no escape in another room. Was there a specific inspiration for that location?
WS: For whatever reason, I went to about a dozen picnics in the spring of 2023. You could say I was deep into the “NYC picnic scene”. And I observed how terrible we’ve become at these focused hangouts. Everyone loitered in the faux-familiar waiting room, so to speak, unwilling to stick out their nose and have a strong opinion for fear of falling out with the friend group. So this was the cultural petri dish I was swimming in when I wrote it.
AC: Also, thanks for pointing out (as some people seem to need to be reminded of it) that double dipping is basically a war crime.
WS: This may be too dark, but double dipping helps me understand why violence exists.
AC: If you found yourself in this position, what would you hope your response be – and what do you think you’d really do?
WS: I guess the point of the film is that we do conform, we do join the friend dance. For better or worse, people think like their neighbors and it takes a tremendous force of will to swim against the current. I’d like to think I’d find an excuse to leave the picnic, but I think if you run the simulation a million times, I’d stay as often as I go. Hopefully, the film inspires audiences to say what’s on their mind, or at least be more understanding of those who aren’t ready to speak up.
Hi, Friends!
D: Wheaton Simis
USA, 8 mins, Texas premiere
Screening as part of Shorts Program 4: The Ties That Bind
Mon. October 28, 1pm, Highland Galaxy
Follow all the Chronicle’s 2024 Austin Film Festival coverage.
This article appears in October 25 • 2024.
