Parlor Game

2004, 6:20 min, color, sound

Three people play a game in an urban garden, tossing a small sack back and forth. The player who drops it becomes "odd man out" or the designated victim. The game now becomes one of dominance and submission. The elegant surroundings contrast with the base series of humiliations he is made to perform. The victors lose interest in this exercise and resort to exclusion, ignoring their underling and leaving themselves vulnerable to a counter strike. He catches them off guard and "steals the bacon," re-initiating the game.

Director/Camera/Editor: Alix Pearlstein. Actors: Christen Clifford, Charles Parnell, Michael Stumm. Filmed at Salon 94, New York.