Where in the Hell

😁 Where in the Hell, dir. Laramie Dennis, 2024, USA, 88 min.
available to rent/buy on Amazon and other video streaming platforms

Adam (Joohun Lee) and Kasey (Cam Killion)
in Where in the Hell

(This film didn’t screen at Frameline, but it stars Cam Killion of Euphoric (“Come to My Window: Date Night” shorts, Frameline48), one of my all-time favorite Frameline films. Where in the Hell is now available to rent or buy on Amazon, so check it out.]

Setting: Covid Lockdown, a motel somewhere in the desert of eastern California. Kasey (Cam Killion) steps out for 20 minutes and returns to find her girlfriend, her car, and her dog gone without a trace. Kasey ends up tagging along on an “odd couple” road trip with Adam, trying to find Leah and Elmo (who she believes may have gone to Montana) and trying to get Adam to an audition he may (or may not) have in Vancouver, or is it Calgary, or somewhere in Canada,

Kasey and Adam are quite the mismatch: a jaded, sarcastic lesbian prop master and an eternally optimistic straight aspiring actor. You can tell right away that they wouldn’t take a road trip together under any normal circumstances, but they make it work because they both need to get on down the road. The Covid pandemic inserts itself into the story in myriad day-to-day details, not least the fact that the Canadian border is almost completely closed, requiring a special visa.

As the road trip progresses, meeting a few characters along the way, Kasey and Adam slowly let down their guard and have a bit more authentic interaction. Kasey learns a few more details about why Leah up and left, and Adam learns a few more details about his job prospects in Canada. They both wrestle with their hopes and expectations, letting go of the notion of controlling the chaos in which they find themselves. Some parts of the journey feel almost psychedelic, but the only drug reference is an incidental couple of hits of cannabis, but the characters and the backdrop combine to evoke an echo of Kerouac.

Where in the Hell is mostly a character study, watching two people slowly unfold, mostly to themselves but also to one another. It’s an interesting journey, with ample comic relief but also some heartfelt moments in a satisfying mix. Cam Killion and Laramie Dennis also worked together on Euphoric, so they’re both names to watch for. Highly recommended.

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Winner: Queens World FF 2025 (Best Narrative Feature, Best NF Screenplay), Female Filmmakers Festival Berlin 2025 (She’s On Fire Award), Poppy Jasper IFF 2025 (Best Comedy Feature, Audience Award for Best Local [SoCal] Film)

Nominee: Female Filmmakers Festival Berlin 2025 (Best Editing), Seoul International Women’s FF 2025 Discovery Competition (finalist), St. Louis IFF New Filmmakers Forum 2024 (Emerging Director)

Also screened at: Twin Cities FF 2025, Santa Cruz FF 2025, Full Bloom FF 2025, NewFilmmakers L.A. 2025, Melbourne [Australia] Queer FF 2024

Trivia: Adam is from New Jersey and got an M.D. before taking up acting, to the dismay of his parents; Joohun Lee is also from New Jersey and got an M.D. before taking up acting, to the dismay of his parents. The woman shown in the credits as “Weathered Woman” is played by Gillian Cameron, no relation to Cam Killion.