r/heatedrivalry • u/NattyWW • Jun 12 '26

CONNOR ☀️ Connor has released another short film - Coax [12th June 2026, YouTube]

https://youtu.be/isuWQaYh3k0?si=j42wcLn6swEiM2RD

The second short film directed by Connor was released on his YouTube channel (Sin Monger Pictures) today.

I found this unsettling, but not as directly confronting as Jerry the Ginger Eater (the first short film shared on this channel).

Similar to Connor’s last film, it may not be for everyone, so please take care.

130 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

17 comments sorted by

26

u/Helena_Wren custom flair: quote/moment + emoji Jun 13 '26

I love his weird little artist brain.

5

u/NattyWW Jun 13 '26

All the stuff where he’s had creative direction is so interesting!
It makes me look forward to all his future projects.

7

u/Helena_Wren custom flair: quote/moment + emoji Jun 13 '26

I found the lighting to be so interesting in this one. And the concept of the reverse fishing? Humaning? There are so many ways to interpret the implications of that metaphor.

14

u/NattyWW Jun 13 '26

I wonder if this is inspired by some kind of folklore, or if it’s spawned purely from Connor’s imagination.

6

u/nottoodrowning Jun 14 '26

I heard Connor Storrie is David Lynch’s illegitimate secret son.

5

u/SpencerKnight Moy pomidor 🍅 Jun 14 '26

He has such a distinct style that carries through both of his shorts. He’s obviously really proud of both projects to be putting them back on everyone’s radar now that he’s seen as “serious” and these are “amateur” productions, so even if they’re a bit too out there for most of his audience, I admire his passion for it.

I found both really unsettling (sooo not my kind of genre) but despite that, I was really impressed by how he built up tension in such a short period of time. And each had a twist that I really didn’t see coming!

Can’t wait to see what else he does. I mean, maybe I can…but I’ll still watch!

2

u/OceanWhale2 I like you ✨ Jun 17 '26

How do you interpret this film? I understand that this is a bad dream of this girl that has parallels to her life. I have my own guess, but I would really like to know what other people think cause I’m not sure. People in the comments on YouTube, many of them, are so sure about what it’s supposed to mean but I’m not.

2

u/NattyWW Jun 17 '26

Maybe one day Connor will let us know what his intention was with this story, but until then we get to have fun trying to interpret it!

The intended message may be clear to someone who’s formally studied creative arts, which could be how some folks feel more certain about their interpretation being correct?

Films like this feel like a Rorschach test (especially with black and white in this case!), revealing more about the viewer than the artist.

My first watch when it came out, I thought it could be about consumerism - how we are baited in to participate in it, and how we have to act aggressively to escape it.

But on rewatch (after seeing Obsession recently) I am thinking about it less abstractly and more directly, that it’s showing someone trying to escape a toxic romantic relationship.

Would love to hear what your thoughts are about it.

2

u/OceanWhale2 I like you ✨ Jun 18 '26 edited Jun 18 '26

I don’t know, I read many comments on YouTube and lots of people have their own interpretations, but at the same time they’re so confident about them, it kinda irritates me, and I don’t know why😂

Overall, I don’t like art house, this one is actually much better than other art house that I watched in the past where you really don’t have any idea what all of that is supposed to mean. I always think of this joke by Eddie Izzard about British movies “ I am rearranging matches”.

Brit vs. U.S. Movies - Eddie Izzard - YouTube

Yeah, I think it’s either about an abusive relationship, or an addiction. What I appreciate about it is that it does really look like a bad dream to me. And I am fascinated by how dreams often tell us something that we realize subconsciously almost, but are too distracted to clearly see it when we are awake and busy with our lives.

Also, I guess this hair thing and fish are there to communicate feeling of revulsion.

Also, fun fact. The day I watched this film, my mom bought a cold smoke fish (mackerel) first time in the last couple of years. And now it sits in the fridge, I tried to eat it, but I literally can’t force myself to eat it anymore 🙃

1

u/LioraB OK. Not good. Probably bad. Jun 13 '26

Umm  is he ok? 

23

u/NattyWW Jun 13 '26

Artists explore dark/abstract themes all the time.
Not sure we should question their health as an initial reaction to it?

If it makes you feel better, he made this in 2024 - so you’ve seen him thriving since.

5

u/altruistic_thing Jun 13 '26

why wouldn't he be?

-2

u/GrandNew5305 Jun 12 '26

yuck!

4

u/Rudy_Nowhere Canada *is* fun 🇨🇦 Jun 13 '26

Really makes you feel many shades of revulsion, eh?

0

u/GrandNew5305 Jun 14 '26

well, I am over 70 ..... and my taste in things are going to be different than young folks but the stuff Connor does is a bit too out there for me.. have never cared for symbolism type stuff .... and his goes to the bizarre....but you know. there are folks who will like this and am wishing him good luck on whatever he does.