Claire Chubbuck’s ME & MY PENIS finds comedy in real masculine vulnerability thanks to Cathartic Realism
Me & My Penis, a bold short film by Claire Chubbuck and Patrick Oury, uses satire and Cathartic Realism to explore male vulnerability, anxiety, and intimacy. Screening at Dances With Films: LA.
Writer and star Patrick Oury partners with director Claire Chubbuck in Me & My Penis, a short film that uses precise filmmaking to tell an unconventional story. Set to screen at Dances With Films: LA, the film delivers strong performances and technical clarity, as it uses satire and personification to examine anxiety-induced impotence, masculinity, and intimacy through humor and introspection.
Me & My Penis, a bold short film by Claire Chubbuck and Patrick Oury screens at Dances With Films: LA.
Filmmaker interviews, reviews, FREE communities. Find Films Gone Wild on YouTube | Facebook | Instagram
Clocking in at just over 15 minutes, the film follows Jason (Oury), a man plagued by anxiety and sexual dysfunction. His central conflict—his own penis, personified by actor Aleksandar Popovic as the brash Victor—is not treated as a gimmick but as a narrative tool that allows for comedic and symbolic exploration of male vulnerability.
From the opening frame, cinematographer Mario Garcidueñas creates a consistent visual style that supports both humor and realism. Production design by Shannon Quinn Kelly uses the environment to reflect character psychology without resorting to cliché. While the editing of Shranjay Arora maintains momentum and tonal consistency, balancing humor and pacing.
As for auditory elements, composer Kristian Balinov provides a restrained score that emphasizes moments without distraction while the sound design by Nathan Beausoleil captures ambient details and supports timing, contributing to a cohesive experience.
Chubbuck’s direction, rooted in Cathartic Realism, allows actors’ lived experiences to inform their portrayals. Oury brings nuance to a role that could easily veer into caricature, but his portrayal invites engagement without excess. Popovic’s Victor, though exaggerated, reveals tension beneath the surface—illuminating the story’s internal conflict.
One potential area for expansion is Victor’s emotional trajectory. While Popovic conveys Victor’s role as antagonist effectively, a moment of internal realization might add depth to his function in the narrative. A brief additional beat could enhance the arc without interfering with pacing.
The screenplay trusts the audience to follow the symbolism, successfully relying on performance and structure to communicate its themes. Notably, supporting performances from Sofia D’Marco and Sherita Starks add credibility and dimension to drive the realism in the story home.
Overall, Me & My Penis achieves clarity, narrative purpose, and thematic focus. The film integrates metaphor and comedy without overexplaining. By pairing humor with commentary on addiction, shame, and self-awareness, the film addresses taboo subjects through masterful execution, not provocation.
Me & My Penis, a bold short film by Claire Chubbuck and Patrick Oury screens at Dances With Films: LA.
#SponsoredAd
Cathartic Realism is a term coined by the Chubbuck, who is also the founder of the Cathartic Realism movement in independent film. The style emphasizes the use of personal, lived experience as the foundation for narrative storytelling, aiming to create films that are emotionally authentic and therapeutically resonant—often drawing from actors’ or writers’ real trauma, memories, or deeply held experiences.
Chubbuck previously explored Cathartic Realism when she directed This Is How I Lost My Virginity, a short film based on writer-performer Sofia D’Marco’s real-life experience of abduction, which managed to explore realities of trauma without excessive dramatization. In contrast, with Me & My Penis, Chubbuck applies Cathartic Realism through the lens of comedy, disarming audiences with satire while tackling themes of masculine vulnerability and shame.
The tonal shift between the two works highlights the versatility of Cathartic Realism as both films transform discomfort into insight through narrative, character-driven stories and emotional truth. As a continuation of Chubbuck’s Cathartic Realism series, Me & My Penis reinforces the filmmaker’s approach and range while painting Patrick Oury as a writer-performer with an eye for distinct storytelling.