Last Call: A Psychedelic Dreamscape

by Aayushi Agarwal

After I watched this live-action short, I immediately messaged one of our editors a picture of myself frowning in thought followed by “confused.” A story deeply rooted in its aesthetics rather than narrative, I was out of my depth. I came out of this film feeling unsettled and fascinated—but why?

Winnie Cheung’s latest film, Last Call, premiered at South by Southwest 2025 as an acid folk thriller bathed in neon lights, with almost dizzying glimpses of Claudia’s (Celia Au) life. Each shot is a puzzle piece putting the premise together, from dancing at a party to her speeding on a motorcycle. It plays out like a psychedelic dreamscape, constantly changing gears without waiting for the viewer to catch up.

It’s clear that Claudia finds refuge in the rush of using substances and engaging in risky behavior. A worried friend at a bar tells her, “Even the wicked need some rest,” as he hands her another drug.

Within this, we catch echoes of what seems to be a snake woman, haunting Claudia. Images of long nails and scaly skin flash by intermittently, backdropped by a quiet and unsettling synth score. She stays close to Claudia, coming to her as a reminder of her discomfort with her body. Heavily implied and intertwined with these actions is some kind of sexual trauma, what Claudia seems to be rejecting. The subtlety of the allegory is done well—the viewer witnesses the emotions of violence without necessarily being treated with that same violence. As Claudia begins to face and come to terms with her trauma, she and the snake woman finally come together, as does the film’s thesis: “Your body is my body.”

As the movie goes on and slips further into its fantastical elements, its visuals only get more elaborate and beautiful. For an indie film to have such immersive backgrounds is a feat. In the way that songs have anti-drops (choruses that are more minimal than the buildup), the film ends with its own version of one—a long, sustained shot that makes us sit with Claudia and her culminating emotions.