The Catastrophe
The Catastrophe is a surreal drama/mystery short film loosely based on Nathaniel Hawthorne's story Mr. Higginbotham's Catastrophe. This vital contemporary retelling uses dreamlike imagery, a Bob Dylan song and a poem by Forough Farrokhzad to paint a portrait of Dominicus Pike, the quintessential modern man. The movie follows Dominicus as he traverses the American midwest, plying his trade as a cigar salesman, and his dawning realization that he may have sold his soul to a multinational corporation.
The main story of The Catastrophe is interwoven with narrative threads involving the collapse of Dominicus’ relationship with his girlfriend, Carlie, and his discovery of what may be a murder plot involving one of his clients, Mohammad “Double Apple” Akbari. Only life on the road alone makes it hard sometimes to distinguish where reality ends and dreams begin . . . Rife with literary allusions and political undertones, this atmospheric and heady brew is dedicated to imprisoned Iranian filmmakers Mohammad Rasoulof and Jafar Panahi.