With Mommy out for the night, Daddy invites over Natalie. But when his daughter Betsy wakes up afraid of a monster, can Daddy put her back to bed in time to get in bed with Natalie?

Director’s Vision for ‘Daddy’s Night’

As a filmmaker, I gravitate towards telling stories on the borders of traditional genre distinctions. With “Daddy’s Night”, I set out to make a film that blended many genres, moving seamlessly between dark comedy, romance, family drama, thriller, horror, and fantasy. The end result has a tone I believe is unique. I like to think of it as a bedtime story for adults.

I came up with the concept during the early stages of the COVID pandemic, in response to the fear and confusion we were all experiencing at the time. The immediate, earth-shaking impacts of the pandemic made it clear that the potential for unbelievable, otherworldly forces to appear from seemingly out of nowhere and alter life as we know it is ever-present. While the film’s events and characters are grounded in realism, there is a hint of fantasy embedded throughout — revealing that the possibility for the fantastic is always bubbling just beneath the surface of reality.

Various themes (parenthood, infidelity, masculinity, power dynamics, the supernatural, etc.) are touched on in the short. While the moral of the story may be fairly clear, numerous interpretations of the events are possible. My hope is that the film feels universal, and that regardless of what individual viewers may take away, anyone can find a personal connection to the story that feels meaningful to them.