A woman facing a lack of attraction to her husband, after he comes back from a future war without any lips

In What You Left in the Ditch, director Tucker Bliss delivers a twistedly tender tale of love, guilt, and inconvenient desire. Blending dark comedy with shades of romance, the film follows a woman grappling with the uncomfortable truth: she no longer feels attracted to her husband, who has returned from a future war physically altered—specifically, lipless. Her emotional turmoil leads her into the arms of a much younger, plump-lipped grocery clerk, triggering a hilariously tragic exploration of vanity and fidelity.

Underneath its surreal premise, the film taps into very real human contradictions: how shallow our empathy can be when confronted with physical change, and how guilt can collide with the pursuit of personal fulfillment. With biting humor and emotional nuance, What You Left in the Ditch holds up a mirror to the things we dare not say out loud—and somehow makes us laugh while doing it.

What You Left in the Ditch presents a deeply personal struggle within a surreal premise. What inspired this story?

It’s based on Aimee Bender’s short story from the girl in the flammable skirt. All of her stories are these playful, surreal almost science fiction representations of common feelings. It sort of felt like a fun way to explore how some of us feel in relationships when we can’t let something go, or have the ick for some strange seinfeldian thing. Feeling guilty about it, and then looking past it since it’s sooo superficial, and not really the meat of what matters.

The film explores themes of vanity, guilt, and empathy in relationships. What drew you to these ideas?

I’ve always been a sucker for romantic comedies and as a relationship guy myself. I wanted to explore these unspoken feelings that we all have, and don’t really speak about until we’re on the verge of a breakup or the guilt for these feelings boils over. To me the film is about keeping those feelings in, and what happens if you don’t communicate. Do you resent your partner? Do you act upon resentment? Do you press down feelings, de-prioritizing your sanity. All the things we tend to do to keep things copacetic and easy. Which, in my experience, always makes things much worse…

The husband’s physical change is both tragic and transformative. How did you approach his character development and his relationship with his wife?

I wanted us to never see any fault in him other than how he and Molly perceive him. He’s a perfect guy really. Sensitive, communicative, helpful, it’s all right on paper. But Molly just can’t look past his injury, it’s all she sees. So she’s blinded by how she truly feels, until she has a point of reference, admitting it to herself.

The grocery clerk represents a stark, almost comedic contrast to the husband. How did you develop that character dynamic, and what does he symbolize in the story?

I wanted to lean into the mundane, awkward, childlike nature of the clerk, Michael. I wanted to milk out the pauses, balks, flubs and awkward silences. So Molly sort of reverted to her highschool self. Shy, timid, and feeling optimistic and amazing all the time. Almost like a nostalgia dream. A portal to her childhood, until she’s back in her car, driving to the real world.

The title itself is evocative. Can you talk about its meaning and how it ties into the film’s themes?

I always sort of looked at it as a bit of a statement of anger. Why did you go and do this? Why did you leave the part of you behind that I loved and desired. Setting us up to feel why Molly might be upset. Stephen enlisted in a war she didn’t believe in, to express a bit of machismo, which in her mind, was silly and without purpose. That way when she expresses her frustrations and lack of attraction, we have a reason to side with both her and her husband. It’s a tug of war the whole time.

While there are darkly humorous moments, the film leans into drama. How did you balance these tones to maintain emotional depth?

I always find dramas to be so much more enjoyable when they leave in the bits of life that feel funny. Life is a mixture of drama and comedy, so I always like to tow that line and find the little nuances that make us laugh even in the darkest scenarios.

The “future war” element adds a unique layer to the story. How does this sci-fi backdrop influence the emotional stakes?

I didn’t want to tie the war to anything specific, keeping things in the future sort of allowed us to keep things vague, local, more top of mind, but also kinda just something happening in the background. A little reminder every once in a while, as to the state of things. How stephen might’ve been called to service, because it’s literally in the back yard. I felt like it kept us grounded with his perspective as well.

Were there any specific films, books, or personal experiences that influenced What You Left in the Ditch?

My relationships were definitely a constant gut check for these feelings expressed in the film. But we also drew inspiration from the sort of dramatic oddity of Fargo and The Lobster. Real emotions and awkwardness in an odd situation.

What do you hope audiences take away from the film—whether about relationships, self-perception, or personal growth?

I wanted people to be able to find themselves in both Molly and Stephen. To make us feel a little more ok with feelings of guilt, ick, and attraction to our partners. And in our film it’s something concrete, but often in the real world it’s just a feeling, unexplainable and hard to pinpoint. So you have to make a call, is love enough? Or is it a sign to search elsewhere. The great dilemma.

What are the books, podcasts or even YouTube Channel that you recommend young filmmakers to get their hands on?

I looove the DGA podcast, as well as the big picture, the rewatchables, the town. I love deep dives on directors, which is all over youtube, about most directors and films we love. It’s always inspiring. Oh and directing actors by judith weston is a classic. I also recommend taking improv and acting classes to get a bit of perspective on the acting experience, making us, of course better directors.

Can you share with us some of your favorite short films you’ve seen lately?

I recently watched Martin McDonagh’s Six Shooter, which is an all timer. And Kristoffer Borgli’s “Former Cult Member Hears Music For The First Time”