I Just Want to Feel Fun (2025) Review: I Just Want Less Secondhand Embarrassment
By: Xavier Carwell
Directed by Oscar nominee Jessica Sanders, I Want to Feel Fun (2025) is a looking
glass into the life of a good-natured loser.
This indie short film holds a mirror to young people who participate in vapid and shallow
relationships solely for the sake of feeling intimacy.
The main character, Esther Povitsky, portrays a fictionalized version of herself similarly
to her role in Alone Together (2018).
With not much more than optimism and a Nicki Minaj shower curtain, she navigates the
financial and romantic hardships that come with being a Los Angeles resident as best
as she can. Facing callous and unloving treatment romantically, unfiltered advice and
feedback is still given to her by those who genuinely care for her whether she’s ready
for it or not. This uncomfortable realness that comes with true friendship is put on
display by Esther’s friend who observes the dynamics of her relationship and is
compelled to speak up. Organic scenes like this drive home the point that many of us
have been each of these characters in our own way before. While on the surface the
plot seems to revolve around Esther and her hapless life, a major theme seems to be
about how we all must learn what we need to learn in our own time. The ending seemed
to symbolize Esther’s tendency to take risks without any guarantees of things working
out. For an Los Angeles transplant who could benefit from a bit of self-reflection, this
subtly courageous way of navigating life is currently enough. I Want to Feel Fun debuts
at Tribeca on 13 June 2025.
