At the Stroke of Nine

"But shouldn't we all be happy", asks Anshu. "But why should we be happy! That is not our task in life", replies Sanjeev. The Art Of Dying is a simple story of a young and ambitious guy [Anshu] who reaches a state of emotional disintegration when all that he digs for turns out to be sand. And just when he seems to have lost himself, enters a rank stranger [Sanjeev] in his life. A rank stranger with rank strange ways of life. In the course of two very lively days, Sanjeev warms his way into the heart of Anshu by statements like "The problem with reality is that it doesn't carry background music" and "When choosing between two evils, I always go for the one that I've not tried before". Running by the beach, dancing to music, gulping down coke with pizza, playing chess and a lot of cricket, the two do all that and more, while talking about each other. And before he knows, Anshu has got answers to a whole lot of his distress. Answers like "Do you always want to be right or you want to be happy?" The Art Of Dying is about how two good days with a stranger brings peace to a heart carrying 19 months of turbulence. It's like washing one's face after a hard day's work, as Anshu puts it.

Dearie Lane loves Fred Millard, but she turns down his offer of marriage because she was once involved with the disreputable Mark Winfield. When she explains the situation, Fred forgives her, and they get married. For a while they live happily in a modest home. But the situation gets complex when Winfield, who owns the house, comes by to collect a delinquent payment and suddenly dies. Dearie, afraid that Fred will not understand what really happened, gets a boarder and her cook to help her hide the body. At midnight they carry it down the stairs to the countryside, but Fred hears their steps creaking on the stairs. All seems lost when the police find the body and the suspicious Fred finds Winfield's hat under a couch. He opens Dearie's private trunk and discovers the fancy clothes that Winfield gave her. Fred goes after Dearie, furiously chopping with an ax through the closet door behind which she is hiding. Dearie persuades him to listen and explains that she had kept the clothes only because she thought Fred would admire them, and that in fact Winfield died from a heart attack.

Watch as siblings Daphnis and Samantha navigate their turbulent worlds in this "witty melodrama." The vibrant Samantha, played by Sarina Krastev, burdens herself with the challenge of supporting her brother, the boastful Daphnis, played by Kenney Caston. Daphnis, a troubled creative, breaks his vow to step away from his career, a decision so disastrous Samantha decides to move in, determined to avoid a repeat of "last time." Daphnis' story gives a unique take on artistic creation through the eyes of Samantha, who introduces us to her fast paced world of memorable characters including the inescapable Isaiah, played by Jataun Gilbert. When Samantha reaches her breaking point, she solicits the help of their loyal cousin DJ and Daphnis' trusted agent Maurice, played by Donald Ray Antoine and Timothy L. Brooks while she steps away for a mischievous weekend getaway. Daphnis' confidence is unwavering, but will this be enough to keep him going? Or will he be forced to face the existential crisis he's been running from.