I love short films and wish more theaters would show them regularly.  Pickup, directed by Jeremiah Kipp (Painkiller) and written by Jessica Blank (The Exonerated), reminded me how powerful a short film can be.

This riveting cautionary drama stars Mandy Evans (Ceresia) as Megan, a wife and mother who tries to get some excitement in her life by using dating apps to arrange trysts with strangers. The film shows how this behavior impacts her relationship with her family.  And when the crisis comes, it’s not a pretty sight.

It’s hard to feel sorry for Megan at first because she appears to have so much going for her. She’s married to a man with a good job (Jim True-Frost/The Wire), and her young son (Griffin Walker-Faulkner/It Comes at Night) is such a darling boy. But Evans manages to draw us into Megan’s risky world -- and we desperately want her to change for the better. All in 15 minutes!     

Although Pickup is very tense,

its message makes a lot of sense.

Addiction can ruin many lives

including husbands, kids and wives.

How easy now it is to stray.

Our high-tech gadgets pave the way.

Watch Megan lose control of things.

Oh, the unhappiness that brings!

First-rate filmmaking can be done

in 15 minutes -- like this one.

Yes, Pickup may be dark, that’s true.

But it boasts depth. Applause is due.

   (For more information about Pickup, go to the IMDb website.)