THE SEATTLE FILM FESTIVAL 2026 REVIEW! Written by Alex Naumann and Michael Rognlie, and directed by Rognlie and E.E. Tallent, Dotted Line is a short horror comedy. Amber (Naumann) is being plagued by strange phone calls, and random men keep hitting on her at the gym. Of course, this all freaks her out. Then things go from bad to worse when Amber wakes up tied and gagged to a chair alongside two other people. Who kidnapped these three people, and why were they specifically targeted?
Within a span of 10 minutes and 27 seconds, the filmmakers take the audience on a journey from paranoid thriller to Saw-style horror to wildly over-the-top comedy. Somehow, Rognlie and Tallent find the time to also include a little message about taking responsibility in life and how procrastination can lead to stagnation. To say more would spoil parts of the story, but as goofy as it gets, the themes feel real.
A grinning skeleton in a dirty yellow shirt hangs in a green-lit basement in Dotted Line.
“…things go from bad to worse when Amber wakes up tied and gagged to a chair alongside two other people.”
On top of that, the Naumann and Rognlie balance each of the tones of Dotted Line very well. Creepiness abounds in the opening scenes. Then real horror emerges as the three victims realize their predicament. Comedy comes straight in when the reason behind it all is revealed. The direction is slick and ensures that the tones lift each other up and mesh nicely.
Naumann is excellent in the leading role. Her voice-over detailing the weirdness of her life is exhausted in the right ways. James C. Stewart and Lianna Karisa are also quite good as the scared other victims. They sell their fear and bafflement believably.
Dotted Line is just plain cool. Is it the most original? No, but it uses the tropes of its genres well and is both creepy and funny. The actors all understand the assignment nicely and fit their roles well. Though it is the way the filmmakers use horror to convey its message that really makes this stand out.
Dotted Line screened at the 2026 The Seattle Film Festival.
"…just plain cool."
