Andro (Alexander Gheesling) is an emerging queer hip-hop artist struggling to come to grips with his newfound fame and identity in Corey Koepper and Alexander Gheesling’s On The Floor.
The 15-minute short takes us on a visually stunning journey into the mind of Andro in almost the form of a music video. His world is hip-hop, and he copes with his fame and insecurity by staying in a perpetual dreamlike, drug-fueled state. Later, he finds solace in a vision of a treehouse in a mysterious bamboo forest, where three friends from his past visit him—Furious (Heinley Gaspard), Mara (Angela Wong Carbone), and his mentor Yung Star (Lambert Tamin). Each plays a significant role in his mental health, both good and bad.
“…a visually stunning journey into the mind of Andro in almost the form of a music video.”
On The Floor is more Andro’s dream and nightmare than it is any sort of traditional narrative. It’s driving hip-hop beats accentuate his state of turmoil, a disconnection from reality, and the emotionally numbing effects of drugs. It’s in the quieter moments when he is able to breathe and, alternately, is forced to face the true source of his issues.
Director and co-writer Koepper is brilliant as On The Floor drops you directly into the shoes of Andro. He makes you feel Andro’s confusion and struggle to express the one thing on his heart he needs to say through the short’s visual style and use of music. It is as painful as it is heartbreaking.
"…more Andro's dream and nightmare than it is any sort of traditional narrative."
