SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL 2025 REVIEW! Written and directed by Chelsea Christer, Out For Delivery is a 16-minute comedic short. It stars Deanna Rooney as Joanna, who is awaiting a vital delivery. See, she has been diagnosed with a terminal illness, and instead of facing the pains and harsh reality of living with that, Joanna has opted to die “with dignity.” But once the package is out for delivery, it gets delayed, possibly even lost. Will Joanna get her ever-important delivery, or will the delay cause her to rethink her choice?
For the majority of the runtime, Rooney is the only person on screen. This means the actor has to walk the thin line between dramatically desperate and silly exasperation, more or less, solo. She nails that tonal balance and shines in every second. When scheduling a pick-up and the person on the other end asks who is calling, only for her to give the same name a bit later on is comedy gold. When she’s pleading to find the package, her sad resignation rings true.
Deanna Rooney appears in Out for Delivery by Chelsea Christer, an official selection of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Gavin Velasquez Murray.
“…once the package is out for delivery, it gets delayed, possibly even lost.”
However, Rooney is not entirely alone, as a few other characters pop in and out of Out For Delivery. DeMorge Brown has a brief role as Joanna’s neighbor, and he’s pretty amusing. Martin Starr is brilliant, but saying who he is or why he shows up might be a spoiler. But rest assured that he hits the droll comedy he’s known for, as well as some unexpected depth with panache. The voice actors for the various ShipEx employees are all quite good and funny as well.
Christer directs with confidence. Her faith in the cast to do their job allows the filmmaker to focus on controlling the tone. Luckily, Christer makes audiences feel how sad and frustrated the lead is while also knowing the situation is a wee bit absurd. That means the compelling drama and laughs that come rolling in are as much due to the actors as it is to the direction and writing.
Out For Delivery is an enjoyable dramatic comedy, or is it a comedic drama? Either way, it works thanks to a tight control of its tone and perfect casting. Its short runtime ensures the story does not overstay its welcome, and it ends in the only way it truly can.
Out For Delivery screened at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival.
"…an enjoyable dramatic comedy, or is it a comedic drama?"
