Magic Mushrooms

Desmond is an awkward teenager with a crush on Karina, and an evening spent sharing hallucinogenic mushrooms with her seems like his chance to get closer. Instead, the two wake to find they have switched bodies. Seeing the world, and himself, from inside Karina's body, Desmond discovers that attraction is not nearly as simple as he assumed, and the night becomes an unexpected lesson about gender, desire and who he really is. Written and directed by Sean Wainsteim, this eight-minute Canadian comedy stars Aaron Hale and Alyssa Capriotti, with Aris Tyros. Rather than playing its body-swap premise for slapstick, the film offers a wry, affectionate look at gender identity and the confusion of growing up, treating its young characters with warmth and its psychedelic twist with a light touch.