''We All Die Alone'' is a 2021 American

dark comedy Black comedy, also known as black humor, bleak comedy, dark comedy, dark humor, gallows humor or morbid humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally ...

short film A short film is a film with a low running time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of not more than 40 minutes including all credits". Other film o ...

directed by Jonathan Hammond and written by Hammond and Ryan Roach. It stars

Brian Patrick Butler Brian Patrick Butler is an American actor, film director, screenwriter, and film producer. He is known for writing and directing the film ''Friend of the World'' (2020), writing and performing in the film ''Hemet, or the Landlady Don't Drink Tea ...

, Frank DiPalermo, Suzana Norberg and

Alexandra Slade Alexandra Slade is an American actress who appeared in the films ''Friend of the World'' (2020)'', We All Die Alone'' (2021) and Cygnet Theatre's production of ''The Legend of Georgia McBride'' (2017). She portrayed a young Ruby Bridges in Old ...

. The film premiered in 2021 at

FilmOut San Diego FilmOut San Diego, also known as the San Diego LGBTQ Film Festival, is an annual film festival in San Diego, California. History Michael McQuiggan has been the festival programmer since 2003 and the venue locations include the North Park Theat ...

in San Diego, California. It has screened at festivals such as

Sidewalk Film Festival The Sidewalk Film Festival is an annual film festival taking place during the last weekend in August in the Theatre District of Birmingham, Alabama, since 1999. The festival typically screens at seven venues located within downtown Birmingham, fea ...

Sarasota Film Festival The Sarasota Film Festival is a film festival located in Sarasota, Florida and held in April. Its mission is "to celebrate the art of filmmaking and the contribution of filmmakers by hosting an international film festival and developing year-long ...

San Diego International Film Festival The San Diego International Film Festival is an independent film festival held in San Diego, California, produced by the nonprofit San Diego Film Foundation. The main event has traditionally been held annually in autumn at venues in the Gaslamp Q ...

HollyShorts Film Festival The HollyShorts Film Festival is an annual Academy Awards-qualifying independent short film festival located in Hollywood, California. History Founded in 2005, the yearly festival programmes feature an eclectic mixture of short films of various ge ...

and won awards at

Burbank International Film Festival The Burbank International Film Festival (BIFF) is an annual film festival held since 2009 in Burbank, California, United States. It was founded by Val Tonione, and awards are distributed to filmmakers that have focused on social and environmental ...

Downtown Los Angeles Film Festival The Downtown Los Angeles Film Festival (DTLAFF) is an annual film festival based in Downtown Los Angeles. History The festival was founded in 2008 and the venue used is the Regal Cinemas at L.A. Live. The Grammy Museum helped sponsor the fes ...

Phoenix Film Festival Phoenix Film Festival is a festival that celebrates feature films, documentaries, short films and their creators. Started in 2001, the annual celebration takes place in the city of Phoenix, Arizona. The Festival is run under the umbrella of the 5 ...

GI Film Festival The GI Film Festival is an annual film festival focused on military and veteran experiences, held in San Diego, California. Films featured in the festival reveal the struggles, triumphs, and experiences of service members and veterans. The festiv ...

Oceanside International Film Festival The Oceanside International Film Festival (OIFF) is an annual film festival held in Oceanside, California. It was founded in 2009 by the Oceanside Cultural Foundation. History The 11th annual festival was the first in person event since 2019. ...

and

Idyllwild International Festival of Cinema The Idyllwild International Festival of Cinema (IIFC) is an independent film festival held since 2009 in Idyllwild, California. The festival is run by its founder, director Stephen Savage. The tenth annual IIFC was held March 5 through 10, 2019 ...

. The film was distributed by Omeleto and Film Shortage on their

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

channels.

Plot

The arrogance of a conflict negotiator results in two clashing gangs butting heads in a stand-off that leads to dramatic conversations about

Mexican food Mexican cuisine consists of the cuisines and associated traditions of the modern country of Mexico. Its earliest roots lie in Mesoamerican cuisine. Mexican cuisine's ingredients and methods arise from the area's first agricultural communities ...

, romance and tragic consequences.

Cast

as Riley * Frank DiPalermo as Peter * Joshua Alan Jones as Killer * Patrick Mayuyu as Phillip * Durwood Murray as Second Story * Carla Nell as Patsy * Suzana Norberg as Svetlana * Brent Roberts as Crusher *

as Evangelique

Production

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...

took place in

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

. Jonathan Hammond and

Ryan Binse Ryan William Binse is an American film producer and United States Navy veteran who produced the films '' Project MKHEXE'' (2025), '' South of 8'' (2016), '' A Rodeo Film'' (2019), and '' We All Die Alone'' (2021). He served in the U.S. Navy fro ...

are a few filmmakers involved in the project. Hammond said he was inspired by

Quentin Tarantino Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American filmmaker, actor, and author. Quentin Tarantino filmography, His films are characterized by graphic violence, extended dialogue often featuring much profanity, and references to ...

Brian De Palma Brian Russell De Palma (; born September 11, 1940) is an Americans, American film director and screenwriter. With a career spanning over 50 years, he is best known for work in the suspense, Crime film, crime, and psychological thriller genres. ...

Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November17, 1942) is an American filmmaker. One of the major figures of the New Hollywood era, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Martin Scorsese, many accolades, including an Academ ...

and

Edgar Wright Edgar Howard Wright (born 18 April 1974) is an English filmmaker. He is known for his fast-paced and kinetic, satirical Film genre, genre films, which feature extensive utilisation of expressive popular music, Steadicam tracking shots, dolly zo ...

. The film was originally made as a 48 hour film and was recreated after three years with additional characters. Ryan Roach co-wrote the script.

Release

''We All Die Alone'' premiered on September 12, 2021 at

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

. It screened on October 15 of the same year at

. In 2022, it screened at

Dances With Films Dances With Films (DWF) is an annual independent film festival located in Los Angeles, California and New York. It was founded by Leslee Scallon and Michael Trent. Lineup Taking place every year since 1998, the festival is dedicated to representi ...

GI Film Festival San Diego The GI Film Festival is an annual film festival focused on military and veteran experiences, held in San Diego, California. Films featured in the festival reveal the struggles, triumphs, and experiences of service members and veterans. The festiv ...

and Reeling: The Chicago LGBTQ+ International Film Festival. The film was distributed on

by Omeleto on November 22, 2022 and Film Shortage on April 2, 2023.

Reception

Critical response

Alan Ng of ''

Film Threat ''Film Threat'' is an American online film review publication, and earlier, a national magazine that focused primarily on independent film, although it also reviewed videos and DVDs of mainstream films, as well as Hollywood movies in theaters. ...

'' said the film is "exactly what I look for in comedy" and "bends the

gangster genre A gangster film or gangster movie is a film belonging to a genre that focuses on gangs and organized crime. It is a subgenre of crime film, that may involve large criminal organizations, or small gangs formed to perform certain illegal acts. The g ...

enough to make the story feel fresh."

Accolades

References

External links

* * *
We All Die Alone
' on

{{Authority control 2020s American films 2021 crime comedy films 2020s English-language films 2021 romantic comedy-drama films 2021 short films 2021 films 2021 black comedy films American black comedy films American comedy short films American films about revenge American gang films American gangster films American romantic comedy-drama films Films about criminals Films about food and drink Films about organized crime in the United States Films about the American Mafia Films released on YouTube Films set in San Diego Films shot in San Diego Gay-related films Girls with guns films LGBTQ-related black comedy films LGBTQ-related romantic comedy-drama films American LGBTQ-related short films Mafia comedy films Murder–suicide in films Romantic crime films Tragicomedy films Films about feuds Films produced by Ryan Binse 2021 LGBTQ-related films Films produced by Shannon Taylor LGBTQ-related crime comedy films English-language romantic comedy-drama films English-language black comedy films English-language comedy-drama short films English-language crime comedy films Oceanside International Film Festival award-winning films Films directed by Jonathan Hammond