A successful music video director and expectant father pushes his work-life balance to the extreme as he hires a doppelgänger to work in his stead.

Pasqual is convinced this idea will solve all his problems. He believes he can finally be more present for his pregnant partner, Christine, without sacrificing the dream project he and his business partner, Raul, were offered. The plan includes mentoring a young man from a similar background, providing an opportunity neither Pasqual nor Raul ever had.

But while Miguel, the doppelgänger, may resemble Pasqual, he certainly doesn’t behave like him, preferring to flex physically more than mentally.

Co-directors Pasqual Gutierrez and Ben Mullinkosson deliver a genre-bending trip of a movie that captures the challenges of balancing the anxieties of impending parenthood with the demands of a career in an often absurdly self-important industry. Serious People is a clever and entertaining commentary on the artistic process, capturing both its joys and pretensions.—Ania Trzebiatowska

Available in person. Also available online for the public (January 30–February 2) and credentialed press and industry (January 29–February 2).