It’s glaring, gnashing teeth before the bite. It’s furtive glances and heart palpitations. It’s the penultimate beat of silence before it jumps out at you. It’s catching a spectre out of the corner of your eye, only to realize it was you all along. It’s exorcising the language of dominion.

Packages is the debut project from first-time writer / director Nick Barat. Described as a “nightmare comedy” and “Franz Kafka with an Amazon Prime account,” this short film is the latest creative evolution for Nick, who has spent two decades in culture as a DJ and producer, graphic designer, co-founder of Fool’s Gold Records and editor at The FADER Magazine. “With my background, it would have been obvious to start with a film about ‘music,’ but Packages is still very much my sensibility, my rhythm and the way I see the world. It’s an exploration of dream logic and visual storytelling – stylized, surreal and satirical, mashing up genres while cracking some jokes in the process.” Packages is currently submitting to film festivals for a premier in 2026.