The synopsis for Working Title advises viewers to "turn the volume up." It's good advice when watching this experimental film, which offers a sensory experience rather than a straight narrative.

The theme of Working Title is isolation, specifically the isolation of a girl on a movie set. We see her sitting alone on a bench in a secluded area. The only other people on the set are the director and the script supervisor, who are dressed all in black and appear to be far away, as if they exist on a different plane. The images serve to further isolate the girl; more than once, we see her in black-and-white while the background remains in color.

Working Title sometimes resembles Living in Oblivion, Tom DiCillo's hilarious expose of independent filmmaking. Anyone with experience working on student films will identify with the girl's frustration as she complains about her lines not having any motivation. But overall the tone of the film is serious, not to mention seriously spooky.

The creative minds behind FetusFilmsInc appear to have been inspired by the work of David Lynch (Twin Peaks, Wild at Heart). The images often move backwards, just like in the Red Room sequences in Twin Peaks. The director calls for make-up so many times that the girl ends up looking like Diane Ladd when she smeared lipstick all over her face in Wild at Heart. Working Title is also comparable to Lynch in its intricate sound design, which combines cinematographic and nature sounds with cacophonous sonic disruptions.

The film also has a distinctive look. Having grown up in Kansas (where Working Title was shot), I can assure you the place isn't all that green. The filters used here give the entire picture a dreamlike quality. The color scheme is unusually disciplined for a student film, limited to greens, reds, blacks and the blue of the girl's dress.

When I revisit FetusFilmsInc, I'll review their equally strange and aesthetically pleasing Mr. Carnival Man.