Joshua Giuliano’s Tiny Thing is an intriguing dive into the fear of intimacy, blending dark comedy with a touch of horror in a way that keeps you on your toes. What starts as a picture-perfect romantic weekend quickly spirals into a chaotic unraveling of a couple’s relationship, all because of a tiny fly and one unresolved declaration of love. It’s funny, unsettling, and surprisingly poignant.
At first, Tiny Thing has all the makings of a romantic comedy. Lacy and Brian, played by Britt Harris and Jacob DeMonte-Finn, settle into their lakeside cabin with that perfect vacation vibe. They swim, laugh, and enjoy a steak dinner. But there’s a lingering sense that something’s off—the camera focuses on strange details: a rotting deer’s head, dying headlights, and a meat thermometer. It hints that what’s to come isn’t quite as sweet as it seems.
Then Lacy makes the mistake of expressing her feelings for Brian, who, unsurprisingly, isn’t on the same page. His silence is the spark that sets off everything, and soon, a tiny fly gets trapped in Brian’s ear, slowly pushing him toward a breakdown. From here, the situation shifts from lighthearted to downright suffocating. The fly, which might seem like a minor annoyance, becomes a symbol of the tension between them, representing the chaos that unfolds when one partner refuses to engage emotionally. The film turns that small annoyance into something much bigger—intimacy, or the lack of it, spirals into full-blown madness.
