A new independent film about friendship and healing in uncertain times.
I wrote Sweet Confusion on the basis of a very simple image that had been hovering in my mind for years: a group of twenty-somethings seated around a picnic table, outside, chatting and laughing on a bright spring day.
For a long time, I wasn’t sure what the story would be — were they all celebrating something, like a graduation? Were they fitfully in love with each other, like in a Shakespeare comedy? Ultimately I decided that this wasn’t a story of beginnings, but reunions. Not a story of infatuation, but closure.
By stripping away all the usual excuses we writers have for telling stories, I arrived at the essence not only of that initial image but of my intentions as a storyteller: to provide a space where characters and audiences alike can reflect, restore and re-emerge as truer versions of themselves.
Sweet Confusion is a movie about being, even in the midst of ambiguity. -B.R.
Our Team
Ben Rendich (Writer/Director/Producer) is an independent filmmaker and writer based in Catskill, NY. His previous work includes Isabel, a short film that screened at Anthology Film Archives in 2019. He graduated from SUNY Purchase in 2017 with a BA in Cinema Studies and the President's Award for Achievement in the School of Film and Media Studies. He regularly writes reviews and essays on movie culture for his blog, Reflections on a Silver Screen. Sweet Confusion is his first feature film.
William Koenig-Vinicombe (Director of Photography) is a Hudson Valley-based cinematographer, editor, and artist. After completing his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography at SUNY New Paltz, William began his career in TV & film production, receiving training from Stockade Works. He has released his own experimental films that have been featured in festivals around the United States, while also collaborating with local directors to create narrative and documentary films. His goal above all else is to continue collaborating with the many brilliant artists found in the Hudson Valley.
Aaron J. Stewart (Assistant Director) is humbled to be a part of the Sweet Confusion team. He most recently directed and wrote the short film The Killer. He also directed and wrote the award-winning short film Waiting for C-row. Aaron’s most recent credits include: Zero Day (Netflix), The Pitch Fork Retreat, and Appalachian Dog. His goal as a filmmaker is to make narrative stories that challenge audience members to look outside their own eyes, and embrace the love of storytelling.