A broken laundry machine sets the stage for something quietly powerful in ‘Cycles’, a beautifully performed short drama directed by Alex Eskandarkhah and written by Andre Kelly. This is a film about survival – but more intimately, it’s about the fragile magic that can spark between two people when life has ground them down to their most vulnerable selves.

Andre Kelly stars as Jerome, a lonely mechanic whose quiet isolation is upended when he’s forced to visit a late-night laundromat. There, he meets Sandra (Kat Khan), a guarded but disarmingly warm stranger who offers him loose change – and, unknowingly, a momentary lifeline. Their connection unfolds with delicate pacing, honest dialogue, and a mutual sense of weariness that’s all too relatable.

Eskandarkhah’s direction is confident yet unobtrusive, letting the characters lead. The opening flows effortlessly into a rhythmic sequence of fast cuts – a stylistic flair that gives way to intimacy as the night deepens. Alex Chung’s cinematography is exceptional: wide, polished, and neartly framed. The laundromat, bathed in clinical lighting, becomes a stage for small revelations.

Kelly brings a rare authenticity to Jerome – subtle, captivating, emotionally grounded. His performance feels lived-in and relatable. Opposite him, Kat Khan excels, especially in the film’s more harrowing, poignant moments. Her vulnerability never slips into melodrama. Together, they create chemistry that feels tentative, real, and earned.

With respectable editing, strong sound design, and a screenplay that never overreaches, ‘Cycles’ delivers an emotional punch without spectacle. It’s a film about what people carry and how – just for a moment – someone else might help lighten the load. Highly recommended.