It Goes That Quick
Director(s): Ashley Connor & Joe Stankus
Film description: Two filmmakers attempt to capture the everyday lives of their own family members. But as the years progress and the lines between fact and fiction blur, what begins as a humorous documentation of the mundane transforms into a poetic meditation on the act of filmmaking, the passage of time, and the simple tasks and chores that end up defining our lives.
Preceded by “Dropping Off”
ERIC SAYS Few films convey as expansive and well-observed a sense of family as this debut directorial feature from couple Ashley Connor and Joe Stankus. As New/Next regulars will know, these filmmakers are far from newbies—Connor has a decade-plus career under her belt as a cinematographer for filmmakers like Josephine Decker, Zia Anger, and Desiree Akhavan, while Stankus has helmed an extensive body of short-form work (including the documentary Theo Anthony Makes a Stool, which screened at the inaugural N/N in 2023).
It Goes That Quick, however, is the culmination of another parallel body of work they’ve built together, filming their extended families—playing lightly fictionalized or oh-so-slightly amplified versions of themselves—running errands, making plans, bickering, and breaking bread. This co-directed feature brings several short-film chapters from this decade-plus project together with new connective tissue, forming a mosaic of mundane familial moments that yield big laughs and profound insights. The result is a charming, poignant, and formally sophisticated self-portrait that belongs in the pantheons of family-exploring documentaries and creative non-fiction films alongside Sherman’s March and Dick Johnson Is Dead.
Writer(s): Ashley Connor & Joe Stankus
Producer(s): Joe Stankus
Editor(s): Joe Stankus
Country of origin: USA
Principal cast: N/A
Language: English
Year: 2026
Duration: 70 min
Premiere status: Maryland premiere
