Alice-Heart
Director(s): Mike Macera
Film description: Alice-Heart is an aimless college student in Philadelphia who aspires to be a successful writer but drops out of school in her last semester of senior year on a whim. Immediately cut off from her disappointed Filipino mother and dumped by her studious boyfriend, she finds that she has to pay bills on her own for the first time. Distraught, she takes solace in her neighbor Tony, a self sufficient freelance photographer who encourages her to pursue her passions and hold onto her friendships.
Screening after: Max Distance
ERIC SAYS The most romantic feature in New/Next 2025’s lineup isn’t even a romance, exactly. Drawing inspiration from hand-crafted 2000s indies like Andrew Bujalski’s Mutual Appreciation, director Mike Macera and star Lissa Carandang-Sweeney’s Philly-set character study brims with a big heart—and, to be sure, love, sex, and relationships are rarely far from its concerns. Yet more than anything, this film serves as a hilarious and elegantly crafted love letter to our 20s, in all their impetuous decisions, messy relationships, and budget-necessitated instant-ramen dinners.
With an academic setting reminiscent of Sorry, Baby and a central character as charismatic as Frances Ha’s, Alice-Heart presents a smart, funny, and wildly relatable look at playing your position and living with your mistakes as you launch an adult life. It’s a winner—and if you count any of the films referenced above as a favorite, run, don’t walk. (Eric Allen Hatch)
Writer(s): Mike Macera
Producer(s): Lissa Carandang-Sweeney, Zach Rineer, Adam McAlonie, Alfred Giancarli, Tony McCall, Matt Connelly
Editor(s): Adam McAlonie
Cinematographer(s): Matt Connelly
Country of origin: USA
Principal cast: Lissa Carandang-Sweeney (Alice-Heart), Tony McCall (Tony), Adam McAlonie (Lyman), Kelsey O'Keefe (Joan), Gabriel Elmore (Professor Spadden), Lauren Serafica (Rome Girl), and Will Bricca (Bradley)
Language: English
Year: 2025
Duration: 93 min
Premiere status: Maryland Premiere
