A woman wakes up in the dark. Her hands are bound. She is trapped inside the trunk of a car. Through a tiny gap in the backseat, she catches brief, fragmented glimpses of the people who have taken her.

She knows what is coming.

She is going to die.

But as the trunk opens and the outside world appears in fleeting pieces—sunlight, gravel, distant trees, approaching footsteps—the mystery surrounding her begins to take shape.

And one question becomes impossible to ignore:

Does she actually deserve what is about to happen to her?

That is the disturbing premise behind Just Deserts, an upcoming dialogue-free short thriller written and directed by independent filmmaker Laura Fenney.

The film is now raising funds to bring its unusual and intensely contained story to life.

Help them reach their goal now!

A Thriller Trapped Inside a Car Trunk

Just Deserts is designed to place the audience directly inside the film’s central mystery.

There is no dialogue.

There is no traditional exposition explaining what happened or telling viewers who to trust.

Instead, the story unfolds through images and sound.

The low hum of a car.

Gravel crunching under approaching footsteps.

Birds singing somewhere in the distance.

And the horrifying contrast between a bright, peaceful landscape and the violence unfolding inside a car trunk.

The audience is trapped with the protagonist, forced to experience the mystery through the same limited perspective she has.

Every glimpse of the outside world is incomplete.

Every person seen through the narrow opening raises more questions.

And as the pieces begin to come together, the film intends to challenge the audience’s assumptions about who is the victim—and who is the threat.

Neither woman at the center of the story is meant to be an obvious hero or villain.

Instead, Just Deserts explores how quickly perception can change when new information begins to surface.

Sometimes, the most disturbing stories are not the ones that give you all the answers.

They are the ones that make you question whether you were ever rooting for the right person.

A Film Built on Ambition, Creativity, and Limited Resources

The project is written and directed by Laura Fenney, an independent filmmaker focused on creating ambitious work without the resources of a major studio production.

The crew behind Just Deserts was built through bathroom flyers, Reddit posts, word of mouth, and what the filmmakers describe as “pure grit.”

The project also brings back the same core team behind Delivery Driver, a short film that swept the New Haven 48 Hour Film Project before competing internationally at Filmapalooza in Lisbon in 2026.

The film also made the Top 25 list out of 123 global winners, as selected by the co-chair of the festival review panel.

Now, that team is coming back together for something considerably more claustrophobic.

The production is reuniting with lead cast members Toni Belafonte and Sean Leser while introducing Indigo Phillips to the project.

The goal is to create a thriller that proves a compelling story does not require a massive budget.

It requires a strong idea.

A committed cast and crew.

And the determination to make the idea real.

The Production Found Its Perfect Car

One of the most important pieces of Just Deserts has already been secured.

The car.

The film will be shot inside a rare abandoned 1988 Gran Fury Plymouth, complete with its original leather interior.

Finding the vehicle was not exactly a simple process.

According to the filmmakers, Laura Fenney literally waded through vines to track down the classic car with the help of Howie, an 84-year-old local dealer described by the production as a true legend.

The result is a remarkably unusual setting for a short thriller.

A vintage car.

A confined trunk.

A woman who knows she is going to die.

And a mystery that unfolds almost entirely through what can—and cannot—be seen.

As the filmmakers put it:

Abandoned classic cars don’t just grow on trees. Sometimes, they grow in vines.

The Team Is Nearly Halfway to Its Goal

The production is currently raising $5,000 to cover the essential costs of making the film.

So far, the campaign has raised $2,350.

That leaves the team just $150 away from reaching the halfway point.

The shoot is scheduled for August 8–9, with the filmmakers hoping to complete the project in time to submit it for consideration before the August 31 Sundance submission deadline.

The timeline is tight.

And because the entire film takes place inside a vehicle, the production comes with some very specific challenges.

Funds will help support:

• Cast and crew compensation
• Camera and production equipment
• Specialized lighting
• Sound recording and design
• Transportation and logistics
• Production design
• Specialized equipment needed to film inside the vehicle
• Editing and post-production
• Color and final finishing work

For a film that relies almost entirely on visual storytelling and sound design, every one of those elements plays an important role.

The audience needs to feel trapped inside the car.

The camera needs to make the confined space feel even smaller.

And the sound needs to tell the story when the audience cannot see what is happening.

Help them reach their goal with your contribution!

Supporters Can Become Part of the Mystery

The Just Deserts campaign offers several levels of support, beginning at $5.

Supporters can receive production credit shoutouts, handwritten thank-you cards, behind-the-scenes production material, exclusive photos and updates, invitations to a local screening, signed digital production stills, personalized video messages from the director, special supporter credits, and private conversations with the filmmakers.

Higher-level supporters can also receive Executive Supporter, Associate Producer-level, and Special Thanks credits.

But the filmmakers emphasize that contributing hundreds of dollars is not necessary to make a difference.

$5 helps.

$25 helps.

$100 helps.

And sharing the campaign can help just as much.

The production is already moving forward.

The car has been found.

The cast is coming together.

The crew is ready.

The shoot dates are set.

Now, the team needs the resources to make the film happen.

Can Just Deserts Reach the Finish Line?

The production is just $150 away from reaching the halfway point of its $5,000 goal.

With the August 8–9 shoot approaching and the August 31 submission deadline ahead, the team is now looking for additional support to bring the project across the finish line.

For fans of contained thrillers, independent filmmaking, moral ambiguity, and stories that refuse to tell you exactly who the villain is, Just Deserts offers a compelling premise.

A woman wakes up bound inside a car trunk.

She knows she is going to die.

But the deeper question is not simply who kidnapped her.

It is why.

And whether the audience will still see her as a victim once the truth begins to emerge.

You can support the production and learn more about Just Deserts through the official pitch deck.

The project is also listed on IMDb, while more information about writer-director Laura Fenney can be found on her official website.

Every contribution and every share brings Just Deserts closer to becoming a finished film.

And if the filmmakers succeed, audiences may be left with one uncomfortable question long after the credits roll:

Who exactly deserved what happened?