a film by Artemis Shaw and Prashanth Kamalakanthan

www.memory.is/new-strains

Kallia and Ram have just begun their first vacation as a couple, and they’re already bickering. Though a strange new illness is on the brink of exploding into a pandemic, and despite Ram’s protestations, Kallia insists that they are going to have a fun week in New York City. Within hours of their arrival, a nation-wide lockdown is announced, ruining their plans. Over the course of their stay, they descend to absurd depths of jealousy and co-dependence. Is their childish behavior simply the result of cabin fever, or is it something more?

“Wry, resourceful, and unnervingly intimate…a glimmering indie diamond” - Screen Slate

“woozy..weirdo rom-com” - Art Forum

“Hugely charming” - The Film Verdict

“..so germinal that it feels like an injection of fresh hope for the future” - Reverse Shot

Festivals:
IFFRotterdam 2023 (Special Jury Prize)
First Look 2023 (Museum of Moving Image)
Los Angeles Festival of Movies 2024