A film by James Earl
A short film by James Earl
Jason has been living out of sight in a storage unit, letting his daughter’s calls go unanswered. One night, a stranger in the unit next door draws him into a conversation he can’t walk away from. As the night unfolds, Jason’s carefully guarded life begins to unravel.
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Walter Fauntleroy
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Four Vultures
Written & directed by
James Earl is an actor, writer, and director from Los Angeles. His screen work includes Glee, Scream Queens, Insecure, Narcos: Mexico, and Sprung, as well as the films Gridiron Gang and The Lazarus Effect.
Unit 118 marks his directorial debut. Written and directed by Earl, the supernatural drama explores estrangement, fatherhood, and the distance between people who love one another. Drawing on his experience as a performer, he approaches the film through intimate performances, restraint, and the emotional weight of what remains unsaid.
Unit 118 is my first film as a director. I made it about the distance a person puts between themselves and the people who love them, and how easily that distance becomes a way of life. The promise to reach out once you've got it together can become another reason to stay silent.
I wanted the supernatural to bring that silence into focus. The ghost story gives two men a chance to face what they have avoided. Recognition carries the fear: seeing yourself in someone else, understanding what your absence has cost, and realizing how much can remain unsaid between a parent and a child.
I built the film around restraint. Silence, the rhythm of a box fan, and the contrast between two storage units carry as much weight as dialogue. One room is cold and nearly empty; the other holds warmth and traces of a life. I wanted the performances and the spaces to make that emotional distance tangible.
I made this film for the people who keep postponing the call, and for those still waiting on the other end. The closing words, 'Many remain unseen,' return to the reason I wanted to tell this story: to look closely at someone the world has learned to pass by.