I Don’t Even Want Me is a film directed and produced by Grif Benzel and shot in Kent. The film tells the story of Loren, who faces rejection from all corners. Unfortunately, he can’t find a romantic partner! Loren’s efforts to find a job as a graphic designer are fruitless. His high school buddy, Evan, refuses to give him a job. This film delves not only into Loren’s misfortunes but also into the aspect of friendship as we see his only friend, Grif, trying to help him out of his situation.
The black-and-white film begins with Loren discussing horses with a date. While her life revolves around horses, Loren has no interest in them. She is not into tie-die like Loren, either. Just as the date ends and they are at the parking lot, he decides to end what had barely started. The next scene is of his lonely walk home on the lit-up street. The next day, his friend asks him how the date was, and he responds, “It was not good!”
Grif suggests Loren goes out on a date with Sam and is set to link them up. Loren prefers his dates on the creek and believes there are no good bars in his area. In the next scene, we see Loen jumping on the trampoline, and signs of a depressed soul show. Grif reaches out to Sam, who then invites him to her place to share some good news with him. Grif goes first and tells Sam that he wants her to date his friend. Sam says it’s impossible as she got the promotional she was anticipating, and she’s relocating from Seattle to Chicago. She also brags about being called “Sam the heartbreaker” and jokes about having a tiny tattoo of that name, so small it can’t be seen!
Grif calls Loren and invites him to the wall ball. In another scene, Loren follows up on a position he applied for some weeks ago. He gets unpleasant news that the hiring manager is still reviewing the applications. Loren continues facing rejection, with his former schoolmate denying him a role in his film. While playing wall ball, he hits it so hard that it bounces over the wall, clearly indicating his losing it.
At some point, his friend leaves him, and he spends most of his days alone. He continues to wander in his thoughts and tries to spend time outdoors to help clear his mind. He also tries to use cough syrup to get high. The friend reaches out again and asks him to accompany him to a friend's house to check on her after breaking up with her girlfriend. All the friends ignore her and engage in conversations, drink wine, and dance.
This film speaks of every young adult living with parents who can’t get a job or a date amidst the pressure from family. I Don’t Even Want Me tells the story of someone who feels unwanted, is losing their mind, and wonders why nothing works in their favor. You see Loren sink deeper and deeper into depression that he can’t wear his boxers right. It’s a powerful story of a situation no one wants to find themselves in!