Jesse Ruuttila

Through forty interconnected vignettes, Human Theories is a comedic kaleidoscope exploring how people try, and often fail, to connect with one another in this weird world. Filmed over a year on location in New York City with a diverse ensemble cast of over 50 actors and non-actors, the film is an experimental love letter to the awkward struggle of modern city living.

A millennial screenwriter searching for inspiration finds his power during an existential crisis.

Sofia works as a location scout for a TV pilot filming in New York City. It’s her job to find the homes, businesses, and exteriors where the show will be filmed. Driving around the city's different neighborhoods, she enters the private spaces of strangers to photograph their cozy apartments and eclectic shops, stepping into the fabric of their lives while trying to satisfy the demands of her erratic employers. Over a day filled with these encounters, Sofia witnesses moments of curiosity, vulnerability, and quiet tension until her work takes a sudden, personal turn.

Dani, a product of divorce and a single mother, is working from home while caring for her peppery, sick mother when her bohemian father shows up on her doorstep, homeless. What follows is a cramped, chaotic reunion about family, friction, and being stuck together.

Doug and Valerie have made a mistake. Their hate-fueled obsession with the jerks downstairs — who always seem to be singing karaoke in a brownstone, who even does that? — recently led them to flee the city for Doug’s parents’ place upstate, giving up a great deal on a rent-stabilized apartment. Their friends are horrified, and regret is setting in. They start plotting their revenge— and before they know it, they’re staging an off-Broadway play starring their nemesis.

A man looks for help from a UFO host to help explain why he might have been abducted.

A trans cop with the New York City Police Department goes undercover to make a drug bust.

Two old friends try to keep an open mind while attending a seniors-only singles retreat in the Poconos.