Operator

Directed By Logan Kibens

Joe, a programmer and obsessive self-quantifier, and Emily, a budding comedy performer, are happily married until they decide to use one another in their work.

  • ABOUT
  • BIO
Joe (Martin Starr) is a programmer with a crippling anxiety problem who is unable to deal with uncertainty. At work he is tasked with creating an interactive call center answering machine that can convey empathy. Joe recruits his wife Emily (Mae Whitman) who has the perfect voice for the system. Emily works at the front desk of a swanky hotel during the day and has an uncanny ability to soothe even the most irate guests (at night she performs with a comedy group). After years of being happily married, the pressures of work, family, and personal growth have strained their relationship. Emily sees this as an opportunity to reinvigorate their marriage and agrees to participate. What begins as a collaboration to strengthen their relationship quickly spirals out of control. Terrified of the uncertainty in their relationship, Joe becomes obsessed with creating the “perfect” version of his wife, becoming detached from the real Emily as he spends sleepless nights programming his automated Emily to fulfill his needs for sex and companionship. While Joe is losing touch with reality, Emily is losing faith in their future together. Joe will have to relinquish control and face the uncertainties of life if he wants to save their marriage.
Logan Kibens is a Writer/Director whose films integrate visual artistry with narrative, character driven storytelling. A CalArts alumna, she was a HBO/DGA Directing Fellow, working on shows such as True Blood, The Newsroomand Entourage. She is an award-winning projections designer for theatre and dance with designs at The Goodman, Steppenwolf, and The Washington Opera to name a few. Her first feature OPERATOR went through the Sundance Labs, garnering multiple awards from Film Independent and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. OPERATOR premiered in 2016 at SXSW, and is currently in distribution with a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Logan is a Consulting Producer on Jill Soloway’s I Love Dick, a producer and director on KCET’s docu-series Lost LA, and is directing an episode of Snowfall for FX this spring.