Crushed

Summary

Crushed (2023) is a charming comedy short about a woman who finally decides to tell her workplace crush how she feels. After likely spending too much time imagining the possibilities and too little time considering the risks, she gathers the courage to make her feelings known to the colleague who has caught her attention. What should be a straightforward romantic confession quickly becomes far more awkward and unpredictable than she expected. The film centers on the hopeful but nervous woman and the coworker at the heart of her infatuation, using their interaction to explore the uncertainty of attraction and the vulnerability involved in putting one’s feelings on the line. Its humor comes from the gap between romantic expectations and messy real-life behavior, particularly in the confined, potentially uncomfortable setting of the workplace. Beneath the comic misunderstandings, Crushed is a lighthearted look at courage, rejection, self-consciousness, and the universal desire to be honest about what—and who—we want.