Beyond Failure

Marissa Losoya’s Beyond Failure is a film about building an ass – and yet, it’s really about everything else in life but that. Thank you to its writer, director, DP, editor, and star, for this brilliant comedy that makes a lot of us feel seen.

Beyond Failure follows the journey of a young woman on a mission to build her butt – but that physical goal quickly becomes a gateway to exploring the whirlwind of thoughts that come with navigating your twenties. From grappling with independence (‘Wait, I have to get off my parents’ phone plan?’) to confronting the limbo of being an “adult-kid,” the film captures the chaos and comedy of growing up. A hugely relatable watch, what resonated most for me in Losoya’s short was the brilliant use of voiceover. It’s so real to think of a million things at once and I totally connected with the unabashed self-critique and inner-workings of the protagonist in her processing of those everyday moments.

“As I was writing it, I was discovering what the film was really about and it became a bit deeper than a succession of funny bits about hip thrusting”, Losoya explains.

Beyond Failure is giving early YouTube vibes, but with a grace and nuance that turns that description into the highest compliment. There’s a strong sense of nostalgia here, and not just in the aesthetic, but in the way the film echoes the spirit of the platform’s golden era. That nostalgia lends to the short’s authenticity, because really, how do we process life if not through nostalgia?

In a nutshell: I’ve never seen a short like this, but I miss shorts like this. I can’t quite put a finger on exactly what it is, but Losoya has a remarkable ability to present the kind of realness so many of us feel, without irony, judgment, or detachment.

In our interview with the filmmaker she shared that the lines of reality became blurred during production, explaining, “I included real childhood photos and a real video of me practicing French, because I had it and thought it would work.” Adding that she saw these elements as things that “would have taken time and money to recreate”, so they became “valuable in adding a lot of specificity/detail.” Maybe it’s that “real realness” – the kind you don’t have to manufacture – that reminds me of the vlogs I used to watch in my teens. Except this film far surpasses the impact of those videos.

“To what extent is being in constant pursuit of something just a way to cope with the passing of time, or a way to distract myself from the current realities or outright disappointments of my life? This film was a way to process some reflecting I was doing on these questions.” – Losoya on the aims for her short

The shining moment of Beyond Failure comes when our protagonist finally reaches her breaking point and then chooses to move past it. A surprisingly-effective montage of ass-thrusting and birds taking flight becomes the film’s visual and emotional thesis, unpacking the underbelly of all the silliness. As we watch her struggle through a workout, the film cuts to a shot of pigeons flying off a wire, only to draw us back in through the sound of her back giving out. It’s rhythmic, unexpected, and genuinely moving – a poetic moment that defies easy explanation. The film could have ended there and still been something to write home about.

But it doesn’t stop. Beyond Failure lives up to its name—relentless in the best way. Just when you think it’s wrapped, we’re pulled into a hilarious FaceTime moment with the protagonist’s (actual) mother, carrying the momentum past triumph into something even more layered and human.

It’s rare to find such grounding in a comedy, but Beyond Failure pulls it off with elegance and it’s absolutely worthy of applause. With a narrative feature and another short currently in the works, Losoya is a filmmaker whose career I am beyond excited to follow.