Pepper

My favorite short by far was Pepper, directed by Kim Noonan. Pepper is a comedy of manners about a hippy-type who runs over a dog. The hippy decides to go to the dog-owner's apartment to tell her what happened, but when he gets there he finds a lonely woman distraught about her missing dog, and he can't bring himself to give her the bad news. The hippy spends the night, and the two soon become romantic, under false pretenses, of course.

I admit that when Pepper first started, I didn't think I was going to like it. Based on the comedic, mugging tone, I thought it was going to be too light for my tastes. But the light tone was deceptive, as the humor was very dark, the emotions ran deep, and the commentary on social conventions, and on the human need to make a connection, was both perceptive and hilarious.