Stark retro synth paired with the breath of the thrill illuminates 2025’s Lady & Coffee.
The brainchild of fourth-year Carleton University communication and media studies student Delroy Goveas, the short film is a fresh take on crime dramedy with a taste of romance.
Goveas’s piece follows the frustrated freelance criminal Lady, played by Reem Mabrouk, as she searches for happiness beyond her day job. She is accompanied by Coffee, played by Will Barrett, a nursing student who turns to street racing to finance his education.
The looming criminal bosses of Carla, played by Mallaury Lajoie, and Winston, played by Sock ‘n’ Buskin alum Donovan Martin, haunt the film. A deal goes deadly wrong, leaving both Coffee and Lady to run for their lives.
Lady & Coffee was a stepping stone in Goveas’s filmography and created a sense of community for the creatives involved.
As a writer first and foremost, Goveas delved into unfamiliar territory with directing, drawing inspiration from the 1994 Wong Kar-wai film Chungking Express, he said.
“I was at work one day, had some free time, and wanted to write a story that distorts how we see criminal stories,” he said.
“Usually, they focus on big drug dealers or gangs with big budgets. But I wanted to make something smaller-scale, more relatable, with little characters.”
As opposed to an action-heavy, grandiose film like Fast & Furious, Lady & Coffee focuses on individualistic plots with characters experiencing relatable emotions.
“It’s a story about a woman who’s kind of run out of simple pleasures. She has this sort of life of crime that she relies too heavily on,” Goveas added.
“When she meets a street racer named Coffee, she eventually gets the chance to have a simple life and an enriching life for herself.”
Will Barrett, the fifth-year Carleton film studies student playing Coffee, said the film sets itself apart from others in its genre. He said the meaningful dialogue paired with the experimental action drew him into the role.
“I think he’s a very impulsive person, quite energetic and rambunctious,” Barrett said of his character.
“Coffee is kind of a lost puppy and a bit of a thrill-seeker. The film speaks to a lot of people, but it speaks to me, too.”
Coffee’s blossoming connection with Lady is woven throughout the film.
“What I like about Lady’s character is that she gives Coffee a chance. People sometimes run out of chances, but Coffee is someone doing his best despite the cards he’s dealt,” Barrett said.
“That doesn’t make him a bad person.”
Mabrouk, a third-year Carleton biology and theatre student, explained that at her core, Lady is commanding: “She speaks very short and straightforward.”
“I’ve always been told I look older or more mature for my age, so stepping into a role like this was natural,” Mabrouk said. “I have a very good role model as an older sister, so I drew from that — nurturing, loving but reserved.”
Mabrouk believes Lady’s journey as a character shows a side of someone that most people don’t see: “hard on the outside but soft on the inside.”
“People have walls for valid reasons: trauma, hurt, loss,” Mabrouk said. “But patterns break, and when you start to let people in, even small acts of kindness can change your life.
“That’s an important message for our community.”
For Barrett, community was a theme within the film and throughout the filmmaking process.
“The dynamic on set was always novel and unique because you get to know people quickly,” Barrett said. “It was awesome getting to know people who share the same love for film, even if we approach it differently. Some are great with cameras, others with makeup, and of course, everyone is talented as actors too.”
Mabrouk echoed Barrett, adding that part of the fun is in supporting student-led work.
“Supporting a student director or student project means supporting your community. People should feel encouraged to watch, follow, or support student work, even online,” Mabrouk said.
“Nobody expected perfection and we were all there to learn, collaborate and figure out the best way to do things.”
Featured image by Simon McKeown/the Charlatan
