We Strangers

Rayelle Martin (played by Kirby Howell-Baptiste) works as a commercial cleaner in Gary, Indiana. She's mischievous, playful, and as a Black woman in her 30s, skilled at adapting to her surroundings. One day while at work, Ray is approached by an Indian man, Dr. Neeraj Patel, who hires her to work as his housekeeper. Who's going to say no to extra money? Not Ray. He then presents her another offer she can't refuse: a second job cleaning his mistress's home. At first Ray is just an observer, but then, after growing tired of being a witness, she impulsively tells one small lie: that she can speak to the dead. As Ray attempts to gain ownership over her own identity, she finds herself in an odd new position of power. An in-depth character study from Anu Valia, whose short film, LUCIA BEFORE AND AFTER, won the Jury Award for US Fiction at Sundance in 2017.