Director Misha Calvert’s FAULT world-premiered at the 2026 Tribeca Festival. Running only 14 minutes, the kinetically charge virtuoso FAULT uses the world of professional tennis as the backdrop for a much larger story about trauma, family loyalty, power, and the devastating cost of silence. One doesn’t have to be a movie aficionado to recognize FAULT as a timely non-flinching tour de force for these helter-skelter times.
Facing off: Gigi, played by Coco Jourdana, Steph, played by Sara Rich
At the heart of FAULT, is Steph, played by Sarah Rich, a world-class tennis player fine tuning her prowess for the U.S. Open. Her life appears discipline, successful, and under control. That carefully managed facade begins to unravel when her estranged sister, Gigi, played by Coco Jourdana, unexpectedly re-enters her sister’s life after a long estrangement.
An almost volcanic eruption of painful memories and allegations involving sexual abuse by Steph’s longtime coach surfaces; Steph caught between protecting her career and public image that she has spent years building and facing realties that threaten to destroy everything she has achieved.
The sheen of FAULT being a sports drama fades, with tennis serving as setting and metaphor. Professional tennis is built on competition, isolation, control, and pressure — qualities that mirror the emotional battle unfolding between the sisters. Director Calvert uses the sport intelligently, not as spectacle but as a visual language for war, conflict and survival in these chaotic times.
Actress Sarah Rich’s remarkable performance delivered in restrained manner as Steph. Rather than getting a dramatic breakdown, the audience sees the character’s anxiety and rage simmering beneath the surface. The performance feels authentic about someone who has spent years mastering self-control. Rich’s ability to communicate internal conflict through silence and physical presence gives the film much of its emotional weight.
Equally impressive is Coco Jourdana as Gigi. Her character serves as both catalyst and conscience. Gigi’s determination to force a reckoning with the past propels the narrative, but Jourdana avoids turning the role into a simple crusader archetype. She brings vulnerability and frustration to a woman who has spent years carrying truths that others would rather ignore.
Visually, FAULT transcends its modest running time. The film’s Connecticut mansion setting symbolizes privilege, secrecy and control. Elegant surroundings contrast sharply with the emotional turmoil taking place inside. Cinematographer Robert E. Newman exquisitely captures this tension beautifully, polished scenes that feeling sterile.
A timely film. In recent years, sports organizations, colleges and even communities faced difficult issues regarding sexual abuse, accountability and the treatment of survivors. FAULT enters that conversation without becoming preachy. Instead, it focuses on the deeply personal consequences that arise when people choose whether to believe — or not believe — someone they love.
Calvert uses every minute efficiently. The film moves quickly but never feels rushed. FAULT definitely is not an easy watch. This reviewer was on the edge of his seat most of the film, winching at those moments that seemed to be the moment for the coup de grâce to be delivered by the particular sister with the advantage at the time.
Fault is a sharp, intelligent, and emotionally resonant film that asks uncomfortable questions about family, ambition, and truth. In a Big Apple film festival with worthy short films galore, Calvert’s shines: The most difficult battles are often not fought on a court, a field, or a stage, but within ourselves.
FAULT reminds us why short films remain one of cinema’s most powerful storytelling forms. In just 14 minutes, Misha Calvert creates a drama that lingers long after the final frame.
ABOUT THE filmmakers
Cast
Coco Jourdana as Steph (the elite tennis star)
Sarah Rich as Gigi (the estranged sister)
Tim Bohn
Lauren Leong Richardson [1, 2, 3, 4]
Key Crew
Director & Screenwriter: Misha Calvert
Producers: Allie Delury, Cassidy Campbell, and Misha Calvert
Executive Producers: Coco Jourdana, Karen Hinton, and David Weinraub
Cinematographer: Robert E. Newman
Editor: Marco Rosas
Composer: Stuart Michael Thomas
Production Designer: Saunder Lynne Boyle
Costume Designer: Lauren Richardson
Sound: David Tichauer