The Alley Cat

The Alley Cat is a road movie on a bicycle. Bike messenger Jasper leaves an alley cat race and goes on a physical and spiritual journey on her bike, through Chicago’s nighttime streets, to an emotion-filled destination.

 

The events of The Alley Cat take place during a single night. Jasper, the main character, is the same character from Ullrich’s festival favorite short film Faster! in a completely new set of circumstances.

 

We meet Jasper and her messenger friends during an alley cat race - an alcohol-fueled competition that is put on by bike messengers for bike messengers in deserted downtown streets in the middle of the night. The night takes a hard turn and becomes a physical and spiritual journey for Jasper, who engages with the eccentrics and loners of the night during her ride to a mysterious destination and its emotional secret.

 

By taking place during one night, the film exists in a liminal space. This liminality is echoed by the events that occur - things are overturned and unresolved.  This liminality is part of Jasper’s character; the mythological Messenger communicates between the gods, the mortals, and the underworld, occupying no space fully. The film occupies a dark space, but Jasper’s emotional and physical journey ends with hope and uplift.