Chris Herriges has been an acoustic guitarist and performer for many years, but first tried his hand at filmmaking and acting a few years ago with the independent, feature-length The Vase.

He learned quite a bit from that process, including how to get his name out there with local theaters, but also how to tighten up his plotline to keep the audience intrigued.

His new 40-minute film – Brad & Dwight’s Dance-Off – came out in June and can be found for free on Amazon Prime. It mixes dry humor with an intense relationship dynamic to bring to light the ways the two can complement each other throughout life.

Herriges graduated from Memorial High School and then UW-Eau Claire but now resides in the Twin Cities, where this film was shot in its entirety. He wanted to make a piece that was “art reflecting life” so he chose to incorporate his past relationship hardships with his desire to learn how to dance as a personal challenge. He had been playing around with the idea for a few years to make a film about the struggles women face trusting men again after they’ve had tumultuous or abusive relationships with their father figure.

The film explores the concepts of loyal friendship, honest communication and flexibility in relationships, and the value of therapy. As Brad says at the end of the film, we should “reach out, try a few new things, and enjoy the process.”