It’s Not Sexual, It’s Just a Body: Writer/Director Sam Tricomo on PUKE BITCH and Its Slamdance Film Festival Premiere

Ahead of its World Premiere at the Slamdance Film Festival, writer-director Sam Tricomo brings one of the festival’s most provocative titles to audiences with PUKE BITCH — a bold, unsettling series that challenges viewers to reconsider discomfort, empathy, and the narratives we project onto others.

He sits down with The Fan Carpet’s Marc Jason Ali over Zoom to discuss the thought-provoking pilot, explaining that the confrontational title is entirely intentional. “I wanted it to seem like a reason not to watch it,” Tricomo explains “It’s visceral and mean.” But beneath the shock lies something far more human. The phrase itself, he explains, refers to a lack of empathy — a thematic thread that runs through the series’ morally ambiguous characters.

Rather than presenting villains, Tricomo was determined to frame even his most difficult characters with compassion. “These characters aren’t empathetic,” he explains, “so we needed to film them with empathy.” Working closely with cinematographer Reynard Lee, the creative team shifted away from stylised quirkiness in favour of a more grounded visual language, lending authenticity to characters who might otherwise feel grotesque or exaggerated.

At the centre of the series is Dove (Jaclyn Iskow), a teenager whose disturbing fascination with roadkill is handled with unexpected sensitivity. For Tricomo, the impulse wasn’t about sensationalism, but vulnerability. The characters, he insists, are not defined by good or evil. “There is really no good or bad,” he says. “It’s just people. Everyone has flaws — some bigger than others.”

Dove’s twin brother Larry (Brandon Engel) operates as both instigator and protector, while neighbour Janet (Kimberly Cruchon Brooks) exists in an unsettling moral grey area that becomes increasingly layered as the episode unfolds.

Perhaps the most striking creative choice comes in the opening moments of the pilot, where a deliberately explicit shot of Dove establishes discomfort immediately. Tricomo stands firm on the intent behind it. “It’s not sexual, it’s just a body,” he says. “We’d rather see a woman dead than exposed.” For him, the reaction to nudity — rather than to violence — revealed something telling about contemporary audiences and the boundaries society is still uncomfortable confronting.

Thematically, PUKE BITCH sits squarely in Slamdance territory — transgressive, conversation-starting, and unafraid to push against expectation. For Tricomo, premiering at Slamdance is deeply personal. After years of submitting work and building the world of Dove and Larry in his imagination, the acceptance email came as a shock. “I almost threw up,” he laughs. “It means everything.”

Ultimately, Tricomo hopes audiences leave disturbed — but thinking. “The world is not as you think it is,” he says. Whether viewers love it or hate it, the goal is the same: spark conversation.

Watch our full interview with Sam Tricomo below.

PUKE BITCH screens at the 2026 Slamdance Film Festival in Los Angeles on February 21 and 22.