Vertical Drama Review: The Road Between Us

A Masterclass in Intimate, Adult Storytelling

There are films that entertain you, films that move you, and then there are films that quietly rearrange something inside your chest. The Road Between Us is firmly in that last category.

Written by Anthony Zuiker, directed with extraordinary sensitivity by Matt Macedo, and released by GammaTime, this story proves—without spectacle, without gimmicks, that vertical format storytelling can deliver something profoundly human.

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This isn’t shock-driven romance.
This is love as reckoning.

Dalia Garces

The Story.
Love, Loss, and the Space Between

At its core, The Road Between Us is about two people standing on opposite sides of grief and guilt; and choosing, even briefly, to meet in the middle.

Anna is a married mother of two, trapped in a life that’s grown quietly unsafe and emotionally barren. Sebastian is a widower and a man living with the knowledge that his time is painfully finite. Their first encounter—simple, almost mundane—unfolds into something unmistakable. Not reckless lust. Not fantasy. Recognition.

What begins as flirtation evolves into a road trip that becomes a reckoning. The road between them isn’t just asphalt—it’s the distance between who they’ve been and who they are brave enough to become. When Anna articulates that the road represents his grief and her guilt, the film crystallizes its thesis: love doesn’t erase pain—it meets it honestly.

The story resists melodrama. It trusts silence. It trusts stillness. And most importantly, it trusts the audience.

Anna & Sebastian.
Chemistry That Feels Almost Intrusive

The chemistry between Jessica Morris (Anna) and Rib Hillis (Sebastian) is the kind that makes you feel like you shouldn’t be watching. It isn’t performative. It isn’t heightened. It’s intimate, grounded, and devastatingly real.

Every glance carries weight. Every pause says more than dialogue ever could. Their connection feels instant not because the script demands it—but because both actors sell the emotional inevitability of it. This is love born of timing, not convenience; of urgency, not fantasy.

Sebastian’s vulnerability—his awareness of mortality paired with genuine tenderness—meets Anna’s quiet desperation and longing for agency. Together, they create a love story that feels lived-in, not idealized.

Performances.
Adult, Layered, Unflinching

Morris delivers one of those performances where emotion lives in micro-expressions.

Jessica Morris as Anna

Morris delivers one of those performances where emotion lives in micro-expressions. Her laughter, fear, guilt, defiance, and desire coexist in every scene. Anna is not painted as flawless; and that’s the triumph. Her selfishness, her courage, her moments of fear all feel authentic. Watching her reclaim herself, especially in moments of confrontation, is quietly exhilarating.

Hillis is extraordinary. He sells both impending loss and love-at-first-sight without sentimentality.

Rib Hillis as Sebastian

His performance is gentle but never weak, romantic but never naïve. He makes Sebastian feel like a man who has loved deeply before—and knows exactly what he’s risking by loving again.

Bailey’s portrayal is nuanced and unsettling in its realism. He isn’t a cartoon villain
...

Xander Bailey as
Anna’s Husband

He’s an emotionally fractured man who understands, too late, that something bigger than him is happening. His resignation in the final acts adds a layer of tragic maturity rarely afforded to secondary characters.

Direction & Writing.
Restraint as Power

//Matt Macedo directs with astonishing emotional intelligence.

//Anthony Zuiker, best known for procedural precision, pivots here into something deeply personal.

Every frame feels intentional, never indulgent. Matt Macedo understands when to pull back, when to linger, and when to let silence do the heavy lifting. This is a director who knows that intimacy isn’t created by proximity but by trust.

The structure is elegant. The pacing is confident. There’s no “other shoe” moment because none is needed.

The story unfolds exactly as it should: Beginning. Middle. End. No shortcuts. No cheap twists.

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It’s a masterclass in trusting the material.

Why This Film Matters

The Road Between Us signals something important for vertical storytelling:

• Romance doesn’t need shock value
• Emotion doesn’t need excess violence
• Adult stories deserve adult treatment

This film proves that connection alone can carry a story and that love, even fleeting love, can be life-altering.

This isn’t just a standout vertical.
This is a love story that lingers.

Tender.
Brave.
Intimate.

The Road Between Us takes your heart, breaks it gently, and gives it back wiser than before.

If this is where GammaTime is headed, we’re witnessing the next evolution of the format.

Memorable Words.

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Goodbyes aren’t endings… they’re echoes

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Love is fragile, and you protect it, you don’t bruise it.

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You’re carrying grief; I’m carrying guilt. We’re bound by desire, but separated by circumstance.

█ Talent and Crew.

Anna: Jessica Morris
Sebastian: Rib Hillis
Harold: Xander Bailey
Savannah: Aurora Jeanne Marie Amidon
Hannah: Sloan Lucas Muldown

Executive Producer: Anthony Zuiker
Production Co: GammaTime
Directed by: Matt Macedo
Written by: Anthony Zuiker

Bill Block, the former Miramax boss, Artisan Entertainment founder and producer of Oscar-winning fare, has opened the doors to GammaTime, new micro-drama streaming platform. He is joined by former Google Gaming vet Slava Mudrykh, who’ll serve as chief revenue office, and Quibi vet Alex Montalvo, who’ll serve as chief content officer.

Cinematography by @nevoshirazi_dp
Producer: @producedbyhector
Casting Director: Jonathan Clay Harris
Line Producer: @toriichikowitz
Manager of Production at GammaTime: @maxphil996
1st AD: @rohitrelan
2nd AD: Kate McCarthy & @claudiodpm_99
Script Supervisor: @fridgelessedard
Set PA: @claudiodpm_99 / @jacksonlolol
A Cam Operator: @nevoshirazi_dp
B Cam Operator: Doug Ferricks
Gaffer: Ethan Ortiz
Key Grip: @megustavophoto
Swing: Rodrigo Quezada & Topher Hammond
DIT: Nathan Sciele
2nd AC: Nathan Sciele
Production Designer: @artist_be_ba_
Art Director: Oscar O’Neil
Prop Master: Samantha Galasso
Costume Designer: Coleen Chan
Costume Assistant: Sarah Wallne
Key Hair and Make Up Artist: Shy Elizabeth
Post Production Supervisor: Sebastian Attie
Post Producer: Natalia Garcia
Editor: Ana Florit Editor / Zachary Isenberg
AI Producer: Jonathan Fischer / Dan Oravasaari 
Color & Mix: Hans Geiger
Sound Mixer: Matt Gelzer
Intimacy Coordinator: Brynn Mitchell
Stunt Coordinator: Tony Snegoff
Studio Teacher: Newsha Tavakoli
Assistant Editor: Tiffany McLane / Jeremy Hochteil
Set photographer: Kyle Ellis

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