It’s strange what we hold onto from childhood – and stranger still how those memories can shift when compared with someone else’s version of the same events. Memory is never fixed; it bends and falters under countless influences. But what happens when someone reshapes the past for their own benefit? That unsettling question lies at the heart of Zander Coté’s (Tantrums) gripping short Pillow Fortress, where two old friends reunite unexpectedly and quickly find themselves at odds when they discover their recollections of the past don’t align.Featuring an impressive cast, Pillow Fortress is a dialogue-driven, character-focused film powered by some compelling performances. As Bart (S/W regular Alex Karpovsky) and Tommy (Timothy Nordwind) are thrown together as strangers, it soon becomes clear that their paths have crossed before. However, their memories of a childhood bed-wetting incident sharply diverge – and one of them seems far more affected by the disagreement than the other.Rosa Procaccino (R) stars opposite Alex Karpovsky in Pillow Fortress.“I’m a sucker for a petty argument between two grown men,” Coté admits when asked whether Pillow Fortress was inspired by his own experiences. While not based on a personal anecdote, the writer-director explains that the story springs from a very real human impulse: the need to be right. “I’m curious about our need to feel so sure about things,” he says, adding, “we walk straight, shoulders back, defending our positions against the void, but we’re three feet tall and dressed in our parents’ work clothes; we haven’t even lost our teeth.” – a fittingly lyrical and humorous reflection on our inadequacies when it comes to admitting the truth.Much like a memory we can’t quite piece together, Pillow Fortress shifts and transforms as it unfolds. What begins as a laid-back hangout film – where we’re seated around the dining table listening to Tommy recount how his old neighbour was allegedly sleeping with Lady Gaga – gradually morphs into something far more unsettling as subtle power dynamics emerge. As Coté observes, “if we’re inclined to judge them for their pettiness, then the situation is funny, but a slightly different angle might reveal that this is also the stuff of all the big-boy tragedies.”