Cleopatra's Second Husband is a 1998 psychological drama

Drama

Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...

 written, produced and directed by Jon Reiss

Jon Reiss

Jon Reiss is an award-winning producer and director, named one of "10 Digital Directors to Watch" by Daily Variety. His work has screened at prestigious film festivals around the world, including Sundance, Toronto, Berlin, Tribeca, Los Angeles, Rotterdam, Seattle, New Directors/New Films, and Sao...

. Paul Hipp

Paul Hipp

-Early years:Paul Hipp was born and raised in the suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Hipp left Pennsylvania for New York City immediately after high school, starting his career playing for tips on the streets of Greenwich Village while studying acting with Mira Rostova and at HB Studio with...

 (The Funeral) and Bitty Schram

Bitty Schram

Elizabeth Natalie "Bitty" Schram is an American actress, most widely known for having played Sharona Fleming in the television series Monk.-Career:...

 (Kissing a Fool

Kissing a Fool

Kissing A Fool is a 1998 American romantic comedy film directed by Doug Ellin. It primarily stars David Schwimmer, Jason Lee, and Mili Avital...

) play Robert and Hallie Marrs, a young LA couple, who go on vacation, leaving their house in the hands of strangers. They return to find their fish as dead as the plants, everything in disarray, and housesitters, clad in the couple's clothes, refusing to leave. Zack (Boyd Kestner

Boyd Kestner

Boyd Kestner is an American actor, who starred in The Outsiders television series and later came to prominence in his role as Alex Barth in the television drama Knots Landing.-External links:...

) and Sophie (Radha Mitchell

Radha Mitchell

Radha Rani Amber Indigo Anunda Mitchell is an Australian actress. Her film roles include Finding Neverland, Phone Booth, Man on Fire, Silent Hill, and the The Crazies-Early life:...

), the charismatic house sitting

House sitting

House sitting is the practice whereby a landlord , leaving their house for a period of time, entrusts it to one or more "house sitters", who by a mutual agreement are entitled to live there rent-free in exchange for assuming responsibilities such as taking care of the homeowner's pets, performing...

 couple, soon infuse the repressed Robert with their erotically perverse irresponsibility. Robert, browbeaten and seemingly devoid of personality (with even his sex life regulated by his domineering wife's ovulation cycle), is easily seduced by the sexy Sophie. When Hallie discovers the dalliance and leaves, Robert literally becomes the couples slave. He gives them control of his home, his credit cards, practically his entire identity, until one day, driven to the darkest edge of his psyche, he snaps. Partially inspired by a true incident, this gripping thriller is equal parts black comedy and psychological power play. The films title "Cleopatra's Second Husband," derives from Hallie and Robert's relationship which is a parallel to that of Cleopatra and Marc Antony.

The film was screened at Cinequest Film Festival, Los Angeles Independent Film Festival, Seattle International Film Festival

Seattle International Film Festival

The Seattle International Film Festival , held annually in Seattle, Washington since 1976, is among the top film festivals in North America. Audiences have grown steadily; the 2006 festival had 160,000 attendees...

, Montreal World Film Festival

Montreal World Film Festival

The Montreal World Film Festival , founded in 1977, is one of Canada's oldest international film festivals and the only competitive film festival in North America accredited by the FIAPF...

, Hamptons International Film Festival, ao Paulo International Film Festival], Chicago Underground Festival and the Bangkok Film Festival (now the Bangcock International Film Festival)