Holding on to Nothing

'Holding on to Nothing' is a neo-noir short film, written, directed and produced by Raza Mallal. Set in around the 1950s, it tells the story of Rita, an ex-cabaret singer, who drowns her sorrows in the old club where she used to perform. Her lover, JD, disappeared on the night he was supposed to propose to her. Rita had been ready to give herself away to him, but now he's gone and has left her with nothing. Remembering her life with him, she feels distraught and angry. Rita decides to enlist the help of Detective Dick Chambers to help her find him. The Detective agrees to help, mainly due to her looks, but also out of pity and the determination to find a missing man. He asks Rita some simple questions, only to discover that she doesn't really know the man she was about to marry.