Director: Jake Johnson
A lonely man's chance at excitement turns into a paranoid scramble for survival in Self Reliance, Jake Johnson's directorial debut about the absurd lengths people will go to feel like their life matters.
What is Self Reliance about?
Tommy is stuck in a rut, drifting through days that feel interchangeable, when a limousine pulls up outside his house and a celebrity host invites him into a secretive online game. The rules are simple and terrifying: strangers are paid to hunt and kill him over the next thirty days, and he wins a large cash prize if he survives. The one loophole is that the hunters can never act while he is in the company of another person, so Tommy has to convince someone, anyone, to stay near him at all times. He recruits an unemployed woman he barely knows, strikes odd bargains with acquaintances, and starts questioning whether the entire show is real or an elaborate hoax designed to expose how isolated his life has become. As his suspicion grows, the line between the game and his own paranoia blurs, forcing him to decide what he is actually willing to risk to feel seen.
Cast & crew
Jake Johnson writes, directs, and stars as Tommy, playing the role with the same rumpled, self-deprecating charm that made him a familiar face in television comedy. Anna Kendrick plays the woman he pulls into his scheme, bringing a dry wariness to a character who is never quite sure whether to trust him, while Andy Samberg appears as the show's unsettling host. Natalie Morales and Mary Holland round out a supporting cast that leans into the film's off-kilter comic rhythm.
Context & significance
Self Reliance premiered in 2024 as Jake Johnson's first feature as a director, following his years of screen work in ensemble comedies. Produced independently in the United States, it plays with the reality-competition format popular in streaming culture, using the premise less for shock value and more to examine loneliness, trust, and how easily people can be talked into believing they matter to a hidden audience.
Where & how to watch
Self Reliance streams on K-Time with a free account login, and the page itself is free to browse before you sign in. K-Time provides a Farsi-dubbed track along with Persian subtitles, all inside an interface built around Farsi navigation and search for the Iranian diaspora audience.