DINING ON A SERIOUS SUBJECT >>>

Let's face it: suicide is a bit of a downer. It doesn't usually offer much in the way of entertainment. Making a movie centered on this depressing topic involves financial risk. But treating taboo with humor? That takes grit - and a good script.

At first, actor/producer/Tacoma resident Ashley Cozine couldn't imagine having her hand in a project as unconventional as Dessert and Suicide. In her view, "Filmmakers everywhere offend people all the time, but I'm not that kind of person."

Then a certain screenplay came Cozine's way, about an unlucky-in-love man who, disillusioned with the blind dating game, prepares to off himself. The story's delicate handling of its eponymous issue (not dessert, the other one) compelled Cozine to sign on as the film's producer.

Audiences may not always connect with D&S's darker aspects, but who can't relate to the comic madness of dating? Cozine praises the spot-on characterizations of the short's big ensemble. "You've probably met each person (in the cast) at some point in your life," she says, adding with a laugh, "I've met a couple of these people."

Besides producing the film, Cozine plays a waitress at the restaurant where the main action takes place. Tacoma's Pacific Grill provided just the right look and ambiance for the two-day shoot. If editing proceeds on schedule, we may see this bittersweet concoction at October's Tacoma Film Festival.