Please Return Your Carts, which screened at the 2026 Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival is the kind of short that makes you appreciate how much can be said through one really smart creative choice.
Directed by Kendra Jo, the 2025 short follows Benson Cross (Russell Hornsby), an Army veteran who has settled into a solitary life working as a cart attendant at a grocery store. When Nona (Kimrie Lewis) joins the store to help revitalize it, her presence unexpectedly gives Benson a reason to reconsider the life he has been living.
Putting Benson in charge of returning carts is an ingenious choice. It is one of the most overlooked parts of the grocery store, which makes it a fitting job for a man who has also allowed himself to become overlooked. After an injury changed the direction of his life, Benson essentially resigned himself to solitude.
Then Nona comes along, and while she is helping transform the grocery store, she starts transforming Benson’s perception of himself too. He begins thinking about second chances, love and what it means to actually participate in his own life again.
I loved that parallel. As the grocery store is getting upgraded, Benson is reevaluating himself. He goes from feeling stuck in what happened to him to considering what could still happen. He starts thinking about dating, gives himself a little makeover and begins looking at his life differently. There is a genuine pep in his step.
That shift is really the heart of the film. Benson doesn’t suddenly get a new life. He changes how he sees the one he already has, and that makes him more willing to live it. I also appreciated how upbeat the film is. The subject could easily become much heavier, but the writing and performances keep it warm and enjoyable without taking Benson’s loneliness lightly. Hornsby brings a natural vulnerability to the role, and I thought the chemistry between him and Lewis was there.
My one reservation is that the relationship moves a little quickly. The setup is really strong, but as soon as the new employee enters the picture, the flirting begins and the relationship is immediately established. I wanted just a little more time for that connection to develop before it became romantic.
That said, I forgave the speed because the delivery works. The actors sell the chemistry, and the film understands that this isn’t really a story about a man finding someone to complete him. It is about a man remembering that he still has a life worth living.
I also appreciated how the film handles the idea of second chances without making it feel overly sentimental. Benson doesn’t suddenly become a completely different person. He simply starts making different choices. He takes a little more pride in himself. He becomes open to dating. He starts looking forward instead of constantly looking back.
And honestly, I think that is what makes Please Return Your Carts hit. It takes something as ordinary and forgettable as returning a grocery cart and turns it into a story about what happens when you stop seeing yourself as something that has already been put away. Ultimately, this film is a sweet story that says a second chance isn’t about getting your old life back. It is about finally deciding that you are not finished yet. Please Return Your Carts understands that, and Russell Hornsby makes you believe it.