It is a sunny day. John C. Reilly stands in the shade on the side of a street, note-book and pen in hand, stopping passers-by to ask them a question: “Are You the Favorite Person of Anybody?”

This scene is part of a short film written by Miranda July and directed by Miguel Arteta. You can watch the short at Salon.com.

Listen to the first conversation, hardly a couple of minutes long, between Reilly and July–it tells you just how simple stories need to be and how funny life is.

McSweeney’s is behind this project. It is bringing out “a quarterly DVD magazine of unseen things.” “Are You the Favorite Person of Anybody?” and other shorts in the inaugural issue are now available.

Here’s a picture of the incredible Miranda July.