An Unexpected Knock: Inside Lisa Romagnoli's "The Delivery Guy" (2025)

You know you can tell a lot about a person from their apartment.

The Delivery Guy is a 2025 short film directed by Lisa Romagnoli. Carrie is on a date with Hunter when an unexpected visitor arrives. The delivery guy, Kyle, is someone Carrie used to date. As tension, drama, and gloating arise, Carrie has a decision to make.

I watched The Delivery Guy at its premiere in the New Hampshire Film Festival. It garnered an appropriate response from audiences about the dating world. Romance is not easy, but one thing is for sure: your choices matter. Choose a partner who makes you happy.

Director Lisa Romagnoli has a fifteen-year background in the digital media space, working as a creative producer for web series and digital content, and as an agent for a couple of production companies. She now works as a freelance director and has written and directed three projects in the last five years.

For her third short film, Romagnoli said she wanted to write a script that was more contained and featured tension and interpersonal dynamics between the characters. The Delivery Guy spent six months in pre-production as Romagnoli finished the script, searched for actors, scheduled filming dates, and found a location.

The Delivery Guy stars Renee Gagner (Carrie), Grant Schumacher (Hunter), and Daniel Desmarais (Kyle). Each actor does a great job with their character, especially the dynamic. It’s an awkward moment when exes come across each other.

The film opens with Carrie and Hunter on a date in his rather lavish apartment. Hunter wastes no time gloating about his money and his higher status. I was on Carrie’s side, who was annoyed about it. He also doesn’t take an interest in her personal matters.

For the casting process, Romagnoli worked with Gagner on a prior project and cast her as Carrie. Gagner then recommended Schumacher for the role of Grant, as the pair had worked together before. When Romagnoli saw a film with Desmarais, she said his subtle vulnerability is what made her reach out and cast him in the title role.

Before the production started, she met with her actors to see if the dialogue felt right. “Getting the tone right with my actors was the most important, and capturing not just the lines, but reactions from actors was really key,” Romagnoli said.

The apartment is also a character in the film. As said, apartments say a lot about a person, whether good or bad. Hunter’s apartment is spacious with several expensive items and a beautiful view of New York City.

Filming transpired in New York City, where Romagnoli said they rented an apartment through Peerspace. On filming day, the filmmakers found that the owner didn’t get permission from the building to have a movie filmed in its space.

Romagnoli said they acted as stealthy ninjas as they snuck equipment through the apartment. In the one night they filmed, filmmakers also had to rearrange the room and put everything back correctly once they were finished, like the owner's stone collection.

In total, the entire production lasted a year and a half from a thought bubble until Romagnoli completed editing.

Since screening the film, Romagnoli said there has been a positive response and feedback from audiences. I remember my crowd whispering and laughing in response to scenes.

The film has an effective ending. The Delivery Guy is a film about relationships. Dating is a challenge, but it’s all based on our choices. As Romagnoli described it, “Between passion and stability, ambition, and life goals, it can be hard to know what is important in the long term,” Romagnoli said.