Sam is a thirty-five-year-old white man who wears a beat-up Boston Red Sox cap and lives with his parents. Having worked at The Flick longer than any of his peers without a promotion, he feels trapped in an underpaid, monotonous routine cleaning up discarded food and trash. He struggles with feelings of inadequacy regarding his life's progression, frequently comparing his situation to others. He harbors a secret, intense infatuation with the theater's projectionist, believing her to be unattainable.

Avery is a twenty-year-old African American college student currently taking time off from his studies. He takes the part-time job at The Flick specifically to nourish his obsessive love of traditional film, drawn to the theater's use of a classic 35mm projector instead of digital equipment. He struggles with depression, social anxiety, and an intense phobia of bodily fluids, which makes his daily cleaning duties—such as mopping up spilled soda and sweeping food debris—particularly challenging. He frequently connects with others through a trivia game called "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon."

Rose is a twenty-four-year-old projectionist who wears baggy clothes and dyes her hair forest green. Currently taking a break from college, she occupies a slightly higher position in the theater's hierarchy than the cleaning staff, spending most of her shifts in the soundproof projection booth. She masks her personal insecurities and difficulty forming genuine connections behind casual tales of partying, drinking, and a generally nonchalant attitude toward her employment.

The Dreaming Man is a twenty-six-year-old patron who falls asleep in the theater and remains there through the end credits. He disrupts the usual cleaning routine until he is gently roused, after which he apologizes and departs.

Skylar is a twenty-six-year-old new hire who joins the theater staff later in the story. Having previously worked at a larger movie theater, he arrives with existing knowledge of modern digital projection systems. His competence with new technology immediately highlights the shifting environment of the workplace.