From fear’s perspective, we’ll never be enough. The more we sink ourselves in self-doubt, the more we become enslaved by our own thoughts. Hostages of naught or maybe hostages of ourselves? Fear is a preconception that come from the nerves and this very fear fades away through a simple reflection.

The short film IN MEDIAS RUSH is an experimental cinematic journey into the depths of a manic mind. A poetic retro-sci-fi narrative unfolded in a string of unsettling tableaus that encapsulates the male protagonist’s ambiguous feelings about his birthday. While balancing between realities in his silent struggle with severe mental illness, we plunge into the film at a neatly orchestrated birthday party. The protagonist is accompanied by his girlfriend, and they are drinking cocoa on the couch in their mutual home. The setting breathes pure perfection, but through the voice over we sense that another reality is soon to be revealed. With one foot on the accelerator, he is heading towards the edge. The thematic focal point of IN MEDIAS RUSH is mental health problems among young adults, and the social/personal consequences related to the existing taboo on the subject. The film wishes to formulate an honest cinematic space in which words, sound, and image artistically interprets and articulates some of the perspectives related to especially bipolar, anxiety, and psychotic disorders. IN MEDIAS RUSH was nominated in the category 'Best Danish Short Film' at Copenhagen Short Film Festival in 2020. Original title: IN MEDIAS RÆS Directed by: Esben Persson -------------------- DK: IN MEDIAS RÆS IN MEDIAS RÆS er en filmisk rejse ind i dybderne af et manisk sind. En ung mand fejrer sin fødselsdag, mens hans tanker tordner afsted. Med en uvillig fod på speederen har han kurs mod kanten. FR: IN MEDIA RES IN MEDIA RES est un voyage dans les profondeurs d’un esprit maniaque. Un jeune homme fête son anniversaire tandis que ses pensées se multiplient. Malgré lui, il se dirige vers un point de non-retour. -------------------- Cast: Peter Alexander Bach & Amanda Overby Drew Director // Script writer // Set designer // Costume designer // Editor // Speaker: Esben Persson Photographer // Editor: Lasse Mølsted Producer: Latifa Lykke Ben Mabrouk Assistant producer: Cecilie Creutsberg Music composer: Martin Bejder Sound designer: Mads Hye Chief Lighting Technician: Rasmus Bruun Liboriussen VFX: Jonas Fonnesbæk Lodahl Colorist: Kristopher Paterson Graphic designer: Jakob Toft Kristensen -------------------- Shot on RED Monstro 8K with Lomo Squarefront Anamorphics.

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From the Director

“In 2020, in the midst of an anxiety crisis due to the lack of comprehension of how much I deserved the good things that were happening to me at a certain point in my life, I decided to write a poem as an escape route.

I saw all my peers as Olympians Gods while I stood in my own insignificance. Everyone was the best professional, the best artist, everyone was awesome, and I constantly found myself in a distant and small corner.

After writing that poem, the feeling kind of dissolved but didn’t go away. I was able to wrap up my work laudably at that time, but something kept telling me that I wasn’t good enough.

When I showed this poem to some friends and frequent collaborators, everyone told me I should make a film about it.

Despite feeling skeptical and confused, deep inside, I realized that, perhaps, making this film was a self-healing process, where I’d seek to better understand my feelings, bring them into the screen and get rid of them, like some kind of exorcism.

It was a first step for me as an author and I really hope it resonates with people who identify themselves with the subject, and seek to completely understand this feeling.”

—Natan Neves

LINKS:

https://vimeo.com/ofnatan

https://www.instagram.com/ofnatan/

https://www.instagram.com/contadoradefilmes/

https://www.instagram.com/rivadop/

https://www.instagram.com/dayany.albuquerque/