“Danny's Secret” By Raphael Biss

On the verge of loosing his virginity with his girlfriend, Danny finds himself confronted with the terrible doubt that he might already be a father.

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.

“The idea came from a good friend of mine who told me that when he was younger he got scared that he impregnated his sister by mistake. I found the whole thing hilarious and thought it would make a good story about growing up and understanding sexuality.At the time, I just watched “Call Me By Your Name” and it was a big influence for me, not just for the themes and characters but how the film was executed technically.

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I also liked the idea of telling a story about a kid learning how to be responsible and that his actions could have consequences way beyond his own self. “Danny’s Secret” was my first year film project at the NFTS. We shot it in 4 days on 8 cans of super16mm and I was supported by a fantastic team of people who really brought the experience and the film itself beyond anything I expected.

With Richard (production designer), we had long conversations about almost everything you can see, from the colour range of the graffiti in the skatepark to the consistency of the fake semen used in the bath - I never thought I’d have chats about such things, but we did - That’s how involved we were and it was like that in all the departments”.

Writer & Director - Raphael Biss

Credits

Writer & Director: Raphael Biss
Producer: Andrew St Maur
Cinematographer: Rachel Liew
Production Designer: Richard Henley
Editor: Gareth Pugh
Sound Designer: Ruth Knight
Composer: Sarah Ann Boughton
Casting Director: Jemma McWilliams

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