“My Father” By Daniele Sestito

An adolescent girl fears that her father is going to kill her.

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.

““My Father” came about through my fascination to explore the pure feeling of this situation. Just the thought of a parent of mine wanting to kill an adolescent version of myself made me feel trapped and debilitated. Thus, the goal was to bring those feelings to life for the viewer, and do it in the most efficient and engaging way possible. The key to that was the tone and language rooted in the film’s style. Inspired by the works of Bergman and Hitchcock, I felt it would allow me to fully realize the suspense and Freudian concepts within its central dynamic.

The film took only three days to write, one day to shoot, and a short time to edit — but it took another two years to complete it. I was trying to get the sound design and the (lack of) music right, all while going through the consuming process of making my half-hour thesis film, Off The Menu. It was only after sound designer Quentin Malapel (a very talented and kind man) did some excellent work on my thesis that I re-examined My Father, had him fulfill my vision for its sound, and finally hit that export button once and for all!”

Credits

Written & Directed by Daniele Sestito
Starring: Sammy Bluth & Jakub Haczkiewicz
Post-Sound: Quentin Malapel
Composer: Noah Hubbell
AD & AC: Danny Brennan
Special Thanks: Aurelia Sestito

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