A State Of

A State Of came about back in early 2021, post lockdown, when everything started opening back up. After being stuck in an enclosed space for ten months, it felt like the weight of the world was on my shoulders for many reasons: next moves, career, life. That feeling took a toll on me, and because of that, it resulted in a bout of spontaneous panic attacks; something I had never felt before, and can safely say I wouldn’t wish upon my worst enemies. For the first time in my life, I felt like I was out of control of my own health. And I surely thought it was something fatal. I visited every doctor I could think of - neurologist, psychologist, cardiologist, even down to an Ear, Nose, and Throat specialist. Each visit was met with a small sense of hope, but eventually reverted back to a feeling of hopelessness. It felt like everyone was against me anytime I tried explaining to them what I was feeling. More importantly, I thought every doctor was blind, because all of them ended up saying the same thing: “you’re fine.” To me, there was clearly something there, and no one could spot it. It took a lot for me to get back to a place where I could control these attacks. One of the things that truly helped helped me overcome this obstacle was writing.

I came up with the idea of someone who feels trapped and fearful, trying to find inner peace, just as I had been told to do a number of times. Being a fan of genre, I thought it would be interesting to explore an exterior dilemma; in this case, murder. Henry gets caught up in the middle of his own fears, and is thrust into one he never thought he’d have to face. What I enjoyed most about this journey was creating a character so many can understand and relate to, while also questioning the reality of what he sees, leaving us to interpret different outcomes. This project could not have been made without the exceptional cast and crew that brought so much heart and tenacity to their roles, whether it was in front of the camera or behind. This was an incredibly collaborative effort and I share this film with every single one of them. I hope everyone has a great time watching my short and more importantly, can feel something different each time they watch it. Thank you and enjoy the ride!