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REST
Short Film
Written + directed by Micah Stathis
Screening at film festivals in 2023/4
Produced by SK Deli Market Productions
Clare Louise Frost + Micah Stathis
with
Alastair Boag
Amory Walsh
SYNOPSIS
Iris, a recently sober alcoholic, is due in court tomorrow, rested and prepared. Unable to fall asleep, she battles the voices in her head and her own desire for a drink as the night stretches on, seemingly without end.
DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT
Rest is a film that straddles the line between psychological thriller/horror film and ghost story. It is also an intimate character study of a woman’s struggle with her inner demons, in this case her addiction to alcohol.
Addiction and its vise-like grip is an idea that has long interested me, as many people in my family suffer from various addictions and I have often struggled myself against the temptations that I know lead to addiction. Addiction becomes obsession and the thing you want most is also the thing you shouldn’t have. It is an unforgiving cycle where escapes are often nothing more than false dawns. This is Iris’ story in Rest: ghosts, addiction, time and the powerlessness toknow where to turn, who to listen to and how, if ever, to escape. What looks like salvation can quickly become damnation.
Addiction can be a thorny issue to portray, and I decided early on that a non-linear, genre approach would not only serve the story and themes but present a new and fresh filmmaking challenge. In making this film, I was inspired by David Lynch’s Lost Highway, Lynne Rasmay’s We Need to Talk About Kevin, and Gareth Tunley’s The Ghoul.
