A Covid lockdown movie about the collective experience of being unable to live life normally, no social interactions, the loneliness of it all, and the mental health struggles that followed, as an entire generation of young adults were confined to their apartments. Then, there are the teens, locked in with their parents for months, this generation will always be marked by long-term isolation.
With themes like grief, redemption, mental health, self-reflection, and solace, we follow four characters: three friends and their neighbor, who accidentally takes too much LSD, hoping to escape reality for a few hours. This sends them into a shared psychedelic realm, where they must confront their fears and find redemption before returning to objective reality.
With all the ongoing research at institutions like Johns Hopkins, Imperial College London, Berkeley, and Harvard University into psychedelics like psilocybin, LSD, and MDMA for treating anxiety, depression, PTSD, and trauma, the film raises some intriguing questions, especially regarding the current mental health treatment system. This field of science has seen little advancement since the 1980s with the development of SSRIs, a class of antidepressants that have shown limited success, working only for a small percentage of patients. Ironically, these drugs are likely more harmful than substances like LSD.
Psychedelic experiences can be profound, helping individuals come to terms with their trauma and thought patterns by breaking down rigid neural networks that contribute to negative, repetitive thinking, patterns often associated with depression. These substances may help people escape unhealthy self-referential thinking, obsessive thoughts, and rumination, which are common in depression and anxiety. The experience can also enable people to view their thoughts and emotions from a new, less judgmental perspective. As they confront and understand their negative patterns instead of avoiding or suppressing them, they may find better mental health. Many also report altered perceptions of time, self, and the world around them, which can help provide clarity and a fresh outlook, allowing them to break free from loops of negative thinking.
For an indie film with a very low budget, the filmmakers effectively capture the psychedelic experience through the use of colours, effects, moving patterns, distortions, and synesthesia, showing things growing in size, morphing, or transforming into different objects. For example, a clock turns into liquid, or a person's face changes.
The cast delivers strong performances, the cinematography is nice, and the use of sound and editing is interesting. The score and soundtrack are also well-suited to the film's tone. Overall, I'm very impressed with Director J. R. Sawyers. It's fun, creative, and highly entertaining, with some stunning visuals.
So, why haven't you heard about this movie? Because in indie cinema, it doesn't matter how good your film is if you can't sell it at a festival or secure a distributor.
