First, I think to fully appreciate this short film one needs to know what “cathexis” means. So, for your benefit, here’s the definition: “the concentration of mental energy on one particular person, idea, or object (esp. to an unhealthy degree).”
There, now you’ll be able to comprehend the depths of The Therapist’s madness.
Cathexis was written and directed by Jeff Tuttle, yes, the same Jeff Tuttle who fronts Detroit’s punk band Old Gods and former rhythm guitarist for The Dillinger Escape Plan. He also stars as the film’s Thing. About the short film, Tuttle said:
Cathexis began as a philosophic approach to horror and an inquiry into the essence of all fear. Ultimately, I wanted to create a visual representation of what it’s like to feel trapped under the existential weight of fear and the depths to which we fall when we allow ourselves to wallow in depression.
After watching it, I think Tuttle managed to keep the philosophical element. There’s not an ounce of horror in the dialog, which is a bit stilted, but visually Cathexis is quite terrifying. And when you combine the dialog with the visuals, then this is a nightmarish film. The idea of being swallowed by your own thoughts, empathy, compulsion, whatever is horrific — it’s like mental suicide.
Cathexis Synospsis:
Cathexis is the story of a therapist questioning her own sanity as the boundaries of her reality become blurred and she is tormented by visions of a nightmarish world and the oozing, hellish creature that lives within.
The film stars Keyna Reynolds as The Therapist, David Brown as The Husband, and Jeff Tuttle as The Thing.
Watch the film in the player above and let us know what you think in the comments section below.
Rock Hard \m/
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