Depression is a Beast
2024 · 11m · USA
Directed by Courtney Dixon
Genres: documentary, horror
Tones: contemplative, dark, tender
A documentary portrait of actress Jenna Kanell, known for horror films like Terrifier, who opens up about living with Major Depressive Disorder since childhood and how the heightened emotions of horror cinema became an unexpected therapeutic coping mechanism. Dixon embeds mini horror sequences within the documentary, making the film's form mimic its subject's experience.
Picked by Felix
The scouts
A horror movie embedded inside a mental health documentary — Dixon figured out that the only honest way to film depression is to make it monstrous, and she's right.
Courtney Dixon embeds mini horror sequences inside a documentary about Jenna Kanell's depression so the genre becomes the therapy — formally cleverer than the standard mental-health portrait, and earns its conceit.
Embedding horror sequences inside a documentary about a horror actress's depression — the genre becomes the therapy rather than the metaphor. That's a formal collapse I haven't seen attempted this directly, and Jenna Kanell is a smart subject choice.
Reviews
There is a great sense of empathy throughout Depression is a Beast that not many documentary shorts, or feature-length ones, can succeed in showing.
Festivals
- Tribeca Film Festival 2024