For the Safety of Theo
2023 · 9m · USA
Directed by Christopher Macken
Genres: dark comedy, drama
Tones: dark, humorous, tender, tense
A man with OCD spirals into obsessive anxiety after a one-night stand, convinced he has contracted an STI. The film places viewers inside his frantic, compulsion-driven mind through disjointed editing, music, and sound design.
Picked by Zoe
The scouts
Inside-an-OCD-mind editing for nine minutes — Uncut Gems comparisons get thrown around a lot, but sound-design-as-anxiety is a real tool. Could work.
OCD spiral conveyed through disjointed sound design and editing — the subjective-immersion approach is the right instinct, though the territory of internal-anxiety shorts has become crowded. Promising rather than singular.
Nine minutes immersing the viewer inside an OCD-addled mind via rapid editing and layered sound design — that interiority through cutting rhythm is the right tool for the subject. Charlie Day among the executive producers is an unexpected signal.
Reviews
While 'For the Safety of Theo' is painfully funny, it carves its laughs out of darkness, and anyone who has at some point lost control of their thoughts and has felt the fear and loneliness that came from the experience, will be able to relate.
Combines superb technical craftsmanship with strong direction to create a narrative that captures an anxiety-inducing portrayal of OCD.
Festivals
- Dances with Films Festival 2023
- Hollyshorts Film Festival 2023