Have you ever truly lost your mind?

Did someone you love lose theirs?

Did they come back?

OUR STORY

A gothic home. A woman dressed in a nightgown busies herself with her nightly routine. It has a practiced movement with a dance-like quality. It’s hypnotic and mesmerizing. Her precise movements indicate she’s done this many times before.

She mutters to herself. It sounds like a spell.

She draws a sigil with lotion on her forehead and rubs it in. A man enters. He joins her in this dance, though careful never to touch one another.

Then it happens. Skin to skin, they accidentally touch.

She falls backwards, gripping her arm as if it’s burning, horrified and shocked. He looks petrified, bracing himself for what comes next. She rushes to her basin and submerges her hands in boiling water, scrubbing her hands raw. He tries to say something. She holds up a finger to indicate the need for silence. She knocks on wood and returns to her spells.

He calls her name. He begs, “Please.”

Our world shifts. The gothic atmosphere disappears, replaced with one of modern-day horror. He takes in the sight in front of him. The woman he loves, no longer ethereally beautiful, but disheveled and crazed.

She tears her clothes to pieces and chucks them across the room. She Cloroxes her body. Her breathing speeds up. He takes a step towards her. She screams at him to stop. “Don’t,” she cries. He halts in his tracks. Her fists clench. She shuts her eyes and mutters something unintelligible to herself. With a burst of energy, she takes to cleaning the walls, naked. Her hands move in the same motion as the sigil she once drew.

She devolves into an all-consuming panic. A silent scream escapes her as she clenches every muscle in her body. The panic wanes, replaced by exhaustion and desperation. She looks to her lover for solace, begging to be saved. To be free from this madness.

He holds out his hand. She reaches for him, but she stops short.

She returns to her gothic world and her rituals when ropes appear, restraining her. Even though she wants to reach him now, she physically can’t. Now bound, she strains against her straps. He attempts to go to her, but with each step, a new plague befalls him.

Hemorrhaging from the eyes, he bleeds. Still, he moves towards her. He drowns on dry land, choking. She sobs for him to stop. She can't bear to see him hurt.

He falls to the ground, unconscious. She tears free and races to his side. She races to his side. But she pauses. Desperate to save his life, but still terrified. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath.

She finally touches him and breath surges into his body once more, bringing him back to life. Their touch turns into a kiss. With that, the world transforms around them. No longer a gothic romance, no longer a dark horror, but a home. Warm and inviting, with nothing to be afraid of.

“I love you,” she whispers. “I need you,” he replies.

The End.



OUR HEART

At its heart, COMPULSION is a love story, but love does not exist in a vacuum. Sometimes, tragedy, whether external or internal, can tarnish our love story.

COMPULSION is an exploration of love under the fraught narrative of horrific life circumstances and what it takes to make it through with love still intact. Will these two lovers unite or break?

This small glimpse into their struggle reminds us that love is not just about physical intimacy, but also trust, loyalty, and compassion.

In a gothic world where humans are forbidden to touch, our lovers fight against every instinct to keep apart. They long for each other’s touch.

When they do accidentally touch for the first time, it’s a mixture of elation and terror. Joy to finally be close to the one they love, but fear for what comes next.

When the tortures of their world crush down on them, she descends into mania while he has no choice but to stand and watch. An ultimatum appears before them. Give in to the madness? Or break free from the curse?

When true fear rears its head, what is your instinct? Do you retreat within yourself or cling to the ones you love? And when you’ve reached the breaking point where you can no longer rely on your own thoughts and actions, what is the thing that allows you to fight those harmful instincts? Can you rewrite your brain to do the thing you know is beneficial to yourself and those around you?

In the end, which compulsion do you choose to trust?

OUR STATEMENT

When we decided to make a short film together, it felt natural to tackle the topic of mental health. Opening up and being vulnerable about our mental health journeys was something that bonded us in friendship almost immediately. That and our love of romance, period pieces, and Kelsie forcing Alex to give horror films a chance.

The emotional high stakes of romance and the physical high stakes of horror felt like two sides of the same coin and a compelling atmosphere to bring to life our personal struggles.

Specifically, we chose to take on the subject of obsessive-compulsive disorder because it’s often misunderstood. Kelsie got diagnosed with severe OCD a few years ago after a deep break from reality. This film is a love letter to the worst experience of her life, but also an ode to the love that brought her through it.

We seek to shed light on just how terrifying OCD can be. While it manifests differently for everyone, people tend to think of OCD as quirky Mr. Monk or casual germaphobia. It can be much more insidious than that. It can twist your very thoughts until your perception of reality is outside the realm of logic.

Kelsie often describes it as being strapped in the backseat of a car with someone else driving. You’re screaming at them to slow down because you know in your rational mind that they’re driving too recklessly, but you physically can’t stop them. You’re along for the terrifying ride. That’s how it feels to have compulsions; to not be in charge of your own actions.

Or of your own thoughts. Intrusive thoughts are a staple of OCD. If someone said to you, “you’re such a psychopath,” one might think “Oh gosh, I sure hope I don’t come across like that.” For someone with OCD, the thought instead can be, “What if I am a psychopath and I just don’t know it?” The thoughts are so strong they can warp your very sense of self.

While this film is a love story between our two characters, it is also an ode of compassion to everyone with OCD or any mental illness, as well as to those who love them.

“Tackling mental health” is not something that one short film can do. But what we hope to accomplish with COMPULSION is an intriguing exploration that may make you shift your understanding of yourself or your loved ones who struggle with mental health issues.

With love,

Alex & Kelsie

OUR VISUAL REFERENCES

Have you ever wanted to cozy up into the world of The Phantom of the Opera or Crimson Peak?

Do you have a fascination with the mystically macabre?

Growing up, all of this was taboo. Naturally, it gained our interest as adults as a result.

The seductive darkness of gothic romance will reel the audience in, sucking them into her fantasy. We will relish in the twisted yet ethereal glow of the candlelight and her witchy rituals.

When we switch to his point of view, the world will take on an eerie, almost clinical, atmosphere. The orange will be replaced with blue color grade. Hope will drain from the frame.

Finally, when they come together in the end, when they kiss, the audience will be transported to reality. A neutral color palette. An inviting apartment. A home.

She moves like a witch casting a spell; like a ghost drifting through her old home. Her gothic world is rich in color and contrast with high-key lighting and candlelight.

The Phantom of the Opera (2004)

At the slightly "wrong" touch, her world devolves into madness. Silent shrieks and tense muscles as her panic crests. It's a disturbing sight as the light darkens.

Tarot (2024), Nosferatu (2024), Saint Maud (2019)

His world is one of horror. A waking nightmare as he watches the woman he loves lose her mind. Too-close close-ups and twisted imagery compound his terror.

You (2018), Titane (2021), Changeling (2008)

They reach for freedom. They reach for each other. They walk outside and feel the sunlight on their skin for the first time in a very long while.

The Fallout (2021), Hamlet (1996), Lady Macbeth (2016)

YOUR CONTRIBUTION

Why pledge to this campaign? Your contribution will go directly into the production phase of this film.

Production is the "fun" part! (Don't tell Kelsie's fiancé who works in post that she said that). Production is when we physically film the movie! There are so many pieces to the puzzle that need to come together for even just two days of filming.

Furniture rentals and prop creations for the Art Department. Hair & make-up and wardrobe to bring our gothic reality to life. And most importantly: paying and feeding our cast and crew.

If we happen to surpass our goal (which we really hope will happen), those contributions will go directly into MUSIC and DISTRIBUTION. There is barely any dialogue in this movie, therefore score will be key to guiding our audience through the story. And then, of course, we want this film to be seen by as many people as possible! Festival fees and hosting screenings are just the beginning.

Without YOU, there is no film.

Thank you for bringing COMPULSION to life.

SUPPORT FOR YOU

In a Crisis? Call 988

For a non-911 crisis, call, text, or start an online chat with 988. They provide 24-hour, confidential support to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress.

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

For a quick list of organized resources nationwide, check out https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/find-help.

International OCD Foundation

To learn more about Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), visit https://iocdf.org/about-ocd/.

There is always help. You are never alone.