Freaks is a character-driven narrative that focuses on the complexities of growing up in unsafe spaces and how we can then create them through friendship and love. As a storyteller, I want to take my difficult adolescent experiences and turn them into something beautiful that will hopefully touch the hearts of others. 

Freaks is a fever dream through the eyes of two naive teenagers trying to navigate their troubled home lives through idealized escapism. Our story is set in West Los Angeles, focusing on the quiet world that our protagonists, Elijah and Zoe, have created for themselves. By taking a slice-of-life approach to this thrilling coming-of-age story, we want to be able to not only see the story but to make it tangible through soundscapes of indie rock music and the warped visual world of being under the influence. 

We follow Elijah and Zoe, two troubled teens trying to find a way to cope with their lives. Elijah, a quiet and subtle boy, is experiencing physical abuse at home at the hands of his often-absent father after the death of his mother. He has formed a deep attachment to Zoe, the only person in the world who seems to understand and accept his pain without judgment. To cover up the pain, he drowns the world out with music and substance abuse, along with the company of his best friend. Zoe has a seemingly happy home life, with an overprotective mother who wants nothing but the best for her, but a hole has been left by the absence of her drug addicted father. With resentment for her mother and a complicated relationship with her father, she finds solace in self-harm and self-medicating. Like Elijah, she feels seen and loved by him in a way that no one else can. 

The Fallout, Waves

These two friends are inseparable. One night during a drug-fueled evening, Zoe fantasizes about the possibility of the two of them leaving Los Angeles for something better, to get away from all of the people who have hurt them the most. Elijah, feeling stuck and complacent, has a hard time seeing a life for himself outside of the situation he’s in. And then one night, everything changes - the two of them are confronted with the opportunity to do just that, but in a way that they could have never expected. Are they willing to risk everything to start a life all their own, and how far are they willing to go to protect each other?

"I came from a poverty-stricken household that was filled with nothing but love and care from my single mother, but was paired with complicated feelings of a distant father. It’s always a difficult situation when your parents aren’t together. Being an “edgy kid”, I fell into the wrong crowd, as a lot of kids do. Something inside me wanted to find a way to escape and to be a different person - a fun person that didn’t care about my grades, or the future, or really living a long and happy life. 

I started struggling with my mental health and turned to self-harm as my way of coping. This went hand in hand with isolation, and the only way I knew how to socialize with other kids was through drinking and doing drugs. My adolescence was a chaos I created for myself, but only because I didn’t know how else to express myself or ask for help. Looking back, I wish I had a friend like Zoe or Elijah—someone who was my ride-or-die and would do anything to protect me. Zoe and Elijah don’t make the best decisions, or maybe even the right decisions, but their care for each other runs deep, and I wonder what my life would have been like had I had that. 

When I was trying to figure out what story I wanted to tell for my Senior Capstone project, there was something inside me that wanted to get in touch with that sad, confused teenager I once was and let her tell their story. We’ve seen tales of drug addicted teenagers a million times, but what makes this one different is that it’s mine. I want the opportunity to take my personal experiences and create something that reaches and touches people in a way they haven’t been touched before. I’m not here to glamorize and romanticize, but to show the unsavory parts of growing up in a way that is true, honest, and raw. This is for the people who have struggled to feel seen or heard when going through tough times, and the people who have been afraid to ask for help. It can be unpleasant and difficult to sit with these themes and concepts, but I am a true believer in sitting in the uncomfortable feelings that art can stir up to start conversations about how we can help teens today."

- Lhiannan Sidhe (writer/director)

The overall visual goal for Freaks is rooted in nostalgia and whimsy. The feeling you get when you’re blasting Frank Ocean on the Pacific Coastal Highway as the sun begins to set next to someone who truly understands you. Frame by frame, there are two worlds that exist in this narrative - dream and reality. While this isn’t specifically set in an actual dream, we want the experiences of the characters Elijah and Zoe to not only feel and look different when they’re high vs. sober, and when they’re together vs. apart. They seek an escape from their difficult realities through drugs, alcohol, and each other's company - the only things that can make them forget - to be a visceral change from the monotony of having to face their day-to-day lives. As we follow them along on their journey, we want to be swept up in the chaos by using handheld shots for the majority of the film.

Euphoria, I Saw the TV Glow

UNDER THE INFLUENCE & TOGETHER

Our goal is to create a dreamy, distorted atmosphere while using a Petzval lens, which was heavily used in films like Poor Things (2023).

SOBER & APART

This is a bland reality with muted tones and a more traditional shooting style - medium shots with 35/50mm lens. 

VISUAL COMPS

Waves (2019), Spring Breakers (2012), Euphoria (2019-present), American Honey (2016), I Saw the TV Glow (2024)

Right now, we are two months into pre-production, and as of right now, we are only one month away from production - an exciting and terrifying feeling. We have cast our two leads, hired the majority of our department heads, and Seungyeop Lee (our Director of Photography) and I are working hard on our storyboards and shot lists together. Our next steps are to finish putting our crew together, collaborate with our production and costume designers, start rehearsals for our actors...and raise the funds to make it all possible!

We humbly ask you to consider donating to our project. The funds will go towards feeding and taking care of our cast and crew, production design, costume design, hair and make-up, camera and lighting equipment, location costs, insurance, post-production costs, and all the unexpected expenses that come up during the production of a film. This film is a celebration of not only the four years of hard work Lhiannan has put towards their degree in Film, Television & Media, but also of all the hard work so many talented individuals have put in to make this film possible.

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