Down the Drain
Down the Drain details the stories of numerous subjects as they recount memories of their past dealing with emotionally and physically abusive parents who fight with alcoholism.
The stories are based upon my own.
View Film:
When it comes to the creation of Down the Drain, I felt that for me as a filmmaker, talking about what made me who I am today was an important step in my career.
Inspired by Les Saltimbanques by Gustave Doré – I wanted to emulate a sense of isolation for both the character and the viewer. Reflecting how I felt as a child, there is one single spotlight of the person in frame as we get closer and closer, sometimes close enough to see the cracks in the facade. During my years growing up, there was always the hidden fear that the drinking would return in some form or capacity. It hasn’t which is why the film ends the way it does – there is a sense that it gets better for the parties involved.
I wondered if this type of film might be too real, or too niche, but it’s just my life. Through these experiences I was able to gain empathy, critical thinking, compassion, bravery, and best of all, a passion for expression through art.
Ideation:
Gustave Doré (b. 1832), Les Saltimbanques (1874)