Nicole C Melillo

MNSTR (pronounced "monster") is a film exploring the physical manifestation of anxiety. The plot topically follows a girl and her best friend going out to a club, while linearly mirroring the beats of a panic attack until the girl reaches full panic, and has to decide to fight or give in once again to her anxiety. Whether it is a chronic condition or just jitters before a big interview, everyone lives with some form of anxiety, but for being such a universal topic, it manifests so specifically to each individual, sometimes making it hard to talk about. However, the universality also works to MNSTR’s benefit. 

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We made this film to open a discussion about panic and anxiety, and show that people are stronger than their mental limitations. Additionally, we wanted to recreate a physical space that represents the chaos of the mind during states of panic to truly make people feel what anxiety can be like.

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In our film, the anxiety manifests itself in the form of monsters, which we created through negative scratching- a technique where images are created by literally scratching into and removing parts of the film itself, symbolizing how people with anxiety see the world, but their affliction prevents them from seeing what is really there because of their fearful beliefs.

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MNSTR has the potential to change the lives of people who suffer from panic and anxiety. We have the ability to change the way people see it, to de-stigmatize and create an understanding of what this disorder really feels like.