“Benign” by Dan Silver
Beyond the Short Official Premiere
After discovering an unexpected bump on the back of his head, Karl Albin, an anxious worrier, tries to move on from this terrifying discovery the best he can. But doing so proves to be nearly impossible.
Despite trying to live his life the best he can, Karl’s anxieties continue to grow, and so does the bump’s size.
When his doctor confirms that Karl has nothing to worry about, Karl must ultimately decide whether he will let the bump consume him or accept this alleged truth and move on.
FROM THE DIRECTOR:
“Personally, this film is an exploration of what my anxiety and intrusive thoughts feel like. Invisible illnesses like anxiety, depression, and OCD, are so hard to properly explain to someone who’s never experienced it; so I wanted to explore it in a visual and tangible experience that I believe is what film, as an art form and storytelling tool, achieves best.
I have never seen a realistic depiction of what my mental health issues feel like, especially health anxiety, and so my goal with this film was to show the rawest and most realistic portrayal of it that I could. Being able to present these inner demons that myself and many others battle every day, and make them digestible so that anyone could experience how debilitating and uncomfortable it is to go through, can maybe—hopefully— challenge the way we talk about these things.
In a way, this film is a release of all the thoughts and feelings I’ve had and have struggled with. It’s been therapeutic to let it out. To create a worst case scenario as a reminder to myself how ridiculous it looks when you take a step back from your own inner turmoil and reflect. I feel better having made it.”
-Dan Silver
CREDITS:
CAST
(in order of appearance)
Karl Albin//Albin Weidenbladh
Friend//Tyler McCall
Other Friends//Dylan Ciara, Drew Michael Gardner, Katrina Canillas
Receptionist//Alexandra Montalbano
Nurse//Tiffani Grace
Dr. Kaminski (voice)//Dennis Fitzpatrick
Dr. Kaminski (stand-in)//David Carlson
Written, Directed & Produced by Dan Silver
CREW
Co-Produced by Hunter Jones, Kayla Casey
Associate Producer//Albin Weindenbladh
Director of Photography//Kevin Johnson
Production Design//Riley Foster
Edited by Dan Silver
Assistant Director//Adam McAlonie
Production Sound Recordist//Craig Slon
Original Score by Nematode
Hair, Make-up, SFX//Amanda Braz
1st AC//Michael Flynn
2nd AC/ Loader//Matthew Connelly
Gaffer//Katie Harkins
Key Grip//Ben McLaughlin
Swing//Jake Kressly
Colorist//Billy Landry
Film Processing//The Kodak Film Lab (NY)
SPECIAL THANKS:
Rhonda Graff, Scott Silver, Craig Silver, Joan Graff, Mike Graff, Sharon Danis, Braxton Carter, Kate Ryan, Stephen Campenella, Sarah Gibbons, Louis Thierry, Ryan Rauch, Kenny Rentz, Tim Lavery, Michael Lopez, Sean Gallagher, Peter Huar, Madison Conner, Eddy Machado, Brian Hughes, Eric Frullaney, Dennis Chereshanskiy, Emily Terran, Nick Abbot, Duall Rentals, Lightbulb Rentals, Tony Landano & The Kodak Film Lab NY, Jake Groom & Company3
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