NON-LINEAR
a short film
By lena sakalla
Grieving Liv’s suicide, Margo flees reality for nostalgic memories trapped within a surreal dreamscape to keep Liv alive. That is, until Liv breaks the illusion, edging Margo towards the final stage of grief.
✳︎
COMING SOON
✳︎
COMING SOON
✳︎
COMING SOON
✳︎
COMING SOON
✳︎ COMING SOON ✳︎ COMING SOON ✳︎ COMING SOON ✳︎ COMING SOON
HEllo, you!
WeLCOME TO THE HOMEPAGE OF NON-LINEAR!
THE TEAM IS HARD AT WORK IN PRE-PRODUCTION, MAKING SURE THE SHOOT WILL BE AS SMOOTH and fun AS POSSIBLE.
WE ARE crowdfunding to HELP cover the costs of shooting (CATERING, TRANSPORTATION, EQUIPMENT), post-production, and distribution to film festivals.
we are GRATEFUL FOR THE SUPPORT OF OUR FAMILY, FRIENDS, AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHO WISH TO SUPPORT OUR STORYTELLING AND HELP US REACH OUR GOAL. IN FACT, WE’LL GIVE YOU A CREDIT IN OUR FILM!
TRACKER
Writer’s note
NON-LINEAR is a cathartic expression based on my experiences with grief after losing three friends to suicide back-to-back by the age of 17. Reality swallowed me whole with confusion, darkness, and fear. The pain alone left me considering escaping too. So I did, but to the dreamscape in my head. Memories gave me comfort and dreams healed me where therapy wasn’t able to. Of course, if I had been honest with my therapist at the time, I’m sure it would’ve done wonders. As I show in the script, grief is a human experience that nobody warns you about.
Dancing back and forth on the stages of grief gave me perspective. Control, my activated defense mechanism, blocked me from seeing the beauty of life, mirroring PROTAGONIST Margo’s experience. With the passage of time, a great deal of love from my community, and support from incredible therapists, I have come to admire the depth of love I was, and am still, capable of. Surviving Liv’s suicide, Margo begins to acknowledge the beauty that grief shows her: profound pain comes from loving deeply.
BY LENA SAKALLA
Synopsis
Three months after Liv’s suicide, Margo struggles to move from denial to the acceptance stage of grief, seeking solace in the heightened beauty of their past. Desperate for more time, she constructs a surreal dreamscape built from nostalgic memories, initially finding comfort in this fantasy. Yet, as the illusion deepens, Margo begins to lose herself, trading reality for a static echo of the past. When Liv realizes Margo is substituting imagination for truth, she confronts her best friend with the unsustainability of the illusion, forcing a heartbreaking final farewell. Returning to the real world, Margo finally begins the stage of acceptance in her non-linear journey, finding meaning in the passage of time and beauty in life once again.
GENRE: Philosophical drama LENGTH: about 15 minutes AGE: 16+ young adults
the non-linear worlds
FLASHBACK
The theme of escapism follows Margo as she seek emotional warmth and timeless beauty. The journey of warm golden oranges, spiced yellows, and glowing ambers conveys a sense of optimism, comfort, and nostalgia.
REALITY
Represents a cold, unrelenting world where deep blues and browns emphasize grounded challenges and steadfast reality, creating contrast through somber tones that offer little escape.
DREAMSCAPE
the unsettling OTHERWORLD, aN eerie, reflective experience filled with emotions of discomfort and introspectioN. A realm that exists within margo’s mind.
Frequently Asked Questions
-
WE ARE shooting four days between June 14 - 23.
-
The short film’s locations are in Manresa, located in the center of Catalonia, and Barcelona, SPAIN.
-
Of course you can!
We need an 8x8m black box interior space to film in and a coffee shop interior space.
We are also looking for a van to transport EQUIPMENT AND TEAM MEMBERS to and from set IN BARCELONA.
We appreciate any help!
-
absolutely! Click here. :)