INSTINCT

Instinct is a film that I wrote produced and directed. This was a project that got me back into the film making groove. I remember very clearly when the idea came into my mind,  art is a reflection of the times and this project is purely that. 2012 WAS A VIOLENT YEAR, spree shootings where at an abundance and INSTINCT was completed before the media frenzy of 2012.  My intention was to show how people react when chaos is done at the hands of a psychopath, but Instinct became more than that as it developed. The cast and crew where amazing, and I made a lot of friends during the making of this project. The heavy factor that came attached to this film was the reality of violence from Colorado theater shooting, Sikh Temple shooting, and Newtown School Massacre. I was shocked at the impulse of violence that happened in that one year. This film is not a commentary on spree shootings, but an experience from a perspective of a man caught in the psychosis of his mind. Reality is a blur to him yet his mind is trying to wake him up and reveal is inner human instinct.
       As the film progress it's deliberate effect is to trick the mind and play on perception. For instance the art cover is the image of an eye with a figure standing in a threatening manner. The hallway that is in the middle of the eye represents a path, a path that is an endless maze in the depths of ones subconscious. The main character opens up from a violent attack in the classroom. In the middle of the attack there are blackouts. As the story progresses Alex's eyes change color from brown to blue. I subconsciously planted the idea to portray his a spit personality. The second idea is an optical illusion, the protagonist rubs his eyes and he see's two different people, his mind is playing tricks on him as well on the viewers. This is a theme in the story that our eyes are a portrait of our primary instincts and Alex(had a killer instinct and he didn't even know it).
       Another theme in the film is the discussion of the brain. The beginning of the film opens up in a psychology class. As the camera moves on the dolly from left to right it shows a number of students paying little attention to the instructor. Some students are on their phone texting, chatting  or sleeping. This a reflection on the blindness and ignorance society plays when it comes to mass murder. Violence is a silent entity that happens out of know where because modern culture has created a blanket that we are always safe. Thus creating people who are preoccupied with distractions in our society to see the early signs of homicidal tendencies, empathy and notoriety through hate full deeds. Mental illness does play a major factor in mass murder, but evil is in all off us and we fight with it every day. This is why the good side of  Alex is confused and shocked when he discovers he is the one who murdered his classmates. The good side of Alex is what the viewer sees mostly through out the film. As the film draws to an end Alex discovers he had an evil side that dominated his inner being.
          Domestic terrorism is a reflection of our violent time and mass shootings are a perfect example of that.  The shooter was designed to be a construct of Alex's imagination. As you watch the film you will notice the shooter is never in focus when he and Alex are in the same shot. This was designed to create the two personalities inside the mind of Alex. The shooter is death, and lifeless evil wearing a yellow button that say's THE PRODUCT. The product is the seed of evil in the 21st century. The 20th century was the most violent time of human kind.... Now think  of what the 21st century will be like.
That's what I enjoy about the film, given the time I had(which was limited) the film still has a cohesive narrative that was experimental  and it turns it into a experience that is intense to watch. Please enjoy INSTINCT and leave comments.