Wake

Narrative Short - 16 min - 2023 - AFI Thesis Film

Starring Elliot Fletcher, Mina Sundwall, Nikki McCauley, Dylan J. Locke

Selected for competition at Screamfest 2023 - AFI Fest 2023.

A young man seeks isolation in the woods after his mother's wake only to discover that, as he sleeps, he unconsciously pulls his community to him as they sleepwalk.

When Cooper escapes into the forest and attempts to live in solitude, members of his community and his past life sleepwalk out to him, relaying their dreams and memories to Cooper and presenting him with a level of vulnerability he feels incapable of reciprocating. As more and more people show up every night, Cooper is forced to confront his grief and the flaws in his own ideology and to consider the benefits of community, connection, and care, even under such eerie circumstances.

Can Cooper’s unconscious need for human connection and support overcome his conscious demand for solitude?

Link available upon request.