Short Screenplay AFIN 216
CHRYSALIS
Written by Lachlan Anderson-Schmidt
AFIN 2024 Nominee
- 2024
-
Australia - English
- M
- Thriller
- Drama
- Horror
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Synopsis
A young woman, crippled with grief and trauma after the passing of her sister, seeks to heal herself and find closure by taking psychedelics. However, her suburban home becomes a twisted and distorted nightmare as she tries to escape The Butterfly.
Writer's Statement
Inspired by the story of Silent Hill 2 and the message of How to change your mind, Chrysalis explores identity, memories, sisterhood and grief, all while subverting standard cinema tropes and delivering a heartfelt story. This psychological thriller looks at psychedelics and both their negative and positive effects on mental health. This area of research is only now being opened up in Australia, and mixing it with themes of metamorphosis, self-identity, and grief, Chrysalis is a unique experience for audiences, breaking narrative conventions where her internal conflict becomes her external conflict.
What makes this one special
- Nominated for Best Short Screenplay
- A student film
From the Judges
From the Judges
A screenplay of unusual visual and aural detail, this short blends horror and drama around themes of friendship and loss. The plot unfolds with a cleverness that kept the panel leaning in, and the intensity holds throughout. They found the protagonist believable and the writing vivid enough that the film plays out fully in the mind.
Writer's Biography
Lachlan Anderson-Schmidt Writer
Lachlan Anderson-Schmidt is a director, writer and cinematographer. He was born in 2002 in Tamworth, New South Wales, and was raised on the Gold Coast, Queensland. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in (Film, TV and New Media) in 2023.
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CHRYSALIS was an official Nominee for Best Short Screenplay at the AFIN International Film Festival 2024, a Top 100 Best Reviewed and IMDb-qualifying festival.
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