"Of Paradise" is a haunting short film about a teen held captive by a masked cult. Forced to perform, she resists until a hypnotic duet with the cult’s leader blurs control and desire, pulling her into a chilling transformation where escape and belonging become one.

It is a surreal dance film that uses horror to explore toxic relationships. It captures the push and pull of control, self-gaslighting, and emotional scars, aiming to shed light on how manipulation can feel normal and why escaping it is so difficult.

FULL SYNOPSIS:

FAITH, a 16 year old dancer, is being held captive in a giant bird cage in an isolated room along with 4 other dancers around her age, all wearing the same white babydoll dress. Today is the day they are to present the dance that the bird cult has forced them to train for the past 4 months. In the cage, Faith and three other girls currently sit. Two HENCHMEN, both wearing matching bird masks and cloaks, enter with a deceased girl. The girls are petrified as they enter and lay her against the wall. The men turn to Faith, declaring it her turn to dance.

The men drag Faith into a large open space where the 5 other members of the cult stand: all in masks. She is thrown to the ground as the LEADER emerges from the council of members. The leader expresses his excitement to see her. At first, Faith tries to process her situation and what happened to the deceased girl. He then cuts her off by grabbing her face and inspecting her. This snaps her out of her daze and into the reality of the situation; she regains a little fire. The leader makes a sarcastic remark, then states it’s her turn to dance, but she pushes back. She fights him, begging him to give her some sort of normal and rational response: to get on her level. He dismisses, deflects, ignores, and breaks her down with his words. At her breaking point, her body crumbles and allows her head to fall into his chest. With her last bit of mental strength, she takes her final plea, asking to go home. They share a quiet, intimate moment, as he slowly strokes her hair with one hand and hugs her with the other, affirming her request. She looks up with a glimmer of hope. He fixes his statement, saying she must dance to go home. He turns the music on.

Her muscle memory kicks in, and she begins to dance alone. She settles into the movements and feels a sense of freedom she hasn’t felt in months. As she dances, the leader takes off his mask and cloak to duet with her. Their movements flow easily and comfortably, each move he makes complements hers. They never break eye contact. Soon, she is so entranced by his movements that she freezes in the middle of her dance as he seduces her with shakes, flaps, shimmies, and waves of color. She watches and watches, unable to control her body. One of the council members brings over a white swan mask. As the colors keep her in a trance, he places the mask over her, affirming that this is her home. The council members and henchmen surround an aisle of feathers as Faith and the Leader walk hand in hand down the aisle into the darkness of the shadows.

MEANING:

Face value, this is a horrifying artistic film combining the elements of narrative film and dance; however, at its core, it represents something more. Toxic relationships can take many forms: romantic, familial, or even platonic. Unfortunately, it’s hard to escape. Whether the fear of change keeps someone from leaving, or they convince themselves that this is normal and okay, or are even physically unable to safely remove themselves from the relationship, it’s a horrible situation all around. When I was 17, I went through the most toxic and emotionally scarring friendship of my life. I had to constantly convince myself that what everyone was saying about her was okay. I convinced myself that her actions were justified because she was “going through something,” and even compromised my morals for someone she introduced me to. The worst part about these connections is that they never truly leave you. No matter how long it’s been or how much healing you have done, there is a scar left on the heart and mind. Of Paradise is the dark and twisted push and pull of this friendship. Faith cycles through gaslighting herself into normalcy, disbelief, moments of strength and fire, and a mental snap. While writing this, I wanted to turn the most insane and broken down version of myself into art just as weird, freaky, and as oddly beautiful as I felt in that moment of my life.

Donations will go to support production design, costumes, makeup, permits, festival submissions, and feeding the cast and crew.

DONATION BENEFITS: Special thanks in the credits, a special "Of Paradise" sticker, and a copy of the film.

Any amount and/or share is appreciated and thank you for supporting this project! Check out the instagram as well! @ofparadisefilm