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“The Worst Day of My F***ing Life” is a dramatic comedy centered around Ian, a young stand-up comic, who’s a bit of a cynic with a lot on his mind. One night, he’s performing a set but is short on material. To avoid bombing, he grudgingly decides to tell his audience a story, recalling the day's events leading up to his set. In this horrific tale, Ian suffers numerous tribulations, including; ramming into the hood of a car trying to catch a train, losing a mentorship at a mediocre production company, and making up for lost time with a stressed-out mother and an ailing father. Among ALL of this, all he wanted to do was eat a sandwich. In this volley between stand-up and narrative, Ian navigates the unfortunate nature of his tale through a comedic lens to keep the audience entertained, as a form of catharsis for himself, and as an outlet for his existentialism. As his story progresses, Ian starts to come out of his shell and develops a bond with his audience, who grows eager to know if there’s hope for him yet.

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Hey world! My name is Idris Pickél, a Senior in the SUNY Purchase Film Conservatory and Director of 'The Worst F***ing Day of My Life'. In past years I've written and directed films that have in one way or another catered to my interest--I've made films about cooking and films about Jazz--and for my final year at Purchase, I wanted to round out this motif by making a film about an interest of mine I have yet to cover.

My affinity for stand-up comedy started around high school. For a medium that's since its inception been largely commercialized, What's drawn my attention more are the comedians that use their platform as an outlet for expressing their thoughts, feelings, opinions, telling stories, and offering advice--all through a comedic lens. Comedians like Jerrod Carmichael and Drew Michael are big inspirations for my character and story because there's a visible hesitation and uncertainty in their performances that move me. It's cathartic for the performer to have very personal and introspective material as a way to deal with something they're going through, and it's cathartic for the audience who may relate to some of the things they talk about. The ability to filter pain through humor has always stood out to me as a powerful tool, and because of that, it inspired me to write a film where someone relays an unfortunate experience through stand-up.

This is one of my more personal projects because Ian is in many ways an extension of myself--someone who's uncertain about themselves and their future, as well as someone who fears not having time for themselves between dealing with work and family life. I believe that Ian's story is an important one and something many people relate to in the infancy of their adulthood, and it's a story I'm very excited to tell! This being my final project at Purchase College, I want to make it something true to me--sort of like a time capsule for my current thoughts and feelings--and I will need all the help I can get to pull this off!

Any money donated will go toward food and transport for me and my cast/crew, as well as props, wardrobe, make-up, and most importantly camera lens rentals! Donations of any size are much appreciated, and as a thank you you're name will appear in the end credits of my film.

Thanks for taking the time to read this essay's worth of my words, spread the word if you feel so inclined, and have a good day! Dare I say, the best f***ing day of your life!