Filmmaker Statement

"ShutEye" is a very personal film that was inspired by a toxic relationship that I was in. I originally came up with an idea to do a movie about sleep paralysis, but as the story evolved, I was more interested in the idea of facing something that you never actually meant to, or didn't do, but were held to that consequence. I was gaslighted to believe that I said and done mean things to a person that I cared for dearly. Once I realized that I was being manipulated and tricked into apologizing for circumstances that I did not actually cause, I stumbled upon an actual condition that would cause this same feeling. I found parasomnia and it described how I felt completely.