Please watch in 4K here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cIkpoFR0rI

Power, cruelty, passion, and surrender are metaphors in this short. The film juxtaposes the violent and the grotesque with the graceful and the sensual. The inspiration for this comes from an unlikely place: my disputes with my wife, in which dominance, revenge, apology, and reconciliation keep our bonds of love enjoyable and edifying. To be in a relationship is to dive into the great unknown.

This was the first production to use the Nautilus underwater case for the BMPCC4K camera in a narrative project. The tentacles were complex simulations that required a custom 3D toolset, created specifically for this project by a talented CG artist. The VFX took four years to complete. For comparison, it took Pixar technical directors two years to design and animate Hank, the octopus from Finding Dory, their most complex character to date.

30% of the VFX in this film is "invisible." The infinity pool over the ocean actually overlooked a desert hill. I conceived the concept to draw as little attention to the VFX as possible, aiming the viewer's attention instead to our heroine's privacy and intimacy. In addition to writing and directing, I edited, composited, color-graded, and designed all the post effects. The actress, a friend who did it for free, performed acrobatic feats underwater, with breath held, over multiple takes.