Stop

In the summer of 1995, Dylan receives his first video camera for his 13th birthday. What starts as a harmless home movie evolves into something much more menacing once he begins to obsessively document his stepsister’s harmful, rebellious behavior. Using family crises as props for his narrative, Dylan’s invasive lens only perpetuates the conflict. Purposefully broadcast through a dead medium, “Stop” serves as both a meditation on suburban adolescence in the pre-digital era and a statement on the voyeurism and gaze of personal technology.

  • Matt O'Connell
    Director
  • Lydia Janbay
    Director
  • Matt O'Connell
    Writer
  • Ana Zimhart
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Drama, Experimental
  • Runtime:
    27 minutes 30 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    October 26, 2014
  • Production Budget:
    250 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    VHS
  • Aspect Ratio:
    4:3
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes
  • Chicago Underground Film Festival
    Logan Theater, Chicago, IL
    June 1, 2016
Director Biography - Matt O'Connell, Lydia Janbay

Matt O'Connell and Lydia Janbay are the co-creators of Stop. They are currently undergraduates at Occidental College and UCLA Film School, respectively. Growing up as best friends, they realized their shared creative sensibilities and decided to become a team. This is their first collaboration in what they hope will be a challenging and rewarding series of adventures in the world of filmmaking.

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Director Statement

STOP was a filmmaking experience that completely embraced the spirit of D.I.Y. while provoking questions about authenticity, medium specificity, and the male gaze. The film appears like a forgotten video artifact belonging to an anonymous family, forcing the audience to inhabit the same fixated voyeurism of its characters. Our intent was to create an honest, unadorned portrait of a family dynamic on the verge of collapse.