Private Project

Distorted and Disordered

Can't sleep... How many hours, days, months has passed by?
With time escaping from their grasp, reality begins to warp with their subconsciousness. Once again, they are inevitably troubled by their lingering thoughts, resurfaced wounds, ruminating about past and present traumas that haunt them even to this day. Questioning everything, they succumb to their subconsciousness and their world is consumed.
Is everything just a figment of their imagination? Is anything real at all? And thus, the boundaries between dreams and reality begin to blur as the flow of time is askew. Where is the end, and where is the beginning?
Inspired by personal experiences, this piece documents the events during one of many sleepless nights, where there are no limits to the subconsciousness.

  • Xion Chong
    Director
  • Xion Chong
    Animator
  • Xion Chong
    Writer
  • Xion Chong
    Producer
  • Project Type:
    Animation, Experimental, Short, Student
  • Runtime:
    3 minutes 25 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    October 24, 2024
  • Country of Origin:
    Ireland
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Coláiste Dhúlaigh
Director Biography - Xion Chong

Xion is an animation student based in Dublin, originally from Hong Kong. Having grown up in the countryside, feeling isolated and detached has been the norm for them, and as a result they have developed a unique and unusual view on the world. Their inner subconsciousness is a great inspiration for them, having an innate attraction to dark aesthetics that may be unsettling for others. Mostly self-taught from a young age, they are largely passionate with traditional media and expressing emotions through art. When not drawing, you can find Xion immersing themselves in the world of fiction and their subconsciousness; playing video games, watching anime, reading comics, and brooding.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

This short film was made for my 3rd year major project. The piece expresses a sense of detachment from reality and the self, stemming from personal experiences.

Through this abstract story, I depict some of the many struggles living with mental disorders and chronic insomnia, along with the trauma and pain that consumes one on a daily basis, their descent into madness, how they choose to deal with their chaos, and eventually succumbing to negative energy altogether.

Ultimately, I wanted to highlight how real mental illnesses are. I try to portray how this can affect someone massively, how a simple everyday act such as going to bed can spiral into something bigger and lead them astray, losing their grip on reality.

For some, this madness is a never-ending loop, depicted at the ending; Are they finally able to get a good night's sleep? Or do they give in and inevitably succumb to their distorted and disordered mind?