Dopamining

Dopamining is a sci-fi drama about depressed Marge who, in a last ditch effort to find happiness, goes for a brain massage but soon finds herself trapped in a bizarre political scandal.

  • Jyot Bhalla
    Director
  • Nelson Wong
    Producer
  • Raechyl French
    Key Cast
    "Marge"
  • Aisling Delahunt
    Key Cast
    "Fiona"
  • Bryce Webster
    Key Cast
    "Brad"
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Sci-Fi, Drama
  • Runtime:
    11 minutes 15 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    July 31, 2023
  • Country of Origin:
    Australia
  • Country of Filming:
    Australia
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital, Black Magic BRAW
  • Aspect Ratio:
    1.85:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes - University of Sydney
Director Biography - Jyot Bhalla

Jyot Bhalla is an emerging director based between Sydney and Singapore. As a third culture kid raised across Asia, she is driven to build immersive worlds and characters as a means of exploring humanity.

Since starting her film career 5 years ago, she has worked in production houses, run her own creative agency and practiced independent filmmaking. In 2021, she co-wrote and directed the pilot episode for an upcoming Singaporean TV comedy, Misprision.

Jyot will be graduating from the Masters in Moving
Image at the University of Sydney in June 2023, and
has a slate of short-form projects lined u

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Director Statement

It breaks my heart when someone tells me how unhappy they are in life, yet I cannot help but feel relieved that I no longer feel that way. After I’ve gone on my merry way, I often end up spending inordinate amounts of time scrolling through social media, rewatching feel-good TV shows and filling my apartment with techno-trance music in hopes of remaining perpetually distracted.

Without wanting to admit it, I too am living in a soft pink hell.
The perils of a technology-fused life are imminent; yet self-awareness is a deliberate choice. As an exploration of this idea, Dopamining shows us what can happen when desperation replaces any state of being that is even mildly rational – whether or not you’ve had your brain dunked in a tub of fresh dopamine.

As a science-fiction drama, the film deals in themes of posthumanism, conformity and the endless pursuit of something elusive. While this message sounds cynical, I believe it to be true because I don’t think happiness can be attained somewhere out there. It can only be found within you – and this too, is a choice that you must make.

Dopamining manifests a woman who has spent her whole life seeking external validation, that she simply does not know how to detangle herself from it. Like many of us in the “social media
generation”, Marge has been let down by the instant, short-term perception of happiness that has been sold to her.

Personally, this film has been the culmination of many friendships, collaborations and break- breakthroughs. I am grateful to my cast and crew for their faith in my vision, and their tireless efforts to breathe life into it. To my editor Aditya Manikashetti, my co-writer Quentin Baudenon and my co-producer Nelson Wong – I am so genuinely happy to have found you.