Private Project

Empty Windows

A little boy with schizophrenia, miraculously survives a murder suicide attempt at the hands of his mother. Haunted by the past, he stops taking medication to confront his demons.

*Private YouTube link under Project Links ("Website" option).

  • Andrew Rosenstein
    Director
  • Joseph Rosenstein
    Director
  • Andrew Rosenstein
    Writer
  • Joseph Rosenstein
    Writer
  • Andrew Rosenstein
    Producer
  • Andrew Rosenstein
    Key Cast
    "Narrator "
    Suspicions
  • Joseph Rosenstein
    Key Cast
    "Detective "
  • Benjamin Rosenstein
    Key Cast
    "Boy "
  • Shawn Procuniar
    Key Cast
    "Father "
  • KC Beauregard
    Key Cast
    "Mother "
  • Project Type:
    Experimental, Short
  • Genres:
    Thriller, Mystery, Horror, Psychological, Experimental
  • Runtime:
    14 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    February 16, 2020
  • Production Budget:
    3,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital, Sony a7iii (4K)
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Lonely Wolf London International Film Festival
    London
    United Kingdom
    July 22, 2020
    United Kingdom
    Nominee Best Horror/Film Editing/Original Score
  • Austin After Dark Film Festival
    Austin, Texas
    United States
    September 13, 2020
    North American
    Winner Best Editing Award
  • Sin City Horror Festival
    Las Vegas, Nevada
    United States
    October 22, 2020
    Nevada
    Official Selection
  • Online New England Film Festival

    United States
    September 8, 2020
    New England
    Official Selection
  • Shawna Shea Film Festival (SSFF) Spring Shorts
    Worcester, Massachusetts
    United States
    October 3, 2020
    Official Selection
  • Horror Movie Freaks Film Fest
    North Carolina
    United States
    October 16, 2020
    Official Selection
  • The Massachusetts Independent Film Festival
    Arlington, Massachusetts
    United States
    September 10, 2020
    Official Selection
Director Biography - Andrew Rosenstein, Joseph Rosenstein

Andrew was born and raised in Connecticut. He is a board certified pediatric dentist, actor, singer, standup comic and film maker.

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Director Statement

Empty Windows exposes the truth about mortality and blurs the line between evil and mental illness. It questions our perception of reality and how we are incapable of fully understanding someone else's. The inspiration for the story came from several real life occurrences. The little boy is based off someone I went to high school with who was diagnosed with schizophrenia at an early age. After high school, he was hospitalized following several psychotic episodes. One of them involved him removing all of the air conditioners from his parent's house because he thought they were filling the rooms with poison gas. Later on, he was arrested for attacking his mother with a baseball bat because he thought she was trying to kill him. Schizophrenia is commonly confused with Multiple Personality Disorder in movies which is extremely inaccurate. A textbook symptom of schizophrenia is auditory hallucinations and the film explores the idea that these "voices" have a consciousness and personalities of their own. If someone is experiencing a false reality, does this truly make them evil? I have always been fascinated by forensic psychiatry, the complexity of the human mind and what can go wrong with it. We wanted to show how debilitating mental illness can be and how the mind can wreak havoc on itself and others.