THE THINGS WE KEEP

This film speaks to my tortured relationship with my mother, which has been further complicated by her diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimer's. As an Alzheimer's patient, she's been through countless neuroimaging, all of which revealed CTE, a condition common in footballers who have had repeated blows to the head. The rapid deterioration of my mother's memory has stemmed from the severe brain damage from the abuse she suffered from her mother (my grandmother), as a child. The symptoms of CTE include impulsivity, explosivity, and aggression. The violence that terrorized me as a child was a direct consequence of the violence that terrorized my mother. My mom never had a chance. The idea that we become our parents is a terrifying concept to me that keeps me awake at night. I'm 26 years old, but my mother calls me "mom," and I feel a massive responsibility to provide her with the empathy and care she never received from her mother. I'm committed to putting an end to the intergenerational trauma that plagued my family.

Fairytales and myths have long been a tool for people to deal with the horrors that plagued them. Horror, at its best, uses the genre as a means to tackle human drama and conflict. I would like to express my truth using this lens and create a powerful narrative about the nature of intergenerational trauma and motherhood.
Hoarding is a form of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder that is categorized by severe emotional attachment to inanimate objects. International OCD Foundation estimates that one in every 50 people struggles with severe hoarding. Hoarding both relieves anxiety and generates it: the more hoarders accumulate, the more insulated they feel from the world and its dangers. But of course, the more they accumulate, the more isolated they become from the outside world, including family and friends. Even the thought of discarding or cleaning out hoarded items produces extreme feelings of panic and discomfort. THE THINGS WE KEEP dives into the psychology of a hoarder and examines the nature of compulsion and trauma, and how they intersect.As someone who has struggled with OCD and anxiety, I know firsthand how the mind can play tricks on us and the devastating impact mental illness can have on our lives and those around us. "The Things We Keep" is a personal exploration of these themes, drawing on my own experiences and those of others affected by mental illness. Through horror, I hope to shed light on the often-misunderstood world of OCD and compulsions and the games our minds play on us. Please support this film, not just for the scares but for the message we want to deliver about the importance of mental health awareness and breaking the cycle of intergenerational trauma.