The Abyss

A short film about sleep paralysis and its relationship to depression and other mental health disorders.

The film starts when we introduce our subject and the kind of mental state he is in.
We begin with him watching TV at night, because he is struggling with sleeping. He looks at his phone, then sees it is almost morning. Then he switches of the TV and goes to his bedroom.

In his bedroom we see him trying to get some sleep. He has been experiencing severe sleep paralysis episodes because of his anxiety and/or depression.
For this reason, his sleeping schedule has really been suffering.
As we see him struggling to sleep, we also see him struggle through a sleep paralysis episode, where he sees what is commonly called "the demon" standing over him as he sleeps.
This phase ends with our subject waking up.

The film ends when the subject realizes that it was just a dream/hallucination within the sleep paralysis episode.

  • Kevin Outa
    Director
  • Kevin Outa
    Writer
  • Belinda Odongo
    Producer
  • Priscilla Odongo
    Producer
  • Project Type:
    Experimental, Short, Web / New Media
  • Genres:
    Thriller, Horror
  • Runtime:
    7 minutes 57 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    August 6, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    250 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Kenya
  • Country of Filming:
    Kenya
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Kevin Outa

My name is Kevin Outa Odongo, a self-taught filmmaker and photographer based in Nairobi, Kenya, with over eight years of commercial experience shooting portraits, real estate, fashion, and food.

My visual style and aesthetic can be described as high contrast, dark and moody. This is because it allows me to capture images exactly as I see them in my head and with my eyes. I love keeping it natural, and this type of shooting helps me stay in firm control of what I create.
As we interact further, I hope you will be able to understand how I work, and why I work in the way I do.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

I believe that this project is a necessary step to help me evolve and expand my creative practice and career because it will be my first short film. I feel that this is what I need to level up as a storyteller and creative because it will help me improve on all aspects of being a filmmaker. Hopefully, this project will act as a stepping stone towards my first feature-length narrative film.

As an artist, success for me would be to reach a point where my creative ideas can be used to make engaging films, while giving other artists the platform to be self-sustaining, both creatively and financially.
As a filmmaker, my biggest challenge has been building the right system/network to help me actualize my films and creative ideas. By this, I mean that it has been difficult finding the kind of individuals or brands to help with the finances, as well as finding the right people who can actually help in the creative process. The former is because I am still relatively new in this film space, while the latter can be attributed to my own need to do everything myself, because that way I know everything will be done right.