Private Project

The Threshold

In a world populated entirely by puppets who are unaware of their condition, a young couple finds themselves aimlessly wandering through an amusement park, yearning for excitement. He is a workaholic, consumed by his job, while she is on the brink of motherhood. Little do they know that their lives are about to be forever transformed.

In a secluded corner of the park, they encounter a group of actors led by a peculiar plague doctor. Together, they embark on a mesmerizing musical journey through time and space. Along the way, their perception of reality is shattered, leaving them to question the very essence of their existence. This extraordinary odyssey not only changes the course of their lives but also sets a new destiny for their future child.

  • Walter Rastelli
    Director
  • Walter Rastelli
    Writer
  • Walter Rastelli
    Producer
  • Paolo Cotrone
    Key Cast
    "The Plague Doctor"
  • Sarah Nightingale
    Key Cast
    "Her"
  • Jon Brattin
    Key Cast
    "Him"
  • Paolo Cotrone
    Original Soundtrack & Songs
  • Walter Rastelli
    Modelling, rigging, animation, lighting, rendering, compositing, editing, color grading, coffee & tears
  • Project Type:
    Animation, Experimental
  • Genres:
    Musical, Horror, Weird, Animation
  • Runtime:
    39 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    November 25, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    2,500 EUR
  • Country of Origin:
    Italy
  • Country of Filming:
    Italy
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.35:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Walter Rastelli

Walter Rastelli was born in Naples, Italy, in 1993. He began attending courses in Cinema and Film Direction during his high school years. In addition, he pursued several personal studies in photography, video editing, and 3D animation. After completing his studies, he moved to Rome, where he continued his education privately at the Libera Università del Cinema. Meanwhile, he worked on various film sets in the capital, created several amateur short films, and collaborated with friends from the Naples area who shared his passion for cinema. This collaboration led to the founding of Drazil Production, a cultural association dedicated to producing low-budget short films, in October 2016.

In 2017, he enrolled at the Academy of Fine Arts in Naples to pursue a degree in Cinema, Photography, and Television. To further enhance his skills in 3D animation, he enrolled in an annual Autodesk Maya course at Ilas in 2018.

Since 2018, he has been a co-founder and organizer of the Phlegraean Film Festival, an international short film festival established in the city of Bacoli and throughout the Campi Flegrei area.

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Director Statement

I felt the need to make The Threshold after looking into the abyss of pessimistic philosophy, especially after reading Thomas Ligotti's "Conspiracy Against the Human Race". This book perfectly encapsulates and explains what has always been my view of life. Pessimistic (and especially anti-natalist) thinking has almost never found a place in the world of film because, as Ligotti himself states, "it's bad to talk about it."

As a filmmaker, I have a responsibility. I want to address these issues and engage with them— as lightly as possible—through a somewhat grotesque musical. My goal is not to elicit responses like "I like it" or "I don't like it," but rather "I agree" or "I disagree," because I aim to foster confrontation and dialogue.

Of course, due to the challenging subject matter and the genre (an animated musical with horror elements) being so demanding, I struggled to find producers willing to back the project. However, I did find a good friend who embraced the idea and helped me create the songs: Maestro Paolo Cotrone. This film was made by the two of us over the course of four years, using a ten-year-old PC and a lot of patience.