Werewolves: A Mental Health Documentary

In a fight to break societal stigmas, a brave and diverse group of people share their struggles with mental health in this one-of-a-kind interactive documentary.

WEREWOLVES is a personal mission of director Alex Dispoto to combat the stigmas surrounding mental health and reduce suicide rates globally. The film focuses on a group of five people, “werewolves,” with diverse backgrounds and varying mental health challenges. (Just as a werewolf transforms in it’s darkest moments, against its will and suffering through intense pain, people with mental health challenges did not ask for this struggle, but have no choice but to bear the hurt, and judgement from those who do not understand).

Organized into five sections, WEREWOLVES simulates a basic mental health journey from conception to coping, as each of the five subjects share their own stories and life experiences. Breaking from the traditional, boring mold every documentary has followed since the prehistoric age, the film is crafted in such a way as to resemble a vlog-style video, from the way it was filmed to the way it was edited, in an effort to connect audiences with the subjects in a closer, more personal manner. The film also breaks ground by allowing audiences to interact directly with the film and subjects within.

The film was designed with two main audiences in mind: those who struggle, and those who don’t. Those who do leave this film feeling heard and empowered; it gives them the strength to keep pushing with a newfound confidence that they have what it takes, and that they are no longer alone. Audiences who don’t struggle are given the chance to experience the world of mental health challenges for themselves, and develop a deeper understanding of and sympathy towards those who struggle every day. WEREWOLVES is an emotional rollercoaster that brings tears and smiles to the faces of everyone who watches, all while serving a critically important social cause.

  • Alex Dispoto
    Director
  • Alex Dispoto
    Producer
  • Gail Walloga
    Producer
  • Ed Walloga
    Producer
  • Laura Dispoto
    Producer
  • Patrick Dispoto
    Producer
  • Zainab Illyas
    Producer
  • Ifraz Mohamed Illyas
    Producer
  • Ed Walloga
    Producer
  • Evelyn Walloga
    Producer
  • Charlie Dispoto
    Producer
  • Laraine Dispoto
    Producer
  • Marilyn Robinson
    Producer
  • Abby Tice Friend
    Producer
  • Bhavesh Joshi
    Producer
  • Sarah Beim
    Producer
  • Alex Dispoto
    Key Cast
    "Self"
  • Serena Roan
    Key Cast
    "Self"
  • Mars Roberts
    Key Cast
    "Self"
  • Mike Veny
    Key Cast
    "Self"
  • Jocelyne Cordero
    Key Cast
    "Self"
  • Aly Albanese
    Key Cast
    "Mom in Skit"
  • Alex Dispoto
    Camera
  • Aly Albanese
    Camera
  • Deshan Wijeweera
    Title Design
  • Alex Dispoto
    Editor
  • Ashley Shaw
    Editor
  • Evan Matthew
    Music
  • JJ Farris
    Music
  • Kevin MacLeod
    Music
  • Shaun Rose
    Special Thanks
  • Cody Clarke
    Special Thanks
  • Erik Anjou
    Special Thanks
  • Norman Schmelz
    Special Thanks
  • Carolyn O'Leary Schmelz
    Special Thanks
  • Tom Boyce
    Special Thanks
  • Zainab Illyas
    Special Thanks
  • Ifraz Mohamed Illyas
    Special Thanks
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Feature
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 13 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    October 10, 2019
  • Production Budget:
    2,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Premiere
    Bergenfield, NJ
    United States
    October 10, 2019
Director Biography - Alex Dispoto

Alex Dispoto is a writer-director. He is currently beginning production on his first narrative feature, releasing 2021. Alex’s feature documentary WEREWOLVES (2019), about mental health, earned sponsorship from the Bergenfield, NJ Mayor’s Office and Stigma-Free Committee. Since then, the Stigma-Free Committees of surrounding towns have expressed interest in screening the film in their communities.

In 2018, Alex was hired by Los Angeles based production company Reyes-Grimm Productions to write the ten-episode pilot season for a 5 minute comedy web-series IRL. Also during 2018 he attended the March For Our Lives rally in Washington, D.C. and documented the movement in his short documentary THE BIRTH OF CHANGE (6 min). Alex’s short WHITE LIGHTS (21 mins) tells the story of a single mother who must confront her problems after the death of her 7 year old son’s beloved dog. Alex also starred in the lead role of Cody Clarke’s THE DVD (85 mins), an experimental film about the mistreatment of actors in Hollywood.

In 2017 Alex debuted his short THE RED LINE (5 min) which tells the story of the inner struggle experienced by those with depression and mental health challenges. His short film WE ARE STRONG (6 min) sheds a light on the hardships faced by the LGBTQIA+ community, and the challenges associated with coming out. Alex also wrote and directed the short films HOPE (3 min), CYCLE (3 min), and UNDEFINED (1 min).

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

For longer than the COVID-19 pandemic has felt, I have suffered from debilitating mental health challenges. The moment where I had a panic attack and stopped breathing - while behind the wheel of a moving vehicle on the highway in the darkness of the night - was, in particular, a living nightmare. It strikes when it wants to, and doesn’t care how inconveniencing or endangering it is. Millions of people feel this pain every day, and some feel it even worse. The few who can afford good therapists and suitable medications are the luck(ier) ones. Everyone else is locked out in the ice cold rain with feelings of loneliness and abandonment. They knock on the door, but no one answers, and eventually, they freeze to death. Specifically one person every 40 seconds kills themselves because they see no other way out. I needed to change that.

I wanted those who suffer to feel heard, and those who don’t to understand the true depth of our struggles. But the truth is, the mere delivering of facts through interviews and V.O.s sprinkled with some B-roll wouldn’t cut it. Documentaries have robotically followed the same old boring formula for decades, remaining the one genre of film to see no real innovation - and it is not an effective means of communicating a message.

The way people receive a message comes down to how connected they feel to the subjects on the screen, and that comes down to how relatable those subjects feel. My first move was to trade in the formal, obnoxious, preppy interviews typical of a documentary, for a filming and editing style reminiscent of a vlog-style video. Someone speaking on a decorated set to an array of lenses all totaling over a hundred thousand dollars doesn’t exactly strike home. But someone in their house speaking to you through a consumer camera? That’s more like it. But it still wasn’t enough. Listening to a subject’s story is great, but people just can’t comprehend what they don’t experience themselves - and that, I knew, was the key.

For the first time, audiences will interact directly with the film and “characters” in front of them. For WEREWOLVES is not just a documentary - it’s an immersive experience that once you see, once you feel, you will walk away a different person. Prepare to be enlightened. Prepare to enter: WEREWOLVES.