To be released in 2019 - 7 minutes 14 seconds

Dacryphilia + Hematolagnia

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Follows the life and death of a young girl as she struggles to overcome a sickness inside her.

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“Dacryphilia + Hematolagnia” is the new short film from well known indie filmmaker Shane Ryan. I have heard many things about Ryan, but had never seen any of his films. Many people praised him as a visionary filmmaker, while others seemed to take issue with his “controversial content.”

 

Controversial filmmakers are always the most exciting, so I was thrilled to finally get the chance to check out one of his films. Here, he teams up with frequent collaborator Lilith Singson, who starred in and

co-wrote the film.

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This film is an unconventional seven minute project that blurs the line between experimental film and music video. It is a series of bizarre and striking images set to music. No dialogue, and no real story. Although there isn’t a story in a traditional sense, I did get a strong sense of beginning, middle, and end, just in an emotional sense rather than a literal one.

 

Films of this kind are hard to pull off and usually bore me. However, 
the images here so so incredible, it kept me intrigued throughout. In low budget indies, I usually look for creativity and originality, which help me to overlook the limitations of a tight budget and small crew. But this film was different. In terms of production quality, the visuals looked straight out of a big budget Hollywood film, and in terms of originality, they were totally indie. Many of the images worked like a Rorschach test.

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At one point I thought I saw an image of a bloody woman, but just for a brief moment I thought I saw the face of Satan. It seems as though Ryan and Singson wanted us to experience a series of dark, disturbing images presented with no real context, allowing us to draw our own conclusions. I don’t know if I have ever seen a film this short that did 
so much and had such a great impact on me.

I look forward to checking out more of Ryan and Singson’s work in the future. If this film is any indication, I believe Ryan is not just a provocateur, but an artist who has valuable things to say, and that he and Singson make a great filmmaking team.  

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I cannot recommend this film enough.

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