Nora witnesses the slaughter of her farm lamb, seeing their bond ripped from her arms and served on a platter. She is forced to eat under her grandparents and adapt to their lifestyle. Soon, their home takes a dark turn as Nora sleepwalks to her fridge, lured by the lamb’s spirit. She embraces the darkness of its flesh and takes on the role of a child savior. A twisted tale of veganism & coming of age.

Director’s Vision

Sentient was inspired by my personal transition to a plant based diet. With this film I wanted to capture the internal battle I felt during every meal after learning about the atrocities that take place in the meat industry. Beyond all the logical reasons to transition to a plant based diet, such as reducing one’s carbon footprint and the massive health benefits if planned well, the reason that ultimately got me to take the leap from a few vegan meals a week to a more committed routine was the emotional aspect.

Once I took the time to educate myself on the phsycial and emotional torture these animals are literally bred to experience as their lives, I no longer had a choice. Instead of seeing a plate of eggs and bacon with a glass of milk, I began seeing a pig struggling to escape a cage that is being lowered into a gas chamber while chickens and cows are forcefully impregnated and separated from their offspring. I hope this film encourages people to educate themselves and become more educated consumers.

In pre-production it became clear that many things could go wrong with all the moving pieces, that being said, I could not be more proud of how our team was able to juggle everything from COVID-19 safety measures to budget and time constraints. We were able to create an environment that allowed for spontaneous and candid moments to occur and I believe that comes through in the final product.