A young man down on his luck moves into his sister’s apartment indefinitely, triggering his high anxiety.

Director’s Vision for ‘Very Temporary’

No matter what the story is, every film you make is personal in some way. For me, VERY TEMPORARY is the most personal film I’ve made. I used it as a way to explore my own struggles, but also to explore their complexities outside my own experience.

Anxiety is something perhaps all of us are familiar with, whether it comes in the form of a small uncomfortable feeling or a debilitating wave of emotions. There are those of us who experience it in extreme bouts throughout our lives, and when it’s not managed it can overtake us, even if on the outside we seem unaffected. This is something I discovered personally about myself in my reactions to high stress, uncertainty, isolation, or tragedy. For me, anxiety attacks would manifest throughout my life and often be coupled with destructive behavior. It’s easy for this sort of thing to continue unattended when you tell yourself that it’s just a passing feeling relevant to the moment or point in time, that it’s temporary.

These are the topics and themes I wanted to address when I wrote VERY TEMPORARY.

The film is a vignette into Joe’s life as he’s down on his luck and moves into his sister’s apartment indefinitely, triggering his high anxiety. As a small and diverse team built of a NY-based cast and crew, we shot VERY TEMPORARY in a single day and on a limited budget. As a director, I’ve always embraced the concepts of making a lot with a little, having no fear in wearing multiple hats, and working within limitations. My intention was to make something visual and with little exposition, to allow the audience to watch Joe decompose and determine for themselves just how he ended up here. The focus is on thoughtful cinematography, meaningful dialogue, and careful character choices built through collaboration with the cast that appropriately and subtly paint the picture.

It’s a film about the importance of recognizing anxiety as something to take seriously, especially at a low point in life where one may be more vulnerable than ever. It’s about leaning into others and accepting a part of yourself that isn’t “very temporary”. It’s about the harmful behavior that can sprout from continually neglecting your mental health.

I hope our film illuminates something for you. If not something about yourself, then something about those who face anxiety every day. If the story feels close to home for you, know that you’re not alone.