This is an independent horror short film that was created in response to the rise of incel culture. The idea was to take old clichés associated with the male gaze and turn them on their head: what was previously portrayed as a complicit look was transformed into a constant feeling of discomfort. The aim was to portray women not as passive objects of desire, but as dominant, untouchable, almost threatening presences.

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The story follows Chico, a scruffy young man clinging to the fantasy of conquering his neighbour, Clara. He sees her passing in the corridor, in the lift, in the garage. He sees her more than he knows her. In a burst of confidence, he dares to approach her and what follows is only suggested: an encounter, perhaps sexual, perhaps projected. The next day, when he meets Clara again, she denies that anything happened. Chico is then forced to confront his own reality, with a series of terrifying visions that take him to the darkest corner of his mind.

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The film is based on a script I wrote and was directed by Pedro M. Afonso. It was the first fiction project produced by @asgthing. I was also responsible for art coordination and editing. The vision was clear: to create the feeling of a fever dream, a foggy nightmare from which one cannot wake up. We resorted to an aesthetic rooted in the 80s and B-movies, not out of nostalgia, but for a calculated exaggeration that underlines the strangeness of Chico's mind, stuck in old ideas that refuse to die.

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It premiered in 2023 as an Official Selection at MOTELX, the International Horror Film Festival in Lisbon, and was screened at the Caminhos do Cinema Português, Leiria Film Fest, YMOTION and Entre Olhares festivals. It is now available on Film Twist, the first streaming service in Portugal dedicated to fantasy and cult cinema.