BITTERSWEET is a 10-minute short psychological-thriller. It explores the themes of neglect and grief by utilizing the uncanney valley and aspects of cosmic horror to demonise the mother-son relationship between Hadi and his terminally ill mother, Sumara.

Short Synopsis

HADI reluctantly visits his terminally ill mother, SUMARA. Standing outside the understaffed hospital in his bright yellow jacket, he hesitates to enter.

THUD. Hadi's head hits his hotel room door before retreating into isolation. An insistent knock interrupts him, but he ignores it. Frustrated, he swings open the door, only to find an empty hallway and a pink cake box.

Suddenly, Hadi is transported to a dimly lit supermarket after dark. Startled by strange noises, he hurries towards the exit but is drawn to a candlelit pink cake. As he approaches, the store falls silent, and he recognizes the cake's message, written in his own handwriting. Sumara appears behind him, extinguishing the candles, and he becomes frozen in fear.

Hadi finds himself in a field at sunset, facing away from Sumara, who is wearing a pastel pink dress. Overwhelmed, he blames his absent mother for his emotions and hurls the cake at her. The cake hits her face.

Back in the hallway, Hadi is paralyzed with fear. Sumara, now wearing a hospital gown with cake on her face, approaches slowly. he tries to run away, and the hallway shifts, causing him to collide with his room door. He pleads with Sumara as she approaches, holding the cardboard cork from the cake. Desperate and seeking forgiveness, he closes his eyes.

When Hadi opens his eyes, he finds himself in a familiar corridor leading to his old home's kitchen. He hears the sound of medical equipment and discovers Sumara attempting to eat cake. She notices him and weakly smiles. He joins her at the table, leaving his shoes on the rack, and they bond over a slice of pastel pink cake. Hadi apologizes for blaming her and takes responsibility for pushing her away. She accepts his effort and apologizes for any shortcomings that made him feel unloved.

Returning to the hospital, Hadi stands in front of his mother's ward. He grabs the door handle ready to enter.

Directors statement:

The fear of abandonment is the core of BITTERSWEET and tests the mother-son relationship between Hadi and his terminally ill mother, Sumara. As the director, I intend to explore the themes of neglect and grief through the uncanny valley and liminal spaces.

These characters are meant to feel raw, prying their relationship open in the way you wear your heart on your sleeve when you’re brave.

Through striking visuals, emotional outbursts and tender character moments I want for bittersweet to be a unique addition to the slow-burn psychological thriller genre.

This story is personal to me because of the fear that comes from losing a loved one, the things you wish you could have done differently and making good ends.

- Raiyan Chinoy (Writer & Director)

Budget Breakdown:

We want to raise the standard to really do the story of BITTERSWEET and the visuals justice. That is why we are running this crowdfund campaign to ensure that high standard we have set out to achieve with the film.

Our campaign is vital in helping us cover the productions costs, including cast, locations, set design and distribution to festivals. You can find a chart detailing the expenses we will incur below.

We are:

Currently casting.

 In discussion with locations to finalize contracts.

We have:

Secured 30 percent of our total budget through private investment.

Secured majority of our production crew and equipment.

Secured a virtual production stage at Garden Studios

What you get?

In return for your generous contributions, we want to offer rewards that will make you feel like a part of this production family. Head to the right side of this page and choose a reward you like.

Other ways to help

We hope you’re convinced that BITTERSWEET is a project worth supporting. If you aren’t able to contribute financially and would still like to help us, the best way is to spread the word.

• Send this project to friends, family, colleagues and others who would be interested. 
• Mention our campaign to businesses that might know someone who can support and sponsor us.

FAQs

When will the film be made and published?

‘BITTERSWEET’ is scheduled to film in August 2023. We plan to finish the film by late 2023, after which we will take it to the short film festival circuit.

What will we do with the film after it's made?

Once we complete the festival circuit we will make ‘BITTERSWEET’ publicly available for everybody to watch.

Will I get the previous tier rewards?

Yes, if you've chosen any reward tier above £25 you will get the above tiers as well.