Mind Altering Stories

Mind-Altering Stories is an anthology film featuring three short stories: Unaware, Too Far, and Non-Verbals.

Unaware is a story about family and coming to terms with loss. There's a lot going on underneath the seemingly normal surface of the first story. Although it gets confusing to follow, the underlying message still comes through. It's about faith binding us to our loved ones and keeping us afloat at our lowest.

Too Far is about a couple of friends in an impossible circumstance finding out that they don't know each other as well as they thought they did. The ending feels like something out of Black Mirror and the whole short feels like a commentary on the craze surrounding content creation culture. Where anything can be consumed as entertainment without regard for empathy or ethics.

Non-Verbals gave me a sort of scream vibe. The shaky camera work and the cat-and-mouse chase are all very reminiscent of slasher movies. Here too, the fourth-wall-breaking scenarios and how the whole premise comes tumbling down took me back to some of my favorite episodes of Black Mirror. I couldn't help but laugh as the whole thing didn't turn out at all as I expected it to.

The cinematography, writing, and acting in all of the short stories are praiseworthy, they keep the illusion intact until the director decides it's time to break it. You'll have to keep your first impressions at bay with this one because the stories will continuously subvert your expectations. All things considered, the film felt like something fresh and original, which is difficult to say anything about these days.