B L I S T E R
a short film by Oliver Zel and Hunter D'Ancona
Stranded in a vast arid desert, two resentful lovers are forced to endure one another as they await their rescue. Attempting to reconcile old traumas, their journey across endless dunes unravels a violent past with lasting insidious effects. Their love wearing thin, the two are forced to recognize the sadistic nature of their relationship and its troubling imprint on their ability to love and be loved.
a short film by Oliver Zel and Hunter D'Ancona
Stranded in a vast arid desert, two resentful lovers are forced to endure one another as they await their rescue. Attempting to reconcile old traumas, their journey across endless dunes unravels a violent past with lasting insidious effects. Their love wearing thin, the two are forced to recognize the sadistic nature of their relationship and its troubling imprint on their ability to love and be loved.
Directors' Statement
To us, Blister is a disturbing tone poem about how toxic masculinity profoundly and often unconsciously permeates the queer man’s ability to love and be loved.
Each with distinct perspectives on masculinity, our mutual understanding of the queer man on-screen was narrow and warped. As longtime friends but first-time collaborators, we set out to tell an intimate, homonormative story that conveys an emotional complexity that queer men rarely embody on screen. With a shoestring budget, a crew of six, and daily temperatures approaching 100 degrees, we set our production sights on the vast California desert and its endless dunes to evoke the abrasive and mountainous distance between our protagonists.
In post-production, Blister underwent notable changes. We chose to boldly exclude context and exposition to reimagine a once more traditional narrative into a spare, emblematic one with hopes to better unravel this unique dysfunctional dynamic, not uncommon in hyper-masculine partnerships.
In simplifying our story, we were better able to explore the vicious cycle of abuse - both physical and emotional - inherent in our troubled lovers. We believe that Blister tells a beautiful yet unforgiving story about man's struggle to love against the masculine need to dominate.