The Deity (LGBTQ Gothic Romance Film)

[@Jaimelesfemmesmasc]

Emily is here yaaaayyy.

[@Emilightning]

"You can be happy without me." "But I never was." God, that line has me genuinely in tears. The shots and script for that scene are amazing! I love this, and I hope you continue making films with this level of emotion 💜

[@leonalper7071]

A huge thanks to my cast and crew for all the time, effort, and talent they put into this film. It was a labor of joy and I'm incredibly happy to have this out in the world!

[@qwerk650]

✨Break the cycle girl✨but to be serious this short was very nice and I love the storytelling.

[@Fīshyyyy-b7t]

Dang that scream in the car gave me the chills

[@leonalper7071]

We actually got that on the first take! Even though I knew Bridget was acting it was still so upsetting that I didn't want to make her do it any more times than necessary. Turned out one time was all that was needed. :)

[@shemindly]

I don't think I have the words to say how wowed I am right now... just wow hahahaha It's definitely something that the world needs to see. Such talented people in this, the director, the writer, the actresses and actors, I insist, just wow PS: loved seeing Emily on this, she's amazing

[@Space_Cat59]

I'm speechless, this film gave me chills in the best way possible

[@Kandi_the_Klown]

Absolutely love the subtle commentary on this piece it’s great!!

[@NatalieDolanMusic]

So thankful for the opportunity to work on this beautiful film!

[@naamloos8481]

I love the stylistic choices that were made!! The pacing, the way that you used more images than words, allowing space to really feel the tension and the muted colours really added to the story. I really think youve got something

[@leozhuxingli]

This was phenomenal, I couldn't be more happy, honored and grateful for the whole experience Leon, thank you for having me on board, awesome work my dude!

[@jjayjazz]

Beautiful cinematography, beautiful lighting, beautiful story, acting was so amazing I got chills during all the scary scenes. Incredible job from everyone involved 👏👏👏

[@thylacoleonkennedy7]

That was genuinely beautiful and deeply haunting at the same time. A24 could never.

[@bridgetgrayson5893]

So grateful to have been able to be a part of this meaningful film, with such a great cast, crew, and one of the best directors I've worked with!

[@lavender_sushi]

It is sooo good!!! Came here from Emily's vid💗💗

[@elisecoker6820]

i thought she actually killed the old woman for a sec 😭great message though.

[@pandiispanda]

Really well done - I thoroughly enjoyed this film and I love that you incorporated that that not all gods are good and nothing goes without consequences.

[@Emilightning]

Okay, so this might be a stretch, but I was wondering if Charlie named the fish from the beginning Adolf as like, a way to disconnect herself from feeling guilty for sacrificing it? If so, that's a clever sort of dark-humor character beat that I really like. My other interpretation of it is that she called him that in something like a self-justifying act, like "Yeah, I know I'm doing something morally wrong, but it's for a reason I care about, and maybe that's why we all do horrible things, it's all a cycle ". Which is a much creepier implication, but I like it either way. (Hopefully I'm not reading too much into it lol)

[@leonalper7071]

Wow! Actually both of those ideas were big motivations for the line. I really wanted to imply Charlie's deeper mentality and perspective as she does the sacrifice. Some people specifically recommended I get rid of that opening scene but I was stubborn about keeping it in. 😂

[@xanderbrown3053]

tbh for me, Love is sometimes just Like That. You're willing to make sacrifices for the people you love and then, one day, the sacrifice is greater than you're willing to give. But you can't let that love go. So you sacrifice yourself. And by doing that, the sacrifice in of itself becomes... pointless. You may have saved someone you love, but how can they live without you? If you can't simply just let them go, how can they let you go in turn? So you wait. And you wait for someone with that same sort of love to come by and you are forced with a choice; do you sacrifice yourself for someone else's love for own, or do you choose to live and love for the person who died? If you are dying, and someone sacrifices themselves so you may live, to what degree is your own live owed to keep living and loving in spite of that? Charlie had to choose between moving on and keeping Beth alive. She chose to keep to Beth alive and sacrifice her own life in doing so. Beth is only alive because Charlie died for her, but what point is there in being alive if Charlie died? Will she choose to live on with the exact advice she gave Charlie, or will she die so Joshua can have a life with his son? The open ending of this film is truly thought provoking and amazing. I'd give my life for anyone I love, but... is it worth it? idk. I were Charlie, who gave my life for Beth, and Beth gave her life for Joshua's son, I wouldn't mind. Charlie and Beth would be together and Joshua would have his son. But can you be certain it's the right choice when you make it? idk. It was a super amazing film. Thank you for giving me so much to think about.

[@dramatictiming]

The horror aspect of film fits so well with the obsession this story cautions against. Short to say, I'll be taking notes on this one lol jolly good show 😊🤞

[@woodykrska9947]

Wow. I love this film. Even down to the camera work, this is a feat of filmmaking.

[@cassieclinee]

This is so brilliant. I'm so incredibly stunned by everyone in this movie I hope for much more from you all in the future!

[@Emily-the-faerie]

I just wanted to say that I appreciate that you worked hard on this and didn't use ai

[@lacrima_L]

I’m here before this blows up! It’s so good!

[@kaiigu]

I really enjoyed this..Keep up the good work :)

[@Sara43211]

Amazing!!!

[@AubreeAntoine]

I really like the cinematography in this, well shot and well lit! What camera do you use?

[@leonalper7071]

Thanks for watching! We used a Panasonic GH6. No fancy lenses. Mostly the 14-42mm and some cheap primes.

[@Fionas_planet]

Very good but I’m so confused😭

[@leonalper7071]

Yeah I definitely went for a more vague style in this film. Ultimately the titular Deity can heal people if a loved one sacrifices animals to it. Emily's character gets saved by it and at the end has to make a choice whether or not to allow the man save his son using it. Thanks so much for watching it!

[@Fionas_planet]

@@leonalper7071 thank for the explanation!

[@MotherOfTheMoons]

​@@leonalper7071 I had been wondering if there would be an explanation in the comments, thank you for shedding light on the ending! I appreciated the story as it was and I think for a short film it hit a lot of good spots, the amount of shots that made me feel so intensely left me wanting more, but I can just watch it over and over for that! Knowing what the ending definitely meant makes it a lot more impactful and I can't wait to watch it again 😤

[@nostalgicivy]

amazing 🫶🏽🫶🏽🫶🏽

[@natureninjay8276]

I love it❤

[@jeellyfish_0006]

SOOOO GOOD HOLY SHIT

[@CarIosRollo]

cool

[@Emily-the-faerie]

How'd you get the fish to look dead?

[@leonalper7071]

We went to pet stores and asked if any of them had an already dead fish that looked identical to a still living one. Then we bought both for the separate shots. It was a pretty sad quest and we got weird looks.

[@NicoleVyatkina]

The birds fake right-

[@illxmination]

❤❤❤

[@Emily-the-faerie]

❤❤

[@Emily-the-faerie]

I like ur sabrina pfp

[@illxmination]

@@Emily-the-faerie tyyyyy

[@steventopper9310]

Why did Beth walk away towards the end?