In the Bedroom (Antoni Konieczny)

In the Bedroom is a contemporary drama with fantastical and horror elements. The film seeks to tackle the increased isolation and loneliness in the wake of lockdown and the digital age. It tells the story of two young men of polar opposite personalities: bookish and reserved Connell paired with the outgoing and athletic Jesse. Despite their differences, Connell and Jesse share an emotionally intense but out-of-sync bond. The two fall prey to a supernatural entity that feeds off Connell’s feelings of isolation and self-loathing, as well as Jesse’s volatility.

Connell and Jesse, In the Bedroom’s central characters, navigate self-loathing, co-dependency, and emotional availability hanging by a thread. Simultaneously, the nature of their relationship remains deliberately liminal and ambiguous. I was interested in the current epidemic of loneliness that people in their late teens and early 20s grapple with; I was inspired by our increasing absence of collective memories and experiences; on a more personal level, I wanted to explore stigma around same-sex male intimacy. In our story, sound takes precedence.