The Healer – a short film by Maria-Crystal Melo

Sponsored Feature: Moon Midnight Films

The Healer is a horror/drama short film written and directed by Maria-Crystal Melo.

Watch the film here!

An online cult leader misleads her members while battling with substance abuse. 

A Q&A with writer/director Maria-Crystal Melo

Hi Maria-Crystal, thank you for joining us to discuss your new short film The Healer! How did you come up with the concept for the film?

Thank you so much for having me! It was during lockdown and the pandemic that I became inspired for the film. I noticed a lot of political debates and influencers were emerging online and discussing certain topics, which evidently made people automatically believe them even though most of the information was highly fabricated. This sense of loneliness during Covid made people build online communities. When I would scroll on social media a lot of influencers would go live and have political debates, and if you disagreed with them, they’d automatically block you. I was noticing this trend happening a lot. I stopped and thought to myself…this almost feels like a cult. 

The film deals with topics like depression, anxiety and substance abuse. Why did you want to focus on these topics?

Social media is a huge part of our culture, and we tend to  expose a lot of our lives online. We choose how we want to showcase it, and there have been cases where creators have misled the public, and then go online and post an “apology video”. I wanted to mirror what is currently happening in online culture, but also take into consideration that anxiety and depression have been the main focal point during and post-pandemic. Almost every person you talk to has some sort of anxiety or depression. At times, it feels almost romanticized to experience that, and if you don’t then you’re sort of being outcast in a way. 

I wanted to mirror what is currently happening in online culture, but also take into consideration that anxiety and depression have been the main focal point during and post-pandemic.

How did you approach the cinematography? 

To be honest I didn’t have a direct plan on how I wanted the cinematography to turn out. It was my first short film I ever wrote and produced as well as acting in my own project. The approach was very much in the moment and we dealt with whatever gear we had. Thanks to Umeash Siva, my director who was very creative in trying to set the mood and tone for the film. I knew I wanted to have a darker atmosphere, but I really didn’t have a set plan on how I wanted the film to look. I guess you can say we had more of an experimental approach to it. 

What was your biggest challenge in bringing the film to life?

I think the biggest challenge for me would have to be some of the visuals. Even though it was mostly set in one location, we tried to make it more interesting rather than just having it in a bedroom. I think the lighting could’ve been better, but I guess it was meant for “The Healer” universe. 

What are you hoping viewers will take away from The Healer? 

I just hope viewers will take on their own interpretation and how it affects them mentally and emotionally. All I can say is that we can’t always believe what’s posted online, people can say whatever they want and we just need to be mentally strong enough to make our own decisions, and not be influenced by misleading information. 

Follow @healerthemovie on Instagram to learn more about the film.

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