FilmPhobia

FilmPhobia is the ‘making-of’ an incomplete Brazilian film and is largely comprised of pictures behind the scenes and of ethical discussions between the director and his crew. The director wants to record the ‘truth’ on the face of someone confronted with his phobia under laboratory conditions. To achieve this, complex equipment is built in the bleak space reminiscent of a torture chamber. Several crew members feel ill at ease during shooting, although the guinea pigs did volunteer.
Phobias vary from well-known (snakes, needles) to very unusual (dwarfs, butterflies). For these, the crew create far reaching set-ups. For instance, someone with a fear of pigeons is put among pigeons with bread hanging off his body.
While we see the preparations and the shooting, we hear the participants describe their phobias in voice-overs. With an expert, the director debates the essence of a phobia and the moral questions surrounding the shooting. Coffin Joe, the famous Brazilian cult hero of horror films such as At Midnight I’ll Take Your Soul (1963), provides a commentary on the cinematographic impact of several shots.
The director himself has AIDS and slowly loses his sight. Perhaps his interest in the subject stems from his illness. He is, however, not a therapist. ‘My hope is … that the person loses control.’ And: ‘This is all about the picture.’

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