The short film Purge (2026) poses an interesting question, if at first a broad one: what makes us who we are? It then sees the question through in a sharply focused, often brutal manner, invoking aspects of body horror and, arguably, some modern Gothic elements. Honestly, it feels very much like a filmmaker-specific fever dream, but although Purge happens to use a creative arts setting, it speaks to a broader set of ideas too.
Gee (Zara Jestadt) is a screenwriter. The first thing we learn about her is that she is struggling with rejection after rejection; we also see a rejection email from a writers’ lab on screen. Given her subsequent panic attack and her professed feeling that she can’t keep going with all of these setbacks, she finally decides to participate in a medical trial for a new antidepressant, enrolling herself in a scheme being run by the Internus Clinic, to test a drug called BriteNol. “Why now?” the clinician asks at their first meeting. Gee’s response shows that her personal issues run deep (as made clear in a fantastic, and often very physical performance from Jestadt). Well, the tablets certainly do something, and they seem to work quickly, too. When she gets unexpectedly invited to take up a place in a screenwriting programme, it genuinely feels like Gee has finally turned that corner. But has she? And at what cost?
‘Be careful what you wish for’ is an old adage, one frequently and often meaningfully explored in horror; just recently Obsession, one of the biggest horror hits of the past decade or more, has played with the idea. But where the feature-length film explores the sickly intertwining of love, sex, friendship and power, Purge perhaps runs closer to the bone in some respects, giving voice to that sneaking suspicion that “the veil” – as programme director Vaughn (Andrew Moodie) refers to depression – needs to be there, and should not, or maybe cannot simply be torn away. Devoid of her feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt, Gee can’t write. But she can’t behave well, either, laying into her partner, Finch (Isabella Shibuta) and soon, self-sabotaging, losing what she thought she wanted more than anything. It’s as if her depression works like an anchor, providing weight and time for deliberation. The creative arts are brutal, but you need your whole self to navigate them.
Does Gee get that old self back? And would she want to? Circumstances may force her to come to terms with a new version of self-understanding, but this very horror-literate, carefully-focused short film makes a number of points in a surprisingly layered and thoughtful story. It’s always amazing to me that so much can be done with a short film, but again and again, the format proves its worth.
Purge (2026) will feature as part of this year’s Fantasia International Film Festival, screening alongside Ancestral Beasts and appearing on Wednesday 22nd and Tuesday 28th July. For more details, click here.