The UnLonely Film Festival: Best of Fest
Side Effects
About the Filmmaker
Eleonora Stella Hariyono Oei, more commonly known as Stella is an independent Indonesian filmmaker currently based in California. She’s currently attending the Character Animation program at California Institute of the Arts where she spends most of her time making films, comics, and doing other fun things that make her happy such as baking, pottery, and hanging around having fun with her lovely friends. Side Effects is her first-year film project, where she tries to explore and navigate the world of emotions!
Dive Even Deeper
Try the following to connect further with the film’s story…
Drawing Exercise: Shade in your feelings of emotional exhaustion.
- Grab a pen/pencil and paper, and draw an outline of yourself in the center of a blank page.
- Think of the times when you feel emotionally burdened or exhausted by caring for others. Where do you feel that exhaustion? How depleted do you feel? 100%? 50%? Shade in the areas of your body that are most affected.
- How do you get relief? From whom? Or what activity?
- Quickly sketch these emotional relievers around the sketch of yourself, while noting how often you see the person or animal or engage in the activity.
21 Comments
Join in the conversation:
Here are a few thoughts about the film.
About the Filmmaker
Charlene deGuzman is a writer and actor who first garnered attention from tweeting her self-deprecating thoughts as @charstarlene. Rolling Stone named her one of the “Funniest People on Twitter Right Now.” She went on to write and star in her own short films, and her most popular one, “I Forgot My Phone,” has over 51 million views on YouTube and was featured in The New York Times, USA Today, Time, NPR, Good Morning America, and The Today Show.
Charlene is an advocate for self-love and bringing awareness to sex and love addiction. She speaks publicly about her recovery and has her own advice column with FLOOD magazine. Charlene wrote her first feature film, Unlovable, which premiered at SXSW in 2018 and received special jury recognition. It stars Charlene, John Hawkes, and Melissa Leo, and was produced by the Duplass Brothers. www.charstarlene.com. Miles Crawford began filmmaking, initiated by his professional career in music and theatre: where he performed Off-Broadway and internationally toured with STOMP.
As a musician, he drummed alongside Eminem, Ringo Starr, Art Garfunkel, Darwin Deez, Bronagh Gallagher, and others. His directional debut, music video DNA was nominated for a UK MVA. Collaborative shorts with Charlene deGuzman: I Forgot My Phone has over 51M views, receiving attention from news outlets around the world; and Drum-Off, was featured at LACMA’s Young Directors Night. Miles is Associate Producer of the feature film Crown Heights – winner of the Audience Award at Sundance 2017. He finds inspiration working with young artists as a director and choreographer in Los Angeles for SMMUSD and THEATRE 31, and in Brazil with the non-profit Quabales. He is currently writing a feature film. www.giantmiles.com
Dive Even Deeper
Try the following to connect further with the film’s story…
Live the film by putting your phone away for one day
- Choose an upcoming day where you’ll be out in your community and experience being disconnected digitally. What do you notice? How was your day different from your usual experiences with your phone? What do you miss? Is it an overall positive or negative experience?
- Share your observations and the story of your day by posting in the comments below.
21 Comments
- Anonymous on August 20, 2020 at 5:08 pm
It’s good to have someone or a pet to love.
Reply - Anonymous on August 29, 2020 at 8:08 pm
loved it–great display of what truly does occur in life.
Reply - Anonymous on September 10, 2020 at 2:02 pm
Pets can truly help a person in so many ways, they are an extension of family.
Reply - cm on September 14, 2020 at 12:17 pm
Beautiful portrayal of the weight of empathy and the importance of self care.
Reply - Anonymous on September 20, 2020 at 6:59 am
Well the pretty much sums up the life of and personality of a care giver, taking on everyone’s problems and being weighed and slowed down, sometimes those being cared for appreciate it, and other times it’s as if the have amnesia, but I’m glad they showed that the care giver had a place to get refreshed and have some solace, and of course we know that ours pets, or a lot of animals have the ability to do that. Great story about taking time out for ones self as well after literally taking on the world.
Reply - Anonymous on September 22, 2020 at 1:39 pm
I haven’t learned the healing powers of a close pet relationship yet. I guess it’s important to have a successful relationship in your life to be able to lean on when you’ve taken up the burdens of life. Emotional connections with people and things are important and we find ways to create those connections that help us but I’m uncertain of which relationships are healthy for us to cultivate or lean on. For instance, if you’re in a committed relationship/marriage, it may be difficult to lean on each other if you have burdens against each other that you’re still working through.
Reply - Anonymous on September 22, 2020 at 1:40 pm
This has such a powerful meaning and how it relates to the emotional exhaustion.
Reply - Sarah on September 22, 2020 at 10:26 pm
I’m struggling with this one. I’m so sad for the person that they got weighted and weighted down, without anyone else seeming to notice. I also think doing those acts of kindness can have a positive impact on someone. I’m glad they had a pet to recharge with/lessen the burden.
Reply - Anonymous on September 23, 2020 at 5:23 pm
It’s a lot to take on the burdens of this world, and even more so the burdens of others that we want to help. Animals/Pets is our Therapy. 🙂
Reply - Anonymous on September 25, 2020 at 2:55 pm
Very simple, but with a great message
Reply - Anonymous on September 28, 2020 at 5:06 pm
This feels like my work day only without the dog at the end. Reminds me to think about what recharges me, particularly duing the COVID-19 pandemic.
Reply - Anonymous on September 29, 2020 at 8:02 pm
This offers a visual message about how the weight of caring for others at times leaves us depleted and in need of self-care.
Reply - Anonymous on September 29, 2020 at 8:08 pm
This is a powerful message, life can be a burden if you are not careful.
Reply - Anonymous on October 3, 2020 at 11:30 am
I am able to understand the film, what message it conveys. But from an early age, I have come to learn on how to be strong minded and independent, not easily affected by outside forces. My parents are very strong emotionally, very positive and level headed. They are my source of positive charge, and with dad gone, my memories of him keeps me going.
Reply - Anonymous on October 5, 2020 at 7:03 pm
It is good to have someone to turn to when things get difficult, emotionally.
Reply - David Schmitter on October 6, 2020 at 11:33 am
Having a family member with some degree of mental illness, it is easy to see how his dog is a great support. He gets burdened, just like the character in the short film, and his dog – his best friend – always seems to lift his spirits.
Reply - Anonymous on October 6, 2020 at 10:34 pm
So simple but yet such a powerful message. I need to see this today!
Reply - Katie on October 6, 2020 at 11:30 pm
This reminds me of the giving tree but instead of the tree continuing to give and give, this person takes and takes (the negativity).
Reply - Courtney on October 7, 2020 at 4:48 pm
Powerful message!
Reply - Anonymous on October 7, 2020 at 5:37 pm
I think that this is extremely well done. I have been trying to find the words to express that at the end of the day I have nothing left to give because I have given everything all day. This shows me that I am not only giving but I am also taking on other peoples troubles. Although I have always enjoyed life this really shows the powerful impact of taking on too much without having an outlet.
Reply - Anonymous on October 7, 2020 at 7:02 pm
Amazing. We can be so caring as individuals and not realize how much we are truly taking on. To have something to come home to and take all the negative we had throughout our day and still bring happiness to that pet, that is truly a great, wonderful thing.
Reply
It’s good to have someone or a pet to love.
loved it–great display of what truly does occur in life.
Pets can truly help a person in so many ways, they are an extension of family.
Beautiful portrayal of the weight of empathy and the importance of self care.
Well the pretty much sums up the life of and personality of a care giver, taking on everyone’s problems and being weighed and slowed down, sometimes those being cared for appreciate it, and other times it’s as if the have amnesia, but I’m glad they showed that the care giver had a place to get refreshed and have some solace, and of course we know that ours pets, or a lot of animals have the ability to do that. Great story about taking time out for ones self as well after literally taking on the world.
I haven’t learned the healing powers of a close pet relationship yet. I guess it’s important to have a successful relationship in your life to be able to lean on when you’ve taken up the burdens of life. Emotional connections with people and things are important and we find ways to create those connections that help us but I’m uncertain of which relationships are healthy for us to cultivate or lean on. For instance, if you’re in a committed relationship/marriage, it may be difficult to lean on each other if you have burdens against each other that you’re still working through.
This has such a powerful meaning and how it relates to the emotional exhaustion.
I’m struggling with this one. I’m so sad for the person that they got weighted and weighted down, without anyone else seeming to notice. I also think doing those acts of kindness can have a positive impact on someone. I’m glad they had a pet to recharge with/lessen the burden.
It’s a lot to take on the burdens of this world, and even more so the burdens of others that we want to help. Animals/Pets is our Therapy. 🙂
Very simple, but with a great message
This feels like my work day only without the dog at the end. Reminds me to think about what recharges me, particularly duing the COVID-19 pandemic.
This offers a visual message about how the weight of caring for others at times leaves us depleted and in need of self-care.
This is a powerful message, life can be a burden if you are not careful.
I am able to understand the film, what message it conveys. But from an early age, I have come to learn on how to be strong minded and independent, not easily affected by outside forces. My parents are very strong emotionally, very positive and level headed. They are my source of positive charge, and with dad gone, my memories of him keeps me going.
It is good to have someone to turn to when things get difficult, emotionally.
Having a family member with some degree of mental illness, it is easy to see how his dog is a great support. He gets burdened, just like the character in the short film, and his dog – his best friend – always seems to lift his spirits.
So simple but yet such a powerful message. I need to see this today!
This reminds me of the giving tree but instead of the tree continuing to give and give, this person takes and takes (the negativity).
Powerful message!
I think that this is extremely well done. I have been trying to find the words to express that at the end of the day I have nothing left to give because I have given everything all day. This shows me that I am not only giving but I am also taking on other peoples troubles. Although I have always enjoyed life this really shows the powerful impact of taking on too much without having an outlet.
Amazing. We can be so caring as individuals and not realize how much we are truly taking on. To have something to come home to and take all the negative we had throughout our day and still bring happiness to that pet, that is truly a great, wonderful thing.