Surrender
DOCUMENTARY | 5 – 10 MIN. | ADDICTION
Milton journeys in search of peace.
But What Does It Mean?
EXPLORE THE FILM'S MEANING →
Even when we feel that we have a sense of a film’s meaning, there is often more to uncover.
Watch this video to better understand the film and why we selected it for the festival.
CLICK TO EXPLORE THE FILM'S THEMES
The narrator in this film talks directly about his self-destructive path toward ‘darkness.’ Where are you headed? What does that place look like? What colors can represent the feelings of hope and expectation that you have about this place. Draw however abstractly or concretely you would like, but try to locate this destination at the top portion of your paper. Now place yourself at the bottom, and draw a road or map to this destination and illustrate the journey that you will take to get there. What kind of nourishment from friends and family will you require? Are there other emotional landmarks or stops along the way that will help you? Are there dead-ends and pitfalls that could hinder your path? Draw representations of each and try to label them.
Meet the Filmmaker
ABOUT THE FILMMAKER
Since moving behind the camera, his work is a pure reflection of his vast interests from performance-based narrative films to down and dirty documentaries. His unique vision and ability to capture emotion have grabbed attention. His animation film, Hillbrow (currently in development), is featured in Variety Magazine, his comic short, Selfie, made it to Vimeo’s Comedy Channel and his docu-short, Surrender, was a Vimeo Staff Pick.
Having directed commercials for brands like Feiyue, Hyundai, Virgin, Nestlé, Unilever, and Proctor & Gamble, Porteus’s knack for getting the best out of the actors and his skills at crafting human stories with striking visuals makes sure he not only meets his clients’ expectations but exceeds them.
The method to his madness? Don’t be boring.
WHY THEY MADE THE FILM
“The starting point of SURRENDER was to make something out of what happens at a Narcotics Anonymous meeting, where one person will share their story to help others find their own relief. Addiction often arises out of disconnectedness; the point of sharing Milton’s story is to connect.”
Your Turn: What did YOU think of this film?
6 Comments
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UnLonely Film Fest 4
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The UnLonely Project broadens public awareness of the negative physical and mental health consequences of loneliness while also promoting creative arts-based approaches to reduce the burden. Click here for mental health resources.
Lost my only child this way….powerful.
I lost my companion of 25 years to addiction…his mother was the same as Miltons. The pain from that stayed with him through out his life and although we had a loving relationship It was at the core of him and he couldn’t shake it. He died by accident with Fentanyl poisoning.
Wow, this film was impactful. Shows the impact a parent has on the growth of a child, his mother loved him last, showed the evil in the drug but that’s all we want to do is die to the drug. Good job on the film and hope and pray for Milton’s future.
Excruciatingly painful and hopeful relief
Milton’s words: “Hitchhiking…. the reason I do it is because I have no control over anything… anything I think it’s going to be, it’s not that… what I’m trying to do is… surrender.” This has been so fundamentally true for me. My addiction was isolation, and for years, hitchhiking was my only experience of connection. I could go from deep woods isolation to riding next to someone’s opened heart. More than once I heard, “I never pick up hitchhikers. I don’t know why I picked you up.” Then a sharing would begin of what seemed to be desperate to be voiced. It was a privileged role for me and a balance for my reclusive lifestyle. I don’t have that connection now. Maybe after covid, I will step out again, pack of essentials and open my thumb to the essential connections that come with surrender to the open road.
Inspiring. He trusted reality and found reality was worthy of his trust.