O Fear, O Night Review: Overcoming that Cotton Candy Monster on Your Back

O Fear, O Night
(Canada, 70 min.)
Dir. Christine Chevarie-Lessard
Prod. Pierre-Mathieu Fortin

 

Filmmaker Christine Chevarie-Lessard makes a peculiar friend in O Fear, O Night. He, she, or they resembles an oversized piece of human cotton candy. Or a pink, faceless cousin of the McDonald’s mascot Grimace. It seems to at least have the body of candy floss, however, as Christine can pull a strand from its downy torso whenever she needs some sweet comfort. The little nibble marks one of their offbeat interactions, but the friend mostly just shadows Christine. It follows her wherever she goes, like an omnipresent cloud or shadow.

The pink blob is one of several friends that Chevarie-Lessard meets throughout this thoughtful NFB documentary about mental health. Chevarie-Lessard invites audiences to join her on her wellness journey. The film provides a personal exploration of anxiety as the filmmaker confronts the currents that ripple through her mind. O Fear, O Night navigates what it means to understand with the frequently paralysing self-doubts one harbours in one’s mind.

Christine finds good medicine in a group of like-minded people. At an Anxiety Anonymous meeting, fellow anxious Montrealers share their experiences in a talking circle. They echo her stories of feeling overwhelmed as apprehension takes hold. Everyone in the group finds smart and rational ways to articulate the sensation: it’s like fear, but not quite. Chevarie-Lessard speaks with experts to further learn the distinction between fear and anxiety. The former draws from present concerns, while the latter manifests itself as a powerful worry for issues at a remove. However, participants in the AA group agree: One can’t diminish anxiety because the sensation almost always has strong roots in lived experiences to which the negative emotions relate.

O Fear, O Night probes these dark corners of the mind as Chevarie-Lessard’s search evokes the restlessness that anxiety produces. Often taking calls with experts at night and walking or driving through the streets long after the sun goes down, the film evokes the omnipresent melancholy with which people with anxiety live daily. There’s a constant sense of motion, too, as the director finds novel ways to visualize and edit phone interviews, including one lengthy call in which she discusses depression and the monarchical nature of the condition. The filmmaker can’t sit still as the conversation hits close to her heart. She paces throughout the street late at night as the call unfurls and she gleans the expert’s sound advice.

Another sequence brings her to a physical therapist who offers a truly strange corporeal exercise. She instructs Chevarie-Lessard to lie down on her back with her knees bent. It’s like some kind of twisted yoga as she contorts her body as per the instructions. In a flash, a strange sensation erupts. A spasm overtakes her body. Every muscle in her being twitches like a laugh that can’t be contained. The exercise teaches a lesson in understanding the rhythms of the body and learning how to control currents both positive and negative that take hold.

It’s only when the Cotton Candy figure arrives, however, that night switches to day. O Fear, O Night evokes the power in talking out concerns about mental health, rather than bottling them up and allowing them to manifest themselves as all sorts of harmful shadows. By being frank and open with people willing to share and confront their own insecurities, Chevarie-Lessard finds moments of joy that inspire her to creep out of the shadows. It’s a lesson in learning to contain the monster within instead of avoiding it.

O Fear O Night premiered at Rendezvous with Madness. It also screens at WIFF and RIDM.

Please check your local listings for additional festivals, event screenings, or broadcast runs.

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