a feature film pitch deck.
The legacy of Douglas Remick’s abuse haunts Veronika and reverberates into Mae’s upbringing. LUMEN delves into how trauma is passed down not just genetically, but through silence, secrecy, and unresolved pain. Veronika's attempt to escape or erase her past through the machine mirrors the real-world impulse to undo inherited suffering rather than confront it.
Veronika is split between who she was, who she became, and who she believes she could be in another world. The P.O.D. allows her to chase a version of herself untouched by loss and failure. But as the boundaries blur, the story questions whether identity is fixed, or infinitely malleable.
At its core, the story is about the dangerous allure of alternate realities — the belief that happiness lies just one choice, one universe, or one machine away. LUMEN warns that such longing can become a trap, obscuring the life we’re actually living and damaging the relationships in front of us.
Veronika’s role as a mother is in constant tension with her obsession with the past and her own emotional instability. Mae’s coming-of-age is shaped by a parent who is simultaneously brilliant and unreliable. The story interrogates what it means to be there for someone — physically and emotionally.
The tone of Lumen is dark, disorienting, and filled with a sense of existential dread. The film will feature dreamlike sequences, distorted realities, and grotesque body horror, reminiscent of David Cronenberg’s work (The Fly).
The narrative will be steeped in psychological tension. The sense of claustrophobia and mistrust will heighten, creating an atmosphere where nothing feels certain, similar to films like The Thing and Repulsion.
Drawing influence from Terry Gilliam’s eccentric visual style, the film will feature a blend of neon-lit, industrial environments and bizarre, fractured spaces that create a disorienting world.
