With ¡PIKA! (The Itch), I wanted to make a movie that would make the audience uncomfortable; to immerse the viewer in a place that feels like another world. To make an epic, unpredictable journey that would make viewers feel just as devastated as our main character. 

My biggest inspiration for the film was how anxiety feels in my body, and the moment where that intense fear can lead to paralysis. I’m making fun of myself with this movie. It’s exposing some of my most absurd and cowardly traits and putting them into a nightmarish journey.

Originally, Trout (Trout Cohen, Writer/Producer) wrote a script about a man with an itch on his chest. His script stuck with me and years later, as I slipped into a depressive hole, I realized it was the perfect metaphor to describe what I was going through. 

Inspired by films like The Trial, Good Time, Fight Club, and Beau Is Afraid, we wanted to craft a nightmarish world – in ours, even the smallest errand becomes an impossible hurdle. Together with our department heads we designed spaces for the viewer to feel gross, dirty, and surreal.

This is an epic story contained in a short form film.