Actualization
Filming 2026
Coming 2026

Psychological Thriller Short Film

SYNOPSIS

Billie has lived in terror of vomiting since childhood. When a positive pregnancy test shatters her fragile stability, she is drawn into a surreal confrontation with her mother, led by her worn-out childhood teddy bear.

Through grotesque rituals of birthdays, holidays, and family meals warped into nightmarish visions, Billie relives the dismissal and abandonment that shaped her phobia. At last, she faces the fear that has ruled her life, discovering that survival doesn’t mean erasing it, but transforming it into a new way forward.

Director’s Statement

Actualization is a surreal short film about one woman confronting her greatest fear: vomiting. Through handcrafted sets, raw performances, and an immersive visual style, this film turns an invisible phobia into something tangible, visceral, and cathartic. Emetophobia affects millions, but almost no one talks about it. I have had this fear since elementary school but it wasn't until my early 20's that I realized there was a name for it. And a name meant treatment, it meant understanding. It meant there was hope. I want anyone suffering with this to know there is hope.