UCLA

Withdrawal is a surreal horror/drama short film by Daniel DeStefano. The young protagonist, David, has confined himself to his apartment to resolve his addiction to his mother’s prescription pain medication. Through a surreal fever dream rife with flashbacks, the audience discovers the tensions between his mother and his boyfriend, Louis, that propel his addiction and lead him to withdrawal. The process composing the Withdrawal score consisted mostly of recording and digitally manipulating hundreds of layers of cello improvisations and synthesizing extra-diegetic electronic sounds. The music serves primarily to amplify the film’s mounting tension.