A surreal, absurd, and distinctive film, Anxious is the debut feature by Pakistani-American director, writer and actor Nida Chowdhry, who also plays main character Ruby, and multiple versions of Ruby in the story.
Beautifully filmed and tightly constructed, Anxious is a dark comedy that “draws inspiration from the dreamlike narrative of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, the quirky cast of Amelie, and the fantastical journey of Alice in Wonderland“. Anxious certainly thrives on its influences and is perceptive in its humour.
Ruby’s anxiety attack pits her into the recesses of her own internal feelings, memories, niggles and struggles. It’s hard to know what’s really as visual and aural distortions ramp up and memories are exhumed. Her father’s store appears and disappears, reality is just an illusion.
Anxious is energetic, original, colourful, fast-paced, unusual, frank, fearless, and just a little unhinged. Chowdhry’s multiple roles on-screen and off-screen make her both auteur and chameleon.
Anxiety can be suffocating, dehabilitating, terrifying. Anxious taps into those feelings and gives them a clear focus. It pulls and tugs at the insecurities and the negatives that plague us. It’s a film making a brave statement.
The costumes are bright and astonishing; the locations (Little Saigon and Little India, Orange County) are bustling and busy with colour. Chowdhry clearly has an eye for what works on the screen and for bringing her own personal vision to life, however difficult the process.
There’s a lot to like in Anxious. As a person who has had similar thoughts at times, this spoke deeply to me, but it comes across, I think, without that close connection to viewers, as a mature and challenging piece of cinema.
Anxious can be seen along with over 60 other shorts and features by purchasing a Breeze Online pass here: https://londonbreezefilmfestival.com/purchase-pass/, live from midnight 21 Oct to midnight 2 Nov.
Anxious is one of the Festival’s main feature screenings at Riverside Studios on 25th Oct at 8pm with costumes on display and free henna hand designs: https://riversidestudios.co.uk/see-and-do/london-breeze-presents-a-uk-premiere-anxious-qa-198637/