THE NIGHT BEFORE 

a short film by  Liliane Ott

Developed in collaboration with Sira Topic

Status: In Development

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Mina, 32, arrives at a small hotel room under a heavy cloud of anxiety. After a call from Jules—an empathetic professional reminding her of a police appointment the next morning—her phone rings repeatedly. The callers are her worried mother, bent on stopping Mina’s plan to report someone named John for past wrongdoings by subtly questioning and minimising the events, and Alex, her boyfriend who is desperate to support her. Though she manages to appease them, her peace is short-lived.

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Alone with her escalating fears, Mina’s mind summons apparitions: Dr. Stastny, her calm but firm therapist who appears comically small—just inches tall—on her bedside table; Yumi, a free-spirited friend from her teenage years; and John himself—the source of her painful history. As tensions and self-doubt mount, her mother’s voice chatters on the TV while John dismissively offers her money to “just leave.” Overcome, Mina finally snaps, locking John in the closet and silencing the TV.

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By morning, she steels herself for the police station, a small yet determined step toward confronting what she’s kept buried for far too long.

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