Created by Canadian spoken-word poet Sadie McCarney, the experimental short film Head War gives off pure manic wildcard energy. Free-wheeling and free-associating, both with the narrative and imagery, I felt like Sadie’s surreal tone-poem capturing her two-month stay in a psychiatric facility was more accurate to my own personal experience with psychiatric institutions than most of the so-called realistic portrayals I have seen in the movies.
Head War is truly a good title for this piece, because Sadie’s journey of recovery reflects a tug-of-war in her mind between the manic state that convinces her she is Joan of Arc and the head of Google’s operations, and the emerging realization that in order to leave the confines of psychiatric confinement she must change her state of mind to get well. The dark yet often playful pull in Sadie’s mind is amplified by the lack of other voices in the film, and by backdrops like bus doorways and empty office rooms where she addresses a nonexistent audience while talking back to the search-engine voice operating her mind.
Despite its creativity some well-placed dark humor, I won’t lie and say that Head War is a pleasant and easy watch, nor was it meant to be. It’s a little rough around the edges and personal and idiosyncratic. It takes a lot of big swings and risks, not all of which I think are entirely successful. However, when it comes to Mental Filmness, if there are a couple of very good films about a similar topic, I feel like we lean more toward the one that feels the truest and the most personal, and that very often is the riskier and rougher film. Both Head War and Mental Filmness may not be for everyone, but they’re very much a good fit for each other.
You can watch Head War right now for FREE in the virtual festival at Head War | Shorts Block No. 3 | Mental Filmness 2025 Virtual Festival
Cast your virtual ballot, and let us know what YOU think!
