Hypnos is a short film / visual album about a woman caught in a state of sleep paralysis while being haunted by a past trauma that she has tried to suppress. Through this fever dream she is able to confront her past and awake anew. The film is a collaboration with musicians Melanie DeJesus & Clinton Van Arnam (DSTNCE) and features a short section of every song on their album “Hypnos”. The film was inspired by Melanie’s own experiences with sleep paralysis.
Sleep paralysis is when, during waking up or falling asleep, a person is aware but unable to move or speak. During an episode, one may hallucinate (hear, feel, or see things that are not there), which often results in fear. Imagined sounds such as humming, hissing, and static noises are reported during sleep paralysis. Some cases involve a hallucination of a menacing shadowy figure entering one’s room, lurking outside one’s window or hovering on the ceiling above one’s bed, while the subject is paralyzed.
