An uncompromising indictment of war, the Maltese-produced short film Insanity has won the Award of Merit at the California Best Shorts Competition. Ramona Depares catches up with director and writer Chris Zarb.

A haunting and enigmatic look at the effects of war, the Malta-pro-duced Insanity has been given the Award of Merit at the Best Shorts Competition in California, US.

Directed and written by Chris Zarb, the short film follows the psychological journey of a soldier just returned from war as he descends into different stages of madness, reaching a point where he can’t distinguish between reality and his delusions.

The viewer is taken on a 21- minute surreal, eerie ride, featuring actors Miles Ley and Irene Christ in the lead roles. By the time the film is over, you are unsure as to whether what you have just seen is real or whether everything happens in the imagination of the protagonist.

The package convinced the Best Shorts Competition judges, who picked Insanity over thousands of other submissions, awarding it not only the much-coveted 24-carat goldplated statuette, but also sent the film out to some 40,000 international distributors, something that the Insanity team hope will help facilitate distribution of their upcoming feature film, Do Re Mi Fa.

How was the idea for Insanity born?

I first made a version of Insanity while I was studying film-making in the UK. I wanted to test myself with something experimental and risky. However, initially there was no war element to it.

I recently decided to remake it with a better budget, which allowed me to include other essential themes such as the war element.

How do you describe the theme behind it?

First and foremost, it is, of course, an anti-war message: wars, both just and unjust, drive vulnerable people to the point of insanity by throwing into question the values that most of us grew up with.

The war that the short film refers to is a timeless war. It could be any war, in any place, at any time.

This is why the uniforms are a mish-mash of different, wartime military uniforms. Contrary to what is commonly thought, wars do not enhance family relations but actually damage them.

And, in the event that they are already damaged, as in the case of Insanity (there are hints that the lover he seeks out on returning home is his own mother), they make them even worse.

What was the biggest challenge to transform your message into film?

The film was made on a tight budget and with a limited crew, so all of us were taking multiple roles. Securing locations and organising schedules was tough.

How long did work on it take?

The writing process took a couple of weeks, the pre-production period two weeks, the shooting six days and post-production took a month and a half.

Where did you get the inspiration?

I love cinema in general. Of course, I have a soft spot for European cinema such as the works of Krzysztof Kievlowski and Gaspar Noe.

However, I can also appreciate commercial Hollywood films for different reasons.

I honestly have never actually been inspired by something in specific whenever I have written something… I think my inspiration stems from a synthesis of the films that I watch, mixed with life as I see it around me.

What is the biggest difficulty in taking part in a festival on an international level?

Getting noticed, especially if you do not have an international distributor at your service.

The competition is so stiff that some judges at festivals (particularly the major ones) tend to not even manage to see all the films submitted.

So, without a renowned distributor who can market your work properly, a lot of it depends on luck, luck that on that particular day, the judges would be in the right mood to appreciate your brand of film. This is over and above good quality, of course.

At times, the contrast between music and what’s going on on screen is almost incongruous – how did you make the choice and how important is the choice of music in any film?

In my case music plays a fundamental role at the very initial stage of writing the script. I dislike it when the score of a film sequence literally takes the audience by the hand and controls how they should respond and feel.

I prefer to use something that sets a mood and I find it more interesting to let the audience relate to it in any way that they wish.

The important thing is to excite a spectrum of feelings in the audience and it does not matter if these feelings differ from one viewer to another

The important thing is to excite a spectrum of feelings in the audience and it does not matter if these feelings differ from one viewer to another.

To give an example, if I were watching a tense, shocking scene, I feel more involved if there is, say, a cheesy happy cartoon playing in the background rather than if there is a tense score.

How did you manage to make the descent into madness effective without rendering it a caricature?

When depicting madness the risk of caricature is always there. My team and I were always on the alert for this. Control – control of the colour palette, of the performers’ rendition, etc. – is key. One-to-one discussions with the cast were imperative in order to make sure we were all on the same page.

What is real and what is not, or is it up to us to decide?

The line between what is real and what is not is always blurred. I am aware that Insanity is like a puzzle where the real and unreal tease each other and this constitutes the challenge that the film offers.

This mix gives rise to multiple interpretations and I am very happy with that. For instance, some people thought that the female character was a ghost the entire time. That was not what I intended, but it’s an interesting perception.

How did you get interested in film?

It happened from a very young age as I always was an avid film-watcher. First I tried my hand as an actor, but I quickly realised that I achieved more gratification when writing and directing.

How have viewers reacted to Insanity so far?

There have been mixed views. Some people have loved it and found it hypnotic, others were just confused but intrigued. Then there were also those who were lost. But all in all, the reaction has been positive, because most viewers have enjoyed it… well, as much as a short of this kind can be enjoyed.

You are also currently working on a feature film, Do Re Mi Fa. What is it about and when will it be released in Malta?

My team and I were awarded part of the funds from the Malta Film Commission to make Do Re Mi Fa, an ensemble that follows four characters.

There is Bozo, played by Paul Flanagan, a closet paedophile whose job is that of a clown entertainer. We keep entering his mind, which is a blue room spotted with red balloons as he battles his conscience.

Then there’s Claudia, played by Irene Christ, a stage actress who was well known in the past but has not been on stage for many years.

During the premiere of a new theatre production she fails on stage and, as the story unfolds, we realise that she is mentally un-stable and is about to do something drastic while performing.

The third character is DJ Trim, played by Sean O’Neil, a radio host who suffers from OCD.

He likes to tackle political issues in Malta and one evening he discusses the situation of migrants. During the show he receives a threatening call from someone who claims to have left a bomb in his studio.

Finally, there’s Kyle, played by Marc Cabourdin, who works in television and has just been asked to fill in as the multi-camera director for a show.

He is a man overtaken by events as he deals with marital problems and his determination to be a role model for his deaf-mute son.

The film has been submitted to several international festivals and it will premiere in Malta in 2016.

How do you view the film industry in Malta?

I believe the interest in filmmaking is increasing rapidly in Malta. It is important that quality and quantity keep working hand-in-hand in this adventure that is just beginning.

Insanity can be viewed by clicking on https://vimeo.com/124839735 .