Not all art has to represent the good in your life, sometimes art can be a form of expression for anything you need it to mean.
Have you ever felt that you weren’t living to your full potential? An artist, or even just a human, facing blocks that you cannot explain? Directors Deanne Milligan and Ramsey Fendall have taken a hallucinogenic approach to this idea in their feature-length directorial debut, Lucid.
Written by Hailey Passmore
Set in and around the 1990s, Lucid tells the story of Mia (Caitlin Taylor), an art student struggling with projects at an important moment in the term. Mia is different, and different in the 1990s tends to bring about a gothic style, as many judgements from others, and her job at Bitchin Chckn definitely does not help her popularity. At this point in her life and educational career, she is lashing out at her art and her peers. She does not believe in herself and feels stuck on how to move forward. Frustrated with her art, with the disapproval of cohorts, and with the block she is experiencing in life, Mia turns to dire needs to open her mind. She is led to Syd (Vivian Vanderpuss), a psychic, to get the help she believes she needs. By taking a special candy ‘medicine’, Lucid, Mia can open her mind to her past. But when she ignores the direct instructions not to overdo it and eats more than one serving, she opens up memories she never knew she had and learns about more than just her creative block. Dark as she might have been, Lucid causes her to act more impulsively and leads her down a horrifying, nightmarish realm of discovery. Through hallucinations and lucid dreams, Mia must discover her true self, the blocks of her past, and thus the inspiration and meaning she needs.
For this being Deanne Milligan and Ramsey Fendall’s feature-length directorial debut, the overall results of the film are something to be proud of. As in the case of Lucid, the interpretation of parts of the film is left up for the viewer to understand, if they follow along enough to be able to do so. Yet there is still something so compelling about it that keeps the audience invested, no matter what point in the film the individual is stuck with. Lucid is the feature-length film that stemmed from their original 2021 short film of the same name. It takes guts to expand a story that took place in a mere 16 minutes to fit into a full-length 109-minute film. Not only do their directorial, editorial, and cinematography choices prove the pair are a new set of voices to keep an eye out for, but their choice of actors also shows they know talent when they see it as well.
Knowing that Mia lives in the 1990s was not difficult to uncover as the vintage feel is there from the opening of the film right until the end. The use of that specific camera allows for a sense of the possible horror elements that are yet to come. Even as the opening credits grace the screen, the editing and music choice remind us of the 1990s era of cinema. There are so many ways in which Milligan and Fendall choose to create the world of Lucid that enhance the viewing experience for the audience. Inviting us into the 1990s again with stylistic choices, costume and set design, along with edits, makes Lucid reminiscent of cinema and television during that decade. We truly are, as a viewer, brought back in time. As the viewer follows Mia through constant strain and negative energy, the directors give us the chance to truly become part of the film – to become Mia. For even before Mia takes any of the lucid medication, the viewer is brought into the dream-like hallucination she experiences through the use of editing. Elements, ones you would never expect, pop up on the screen to recreate that surreal feeling when under hallucinatory effects. Jump cuts, montages, fades combining clips, colour changes to replicate a three-dimensional effect, the clippings or stitches of different items within the film, and even the juxtaposition of images, all contribute brilliantly to the intent of the moment. Their editorial choices in Lucid contribute more substantially to the overall effect and result of the film, more so than some missing plot elements or clarity. Milligan and Fendall’s creativity stems from how they have chosen to portray Mia’s manifestations and hallucinations to the audience.
Self-discovery is a tricky subject in cinema as interpretations can be up for debate. Underlying the truth of oneself beneath a film focused on hallucinations and lucid dreams is a turn that could have gone to the worst. Choosing Caitlin Taylor to reprise her role as Mia did not lead to disappointment. Taylor, having clearly played Mia before, knows how to embody the character and allow every emotion felt to be sensed, and perhaps felt, by the audience. Even 30 years after the film is set, most youth know the struggle of feeling like you don’t belong and can empathize with Mia throughout her journey. From moments when she is told by tutors that her artwork is messy, to an influencer telling her she doesn’t know who she is, audiences are taken on a journey through Mia’s different emotions through this impeccable portrayal. Taylor’s talents work hand-in-hand with the lucid dream sequences to bring the audience deeper and deeper within the world of the film. While the script, dialogue, and acting work well together, the true allure and attraction for the viewer is the sense of almost experiencing these lucid dreams ourselves.
Even though there are moments during the film that don’t seem to allow for Mia to better understand herself, they do allow for the lucid feel to be showcased to the audience through edits, allowing the viewer to both enjoy and tense up. Along with the attraction of the film, Lucid can also present a discomforting experience for the viewer. Moments that leave you wondering why: Why are these scenes being shown to us? What will they provide?
Lucid is a film dedicated to punk, artistry, and the self. It becomes clear to the audience that Mia has had a trauma that has been blocked from her memory. As audiences are brought back in time to the 1990s, we become invested in this infernal state Mia embodies. The typical individual tends to have baggage that needs to be dealt with, and while it is done in our own way, Milligan and Fendall have represented Mia’s traumatic journey through demonic storytelling and pain as an art form. If Lucid proves anything to its audience, it is that “if you don’t dig deep and face your blocks, nothing will change.” The directing duo of Lucid evidently has style and vision. For having created this film as an almost complete lone pair, the results overall are very good.
Being Canadian-made, Lucid had its world premiere at the 2025 Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal on July 21st. Hopefully, it makes its way to a larger audience as it will allow for the directing duo to make their mark in the filmmaking world.
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