In his short film Manic Man, filmmaker Fritz Frauendorf tells the story of Shane, a young man experiencing a heightened level of social anxiety to the point where he begins to dissociate.
The film opens with Shane (Remo Rivero) at a party separate and distant from the others. He finds himself isolated from the other just inches from him. Seeing Shane alone, his friend, Caleb (Noah Grant), pulls him over to hang out with friends. As he stands awkwardly in the group, Shane begins to have an out-of-body experience where he becomes a fly-on-the-wall observer looking down the socially confident version of himself that he wishes he could be.
“…a young man experiencing a heightened level of social anxiety…”
In Manic Man, writer/director Fritz Frauendorf raises awareness about anxiety and dissociation with a simple message that if you have trouble being in large social gatherings, you’re not alone. About the film, Frauendorf says that Manic Man was “inspired by my own struggles with anxiety and the feeling of wanting to escape my body in stressful situations.” Others are going through the same experiences as you. Not just anxiety but panic attacks as well.
Frauendorf adeptly uses film to show what it feels like to be disassociating and what it looks like in his mind when it happens.
Fritz Frauendorf’s Manic Man taps into the struggles of anxiety and dissociation with a deeply personal touch. With wonderful performances and a unique visual storytelling approach, it’s an engaging reminder that no one is truly alone in their struggles. This short film informs and connects with anyone who has ever felt out of sync with the world around them.
"…no one is truly alone in their struggles."
