Vanitas is a peculiar 17th-century Dutch still-life tradition in which artists, through images of death – wilting flowers, skulls, dead animals – reflected on the transience of life and the vanity of earthly pleasures. It's an exploration of life through death. This is precisely what the troubled teenager Ryan is unknowingly doing by filming dead animals. Crossing his path is Nicole, a woman drifting aimlessly through her life, disconnected and hollow. When the two meet, something dangerous ignites within her, and this story follows the hazardous path that unfolds between them.

This is a horror film in the way grief manifests around the characters. It is also a thriller, examining the perilous bond Nicole and Ryan form. Aesthetically, the film is dark and suffocating. Set in a hot, oppressive Los Angeles, it exists in its own forbidden shadows, far from sunlight. As Nicole sinks deeper into the rabbit hole of Ryan's psyche, the framing tightens. Ambient sound fades, isolating the sharp, piercing screech of the parakeet. The claustrophobic surroundings become an ext ension of the character's inner states. And it teases the audience with the dangers that lie ahead.

Having lived in Los Angeles for the past two years, I've witnessed a city full of promises yet clogged with the decay of what once was. While teaching in public schools, I've seen apathy in many young faces – and a similar resentment in some of my middle-aged colleagues. Parakeet is steeped in misery and dark thoughts, but its purpose is not despair. It aims to become a conduit for reflection, and ultimately, for hope. The rush Nicole and Ryan experience while confronting the fragility of existence gradually pushes them toward an unnatural impulse: an act of violence against life itself. This impulse echoes the tragic reality of school shootings across the country. Without stylization or spectacle, the film resists sensationalizing this cruelty. Instead, it centers on Nicole's recognition of her moral collapse. Deep within the rabbit hole, she begins to emerge – phoenix-like – from her depressive state, finally processing the grief for her late father. With a renewed sense of purpose – to help Ryan heal – the endless cavern she had been wander ing through opens. She steps into the light, hoping she might reflect some of it back onto her students.