CONSUMER was selected as one of six films produced through the Crazy 8s Film Society filmmaking incubator, chosen from hundreds of pitches to be created in just eight days. The film later beat out hundreds of international submissions to win Stage 32’s Short Film Competition, earning screenings at HollyShorts Film Festival in Los Angeles and Raindance Film Festival in London in October 2022.

The film explores the pressures on identity, self-esteem, and body image faced by teenagers in the age of social media—the loudspeaker of toxic beauty standards. Blending coming-of-age drama with psychological horror, CONSUMER is a story about self-annihilation and the complicated hunger to be seen while simultaneously disappearing.

The stakes are real. Self-harm among girls aged 10–14 has nearly tripled since 2010, coinciding with a dramatic rise in smartphone use. Young people—particularly girls—are learning to dismantle themselves in pursuit of validation and belonging. CONSUMER channels these realities into a dark modern parable: the story of one teen’s unraveling and a warning about the seductive pull of diet culture, social validation, and endless scrolling.

A feast for the eyes and ears, the film’s aesthetic pays homage to the coming-of-age classics beloved by kids of the ’80s and the visceral horror films of the ’70s. The sound design and original score by award-winning composer Jordan Andrews draw on vintage synth textures and feature the track “Dark Place” by Canadian indie band Blonde Diamond. The film also marks the first Canadian production to feature music by independent Los Angeles–based rap artist Qveen Herby.

The film features performances by Canadian stars Keegan Connor Tracy (Once Upon a Time, The Magicians) and Jill Morrison (Project Blue Book, Mean Girls), alongside a breakout performance from rising talent Eden Summer Gilmore (Family Law, Nancy Drew). Fast-paced and biting, CONSUMER builds toward a gut-punch ending and a message that lingers long after the credits roll.