Pain, 2023. Single channel video and digital image scans. Original size 1440x1080. 3’10”

Pain is an experimental documentary about two chronic conditions: pain and addiction. The film therefore overlaps and entwines two stories. One, the story of Jeff Ballenger’s (the filmmaker’s father), crane accident which broke his back. Two, the story of acquiring and taking prescription opioids in the ensuing years. The film layers interview footage of Jeff, an out-of-operation crane, and animated MRI scans of the filmmaker himself, who in 2022 suffered a fall from a horse when filming a movie. The connection between the filmmaker and his father runs through many of his works - whether connected through pain or addiction - and in this film the layering is dense and rapid. The sound design mirrors the images, at points overwhelming and at others, fleeting. The intent is to offer an immersive viewing experience for the often indefinable circumstances and symptoms of these chronic conditions.






Screenings
Commons Gallery. UC San Diego. May 2023 (as 3-channel installation)





contact: ballenger.cuyler@gmail.com