The Mental Abuse Matters Project (Portfolio)

Mental abuse is a widespread phenomenon that is extremely difficult to articulate, and challenging to depict on film. The Mental Abuse Matters project aims to raise awareness about mental abuse, by telling stories through the mediums of animation and Virtual Reality – attempting to capture the visceral experience of an abusive relationship to enable understanding, empathy and prevention. This article aims to discuss the development, creative process and reception of the first part of this project, a 5 minute animation, and outline the research and development process for a forthcoming live action Virtual Reality experience.

Animation

The Mental Abuse Matters animation explores emotional abuse in an intimate relationship, and particularly the phenomenon of “Gaslighting”, where the abuser dislocates the victim from reality and causes them to question their judgment and sanity. The narrative takes the form of a monologue by the victim spoken directly to her ex partner, a kind of letter to him after she has left the abusive relationship and is slowly regaining her sense of identity. It is a scripted narrative based on real anonymous victim testimony.