The Lapse

The Lapse is a student production at the University of Chicago. It explores addiction through the lens of a contained psychological thriller. The film follows Maxine, a recovering alcoholic who begins to experience flashbacks to events she can’t remember. She must confront her own self-destructive behavior to uncover the horrifying truth about her past.

We are fortunate to have a talented and dedicated crew, led by our director, Nicholas Merchant. This is Nicholas’s second feature film production, and he has experience directing multiple short films, working as a director of photography, and also working professionally in the film industry. We are also delighted to have a diverse and inclusive team assembled: the majority of high-level roles are women, and our crew members represent an international perspective from India, China, Greece, Colombia, Canada, and more.

Synopsis: When Maxine, a recovering alcoholic, starts having dreams about a past relationship, she suspects her current fiancée has erased her memory and must do everything in her power to find the woman of her dreams. As the story unfolds, Maxine goes deeper into the rabbit hole of her mind and regresses into her old self. She realizes there is no true villain - it’s always been about her and her choices. Maxine is ultimately caught between her fiancée and the mystery woman but realizes the only one who can truly save her is herself.