Rob Munday
Although many theories attempt to explain why we dream, the true nature of this mysterious nighttime phenomenon remains unclear. Historically, dreams have often been seen as omens or predictions, and some religious traditions interpret them as a means of communication with God. In Felipe Vargas’ (Milk Teeth) latest short film, ZZZ, dreams serve a different purpose: as a bridge to the afterlife.
“I saw her again. In a dream in a vast desert”
The story of ZZZ follows a grieving widow (Marcela) longing to reconnect with her deceased husband. Her journey leads her to the rundown mattress store of an enigmatic figure called Doctor ZZZ, where she’s introduced to the shadowy world of “sleep dealers,” who illicitly sell custom-made dreams. After making a deal and entering a dream world where she is reunited with her lost love, things get complicated when she’s abruptly woken from her vision.
Inspired by his own experiences of loss, the idea for ZZZ came to Vargas back in 2021, the night after his Aunt passed away. “I saw her again. In a dream in a vast desert”, he explains as he recalls the experience. Desperate to “tell her everything [he] never had a chance to”, when he woke he found himself asking: “What if there was a service which could reunite us with our loved ones in hand-crafted dreams?”
From this starting point, as the pandemic and recession took hold, these challenges fuelled Vargas’ writing, but the final inspiration came from his grandmother’s declining health. Watching her “retreat into old memories and dreams” influenced his vision and made him determined to create a nuanced genre film with an older Latina protagonist. Vargas created the character of Marcela as a tribute to the women in his life – “who’s campfire stories and tales of the ‘Sandman’ shaped the fabric of this film”.
Julieta Ortiz stars as Marcela in ZZZ
For those familiar with Vargas’ previous short, Milk Teeth, the impressive production quality of ZZZ will come as no surprise. But what truly sets this film apart is Vargas’ exceptional world-building skills. In crafting two distinct realms – the waking world and the dream world – he masterfully balances authenticity and imagination. The “real” world feels grounded and believable, while the dream world is infused with a captivating, fantastical quality, showcasing Vargas’ skill at bringing these contrasting universes to life.
To create the raw and gritty feel to the waking world, Vargas and his team focused on a tactile approach to filmmaking, relying on practical effects and carefully crafted, worn-down props and costumes. For the dream world’s surreal landscapes, they filmed in Death Valley and the Mojave Desert, capturing mesmerising, otherworldly visuals. Vargas describes the project as a “labor of love” and credits his team’s “deep love for dark fantasy and sci-fi” for bringing his vision to life on screen.
Vargas is currently in post-production on his first horror feature, as well as writing and developing several genre projects for major studios. With such a flourishing slate at his fingertips, it’s clear to us at SotW that Vargas has an exciting future in filmmaking, and we’re thrilled to help his work reach a wider audience.