You can pack a lot into a 14-minute film -- like a cast of five, 50 people behind the scenes and a couple of long, long days.
Interpersonalities, directed by Aidin Nakhai from Saskatoon and written by Jason Young, also from Saskatoon, takes you into the world of a young man with a split personality. It starts off as a stereotypical therapy session with a psychiatrist trying to draw his patient out. Then it shifts into something more complex and surprising.
The stunning ending will have viewers debating what is real and what is imagined. And that's just the reaction Nakhai is hoping for.
"When I first read it, I didn't understand anything,'' he says. "As I started reading it more, my creative juices started to flow."
Produced by Hulo Films of Saskatoon, Interpersonalities was shot in May 2008 in a re-decorated suite of the Hilton Garden Inn in Saskatoon. As seems to happen with all film projects, things did not go as planned. The two-day shoot became much more intense when a technical glitch rendered most of the first day's work unusable. Nakhai, who hadn't slept much leading up to the shoot, hit the Red Bull even harder and led the production through a gruelling 20-hour second day.
"It was a marathon shoot. People were exhausted," he says. Even so, "the actors were unbelievable. They were so gracious and generous.''
The cast features Jessie Froese as the disturbed boy Tyler, Joshua Beaudry as his older alter-ego Bill, Gerald Lenton Young as Dr. Rex, CindyMarie Small as Dr. Solomon and Melany Burant as the mother.
A bonus for Nakhai was having his former University of Regina professor Lenton Young in the cast. For his film studies degree, Nakhai took Lenton Young's course on how to direct actors for film, which turned out to be one of the best classes he'd ever had.
"I never raved more about a course in my life."
Nakhai says it was a bit intimidating directing an actor who taught him how to direct actors, but Lenton Young's experience was a tremendous asset on the set.
A short film isn't necessarily a small project. Behind the camera were some 50 production people in charge of sound, wardrobe, lighting, set and a myriad of other elements. Nakhai praises the cinematography of Andrew Forbes.
"Andrew has an unbelievable talent. I attribute a lot of the look and feel to him.''
Music plays a huge role, especially as tension builds to the big shocker near the end. The original score and production sound were by Doug Luciuk and Sean Pion.
"What they came up with for the climax of the film, with the strings, I love what they did,'' says Nakhai.
Interpersonalities has already toured the film festival circuit, showing in Brazil, Australia, the Unites States and in Yorkton and Whistler, B.C., in Canada.
This is Nakhai's most ambitious film as a young professional. He grew up in Saskatoon but was born in 1979 in Iran. His parents fled the country to avoid religious persecution during the Iranian Revolution. Nakhai spent a year at the University of Saskatchewan but wasn't cut out for a typical day job."I'm not an office type of guy. I'm a creative guy,'' he says.
He went on to the U of R film program and then worked in Australian TV before coming back to Saskatoon. Ultimately, he'd like to do a feature film. The pressure there would be exponential, but that's hardly discouraging, he says.
"That's the kind of energy I thrive on."

SASK.-SHOT FILMS AT THEATRE
It's Saskatchewan Night at the Movies tonight. Starting at 7 p.m., two films made in the province premiere at the Broadway Theatre: The short film Interpersonalities and the feature Surveillance, which was shot in Regina and area.
Jennifer Lynch directed Surveillance, which was executive-produced by her famous father David Lynch. It stars Bill Pullman, Julia Ormond, Michael Ironside and French Stewart. Reviews have been less than stellar, often mentioning the film's extreme violence. Indeed, Lynch won for best director at the New York City Horror Film Festival.
"The theatrical premiere of Interpersonalities and Surveillance illustrates the growth and maturity of Saskatchewan's film and television industry," Susanne Bell, CEO and film commissioner of SaskFilm, said in a news release.
" . . . Balancing our efforts to cultivate home-grown production and our ability to attract projects from the U.S. and abroad (has) earned Saskatchewan an enviable reputation in the production community worldwide."
There will be greetings from SaskFilm and a question and answer session with the director and producers of Interpersonalities. Cast and crew will also attend. Interpersonalities and Surveillance continue Sunday and Tuesday to Thursday at the Broadway Theatre. Tickets are $10 (general admission), $6.50 (members of Broadway Theatre) and $5 (students/seniors).
To view the trailer for Interpersonalities, visit http://www.vimeo.com/2019725. To view the trailer for Surveillance, visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QT2dy7WogTI.