Angel Olsen "Big Time" Full Film

A Film by Kimberly Stuckwisch and Angel Olsen

An Invisible Inc Production

In Association with Jagjaguwar

Directed By

Kimberly Stuckwisch

(Full Credits at End of Film)

Big Time is the story of light versus shadow told through a non-linear surrealist dream space that poses one central dilemma, "What lengths must one go through to let go of the past in order to step out of the darkness and accept one's true self?"

It's a story that targets deep-rooted complexities such as how our unconscious deals with repressed sexual identity, the hardships of letting go of our past selves in order to step into self-actualization, and the guilt we hold when dealing with loss. For one reason or another, we all have parts of ourselves that we struggle to forgive as well as a part of ourselves we are afraid of exploring or that we think society won’t like—so we push those parts down into our unconscious psyches, into the shadows. "Big Time" is the story of drowning in those fears before releasing your light.

Just like in dreams, Angel finds herself in a reoccurring nightmare, encountering the same group of people over and over who try and trap her with their ideologies. Bury your truths they tell her. Find content in the despair... However, they all have one thing in mind, to hold her down and steal the very thing that makes her whole. In the end, it's only when she opens herself up is light able to give insight and understanding to the shadow.

In Big Time, we find Angel stuck in a motel room where through the use of sound clips from a real lif interview, she gives us a glimpse into her innermost thoughts. We are unsure how long Angel has been in this room: a hell of sorts. We know she came here for a reason though, to set out on a journey to burn her memories. This idea of exiling one's self from their former life and career originated from the book "Book of Illusions" by Paul Auster. However, we soon find that this cathartic act only serves as a temporary bandaid. The real self-work arrives when Angel dives deeper into the unknown... quite literally when she drowns herself.

Throughout the film, we introduce Beau. This though is not a love story. It's in fact a much deeper construct. Beau serves as the white rabbit, a metaphor for Angel's shame, guilt, past, love, and loss who leads Angel further and further into the unconscious until her eventual self-acceptance and release.