Benjamin Dodd

Ennui - A Case of Living Fast Benjamin Dodd

Eli John is an unsuccessful California-based artist, plagued by self-doubt, somewhat self-conjured societal condemnation and the staggering odds often stacked against artists. His mind is wandering, his desires convoluted and constantly changing, and his overall outlook often dipping into harrowing depression. In a decision simultaneously rash and prudent, Eli manages to single-handedly execute a bank heist, thinking the money he takes could be his ticket to anything he could want, finally calming his chaotic mind. Instead, his new wealth leaves him equally directionless, as lost with limitless possibility as he was when he was trapped in a box. Frustrated, he takes to the road with his companion, a plastic pool ornament penguin named Stanley, trying to outrun his own mind. This is a story of a young man with a heavy heart unable to find his way conventionally or otherwise, on a journey fueled by equal parts desperation and lust for exploit. It's a look inside the mind of an artist who's lost faith in the paint.