The complexities of relationships and human connection mean not all love stories come to a happy ending. But the reflection and realizations that emerge from the ashes can bring a positive mood shift of their own. In short film Placebo, New York-based director Sage Bennett considers the intricacies of love, and whether the intense desire to find it can imitate the feeling itself.

Through the inner dialogue of a woman considering a broken relationship in retrospect, Placebo takes an intimate journey into the shadow side of passion – and the self-delusion and neuroses that can accompany it. Shot in Acapulco, Mexico, with a minimal supply of Super 16mm and 8mm film, Bennett relied on the imperfect quality of analog – and glistening halation provided by a long-expired roll – to capture the relationship through a nostalgic lens.

In homage to Jean-Luc Godard, and the auteurs of the French New Wave in their rejection of filmmaking conventions, Placebo deconstructs the nostalgic association with perfection for a raw portrait of heartache – and the return to consciousness as antidote. Channeling personal experiences and feelings of self-doubt, Bennett offers a meditation on the lasting impact of fleeting love affairs, exploring the role of misplaced optimism in ill-fated partnerships, and the human pressure to find serious connection within casual bonds.