Claustrophobia, weather the reason for it is real or perceived, is a debilitating feeling of being boxed in. Sometimes spaces such as elevators, create an inner panic of feeling confined. And sometimes, it is not places but people who cause us to feel in such an unpleasant way.
When you are stuck in a shitty dead end job, where your boss is as crooked as a crumpled up dollar bill and has zero respect for you, you can't help but feel hopeless. Your only mental outlet are your fantasies of doing away with that problem. At home it is no better when your mother, who has reached an advanced stage of Parkinson's Disease, decays both physically and mentally by the day, even with the help of an aide, leaves you in despair. That is when the feeling of claustrophobia catapults itself to possibly treacherous proportions.
Seeing a loved one suffer to the point where being alive is no longer a desired option, can definitely put wears and tears on your mind and sanity. It is impossible not to sympathize with poor Billy Cochran as his own personal environment causes him to descent into madness. Billy's only viable outlet is his artistic gift, with an emphasis on an alien-hybrid tone. His art conveys a very strong and powerful message regarding his own mental state.
What's that smell? Do you smell that? I smell a rat...
Billy's fragile frame of mind takes a turn for the worst when he gets bit by a rat, causing him to suffer from hallucinations. He imagines rat like beings attempting to take over his life, just like everything else in his waking life...
Everybody in Billy's life, and other than his ailing mother Gina, her aide, and his shady boss, he really does not have anybody, can metaphorically be perceived as a rat...
Gina, as mentioned before, is nearing the end of her life at an advanced stage of Parkinson's Disease. Her glory days are long behind her as the only thing left in her life now is her unfortunate tragic illness. Physically and mentally, her current state of erosion has left her feeling "boxed in" her own personal Hell. Billy is right there along with her in Hell. Rather than seeking help for his problems, he abuses his mother's medication to self-medicate. Gina's illness is the rat.
Also mentioned prior, Billy works a dismal job as a janitor in a desolate factory. His boss is a complete narcissist who believes he is invincible from all the consequences of the criminal activity he is engaging in on the side. Billy is only a pawn in his crooked Chess game, a subordinate and just beneath him. Billy, who also has trouble cashing in his own checks, is at the mercy of this corporate rat...
All of these emotionally traumatizing situations cause Billy to feel boxed in, propelling his breakdown to catastrophic measures. So when he is confronted by the actual rat, is this rat actually real or perceived??
Lynn Lowry's performance as the ailing Gina, is a heartfelt and emotional one as you are afraid of and for Gina at the same time as she mentally and physically succumbs to her ordeal day after day. Dylan LaRay takes us on a traumatic and sympathetic journey of Billy's downward spiral, causing us to second guess the security of our own sanity. A stellar talent and storyline that hits home, gets a 10/10 rating!!!
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