This 28-minute psychological thriller is the debut film of Warren Fischer, one half of successful music act Fischerspooner and an accomplished producer of films such as The Sun is Also A Star (Ry Russo-Young, 2019). For The Serena Variations he draws on the former career, delving into the dark side of musical genius. Dylan Brown plays Serena, a violinist with undiagnosed autism. Se gets the chance to work with celebrated composer Ann (Renata Friedman) on a big project. Coaxed into taking drugs and pitted against her contemporaries for Ann’s affections, Serena’s mind slowly unravels.

Presented as part-short film, part-visual artwork, Fischer incorporates stunning visuals in order to illustrate Serena’s state of mind. This is coupled with stunning music, that is almost a cast member in itself. Brown’s regular narration draws on the story of famous violinist Niccolo Paganini as comparison for her journey, something that helps keep the narrative on track through the more psychedelic elements of the piece. Still, there are details that get lost in the mix – Serena’s neurodiversity is projected in an opaque fashion that should have been clearer.

What keeps the story interesting is the performances woven into the audio-visual fireworks. Brown is terrific as the hungry student, with eyes that plead for validation, both from Ann and the instrument in her hand. Equally, Friedman is wonderfully detached as the woman pulling the strings. The film has been compared to Whiplash (Damien Chazelle, 2014), but her version of toxic mentorship is a lot more subtle than yelling about tempo. Soft but devastating remarks carve themselves into Serena, making it easy to understand why she begins to spiral.

The Serena Variations doesn’t have a lot to say about artistic strife that hasn’t already been said by Black Swan (Darren Arenofsky, 2011), Tar (Todd Field, 2022), or many others. What it does offer is an accomplished spin on that theme, using skilled collaborators to craft a half hour that at its best is a feast for the senses, while keeping on track narratively. Debutant Fischer’s direction is unique enough for us to wonder what a venture length dive into his vision looks like. Hopefully, it will promote as many discussions as this.

The Serena Variations showed at the Raindance Film Festival.