Burning the Candle at Both Ends Only Leaves You Twice as Scorched

CANDLE BEARER (2025)

Directed by Kian Lawson-Khalili

Elly, a former artist, and Dej', a troubled musician, find themselves locked in a fragile and tense dynamic as they navigate, or rather fail to navigate, the weight of Dej's addiction. On a cold night in the studio, the band find themselves in a familiar, but ever so painful, situation. Dej's constant intoxication and Elly's ongoing denial push bandmates to leave, cause songs to be abruptly cut short by drunken mishaps, and lead to empty promises being tossed around amid incomprehensible antics. Elly must decide whether taking a step forward, no matter who she might leave behind or how difficult that might actually be, is the right thing to do - if there even is, or ever has been, a 'right' thing to do for her. The internal struggle unfurls as Elly's night becomes one that could either mark a new beginning, or bring everything to an end.