TIDAL: of, relating to, caused by tides
A short documentary about healing from psychological abuse

The title of this short documentary references the tactics used by my ex to manipulate me. Their mood would ebb and flow like the ocean tide - sometimes loving, sometimes mean but never consistent. Like the current, they pulled me out to where I could not stand and had to tread until I could safely return to shore, only to be met by another swell that would pull me even further out than before. It is a form of mental anguish that is difficult to understand unless you’ve lived it. This documentary is an attempt at explaining that cycle so that you, the viewer, don’t have to.

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT: I am creating this short documentary about my experience dating someone on the narcissist / sociopath / anti-social personality disorder spectrum. I use spectrum because where we’re at in psychology it is still impossible to definitively diagnose these beings. However, for anyone that has gone through their tactics it is as if we share the same diary - the sam experiences in different shades.

This documentary, through the use of interviews of myself as well as of other survivors, will make psychological abuse visible in order to inform and protect future targets. The goal of this documentary is to be concise and effective at identifying the narcissist / sociopath / psychopath character profile through the sharing of personal testimonies. It will be artful in its presentation, using footage of myself dancing, as a form of embodied cathartic release that the viewer can witness. I want the viewer to see my anger, my pain, and my process in healing from loving such a person.

May this be a humble offering of light to survivors and a healing experience to everyone involved in the making of this film.

• Katrina Lillian Sorrentino