On December 8th, Bourbon County students Riley Emanuel and Clay Arnold had the opportunity to star in “A Limited Lifestyle.” The film was created by Josh Collins, a student at Bluegrass Community & Technical College. Throughout the film, the main character, Grant, struggles with his inner mind. Grant was a college student alongside his roommate, Carson. Grant goes through his day with a slight itch in the back of his head, telling him what to do and how many times to do it. The audience not only sees what is going on in his head but also hears the inner person controlling it. The sounds mimic something slightly devilish to show how antagonizing the voice in his head is. These voices aren’t meant to portray evil, but rather the feeling of anxiety. 

The film begins by showcasing the living environment. Grant and Carson are sitting and chatting about life in general when the audience first sees the inner workings of Grant’s mind. He’s thinking about whether or not he should clean up the table before he completes the action in reality. In the next scene, we are introduced to Grant’s day. Not even a minute into it, his head is already filled with compulsory thoughts. He struggles with how many times he should do the actions and how well they should be done. These struggles continue to go on as time progresses, some being stricter than others. Throughout the day, his time and energy are consumed by his compulsions. The writer truly wants to capture the essence of how harshly this can impact someone’s life. 

The moral of this short film was not to make it spooky for comedic gain, but rather to showcase the depth of inner struggles through the mind. The actions in this short film can coincide with the feelings and actions of someone with OCD. OCD, better known as Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, is a disorder that affects the mind through uncontrollable, repeating thoughts. This disorder can affect anyone at any age. OCD is not a simple, curable illness.

The challenging parts of life with this illness do not prevent people from living. You can continue to live and be happy through the tough times. This short film does an excellent job of showcasing this, with Grant in a blossoming relationship, as well as the knowledge that he isn’t alone in his anxieties. This short film did a wonderful job. The work Josh Collins produced was outstanding, and his fans cannot wait to see what he has in store for the future.