Heroic Dose

When I was around 20 years old, I went to an illegal rave and took liquid LSD. Psychedelic drugs are often known for provoking mind-altering, life-changing experiences – and while that was partly true in this case, it was also just the longest 24 hours of my life. In Heroic Dose, writer/director Dugan Gundelfinger tries to capture a similar kind of experience, recalling a time he was in Costa Rica and a “powerful sorceress” offered to take him on a spiritual journey.

While our experiences share certain similarities – we both held out our hands to receive a dose, only to be told we’d be given too much – for Gundelfinger, the journey took place on a beautiful, deserted beach. I, on the other hand, was aimlessly wandering through an abandoned warehouse packed with a couple thousand people and vibrating with the force of an impossibly loud sound system. But it’s always tricky to look back at these kinds of moments with any clarity when your head’s in such a strange place. What little I remember of events from that night (and the following day) is quite different from what my friends – who were also there – have told me. That’s why, in Heroic Dose, we need the director’s best friend – and the film’s co-writer – Leighton Lovejoy to step in.

The use of sock puppets is just one of the inventive ways Gundelfinger finds to recreate events.

This contrast in the recollection of events is where Heroic Dose finds its comedic spark – Gundelfinger’s vivid, almost mystical memories are hilariously at odds with Lovejoy’s more grounded and pragmatic version of events. The retelling of their story kicks off at a dinner party, where guests are sharing anecdotes about their most memorable “trips”. As Lovejoy begins to recount the tale, Gundelfinger quickly interjects, steering the narrative into more enigmatic territory. From there, the film whisks us back to that fateful night through a playful series of flashbacks, creatively brought to life with a mix of live-action, special effects, sock puppets, and other inventive visual flourishes.

As the story bounces between Gundelfinger’s surreal recollections and Lovejoy’s more down-to-earth account, a clearer picture of what really happened in Costa Rica begins to emerge – including actual footage of Gundelfinger’s transformation. In Gundelfinger’s mind, he embarked on a profound spiritual odyssey: conquering his shadow self, leaping through infinity like a cosmic gazelle, and uncovering the roots of all language. In contrast, Lovejoy paints a far less mystical picture – one in which his friend is either sprawled face-down in the sand, waddling like a penguin, or reduced to speaking in monosyllabic grunts.

The story reaches its peak when both men recount what Gundelfinger calls “a moment of true liberation from the ego mind.” Skeptical, the dinner party guests challenge this lofty claim, prompting Gundelfinger to reflect – and ultimately attempt to prove his transcendence. As he invites his friends to join him in this act of supposed liberation, the absurd collides with the profound in a delightfully unexpected climax. It’s a fitting conclusion to a wildly inventive short. While Gundelfinger’s journey may not entirely shift your worldview, it just might inspire you to seek your own moment of clarity – and wade into your own “golden river of truth.”