A raw and evocative portrayal of a love that burns bright before fading into the shadows of oblivion. The passion that ignites their fiery romance soon darkens into a harrowing tale of abuse and trauma. Weaving a compelling narrative of love, loss, and the haunting echoes of a relationship that could have been.
S Y N O P S I S
Raw and evocative portrayal of a love that burns bright before fading into the shadows of oblivion. The passion that ignites their fiery romance soon darkens into a harrowing tale of abuse and trauma. Weaving a compelling narrative of love, loss, and the haunting echoes of a relationship that could have been.
In the poignant and gripping film "Love Me to Oblivion," we are immersed in the tumultuous love story between a dynamic and emotionally complex young man grappling with bipolar disorder and the haunting loss of his brother. His intense passion for cinema mirrors his fervent approach to life, drawing him to a radiant filmmaker in bustling New York City.
As their love ignites, the screen sizzles with their shared ardor and creative energy. However, what begins as a fiery romance soon darkens into a harrowing tale of abuse and trauma. The palpable intensity between them spirals into a destructive abyss, consuming them in a whirlwind of heartache and despair.
Set against the vibrant backdrop of New York City, "Love Me to Oblivion" weaves a compelling narrative of love, loss, and the haunting echoes of a relationship doomed to self-destruction. Prepare to be captivated, moved, and ultimately shattered by this raw and evocative portrayal of a love that burns bright before fading into the shadows of oblivion.
S T O R Y B R E A K D O W N
Blue and Natalie meet while Natalie serves tables in a New York Bar; Blue and his twin brother Sage live a few doors down. It is an instant connection, a past life familiarity, love at first sight. Upon arriving home, Blue finds Sage after he has taken his own life. Natalie sees the ambulance and scene down the street and holds Blue's hand through the worst day of his life; a trauma bond is quickly formed, and neither ever looks back.
We experience the whirlwind of young love- sex for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They want to wear each other as a skin suit and survive inside each other's warmth like Luke and the Tauntaun, "It puts the lotion on its skin, or it gets the hose again" with LOVE.
But the unraveling and eventually undoing is not too far behind. Blue carries the burdens of childhood abuse and trauma, growing up in a home where physical and mental abuse are normal. Like every young Person with a well of trauma, he brings that pain and baggage into his relationship with Natalie. The fights quickly turn physical, the co-dependency so thick you could choke on it, the manipulation so palpable you could cut it with a knife. The laundry list of excuses and lies so thorough they can't even remember the truth anymore.
This is a journey watching one lovable couple journey from the honeymoon phase to Oblivion. Two flawed and incredibly charming people swept away in love so toxic it destroys all it touches, on a path of destruction with their hands in the air on the BIG DIP of the roller coaster ride, laughing all the way.
This is a look into abuse, how the strong and capable are just as susceptible to falling into the traps we deem only viable for the weak and naive. That toxicity doesn't mean the individuals are bad people; they are bad for each other. Some love BURNS BRIGHT and fades into Oblivion. Like a supernova, they explode, and the last shining light echoes through the cosmos and brings a smile to our face when we think of the memory. Of a time we fell without thinking twice.
I've packed in a lot of life in my 34 years on this planet. I've experienced a lot of trauma. A lot of mistakes, battles with addiction, and lessons by FIRE. A severe dose of self-forgiveness, a new found awareness, and acceptance which was the hardest challenge. Then came growth, rebirth, 8 years of sobriety. I am a suicide survivor, and my mission is to use every breath of this second chance to change the world. Spreading hope, love, awareness, inspiration. Portraying the human condition. Creating lovable, flawed characters, just like all of us. I am a MOTHER, a WIFE, a FILMMAKER. All things I never knew I'd become, a life I wouldn't have experienced if I died that night. But there is a reason I am here today. I believe motherhood, filmmaking, and storytelling is the reason. I want to change the world through my art.
I wrote "Love Me To Oblivion" based on a past relationship I experienced. All the trauma is real; the beauty and Blue isn't. Blue is my dream of how that abuse could have looked. There was nothing redeemable about that relationship or person. What I find interesting about that experience is no one would have ever expected to see me in that situation. I am strong, outspoken, and confident. How did you end up in a cycle of abuse?! Oh yeah, and get engaged to him despite all the cheating, abuse, and compulsive lying?! That's where this film and beauty comes in— none of it feels like abuse when you're in it. It feels like love. The abuse is a small part; the love shared and the connection distracts from the codependency. Manipulation. Lies. Broken promises. Guilt. Blame. We're all just hurt people, hurting people. A toxic relationship does not mean the people are bad. More than they are bad together.
The truth about this film is I am both characters. They are based on me…I have been abused. But I have also been an abuser. Carrying that trauma and toxicity from my past to destroy and repeat the cycle in future relationships. Repeated, just like my parents and his parents. There was a moment when my next relationship said, "What's fucked up, is you think this is normal? That it's normal to scream at each other like this." I realized then that I did. My parents had done it my whole life. My family. It was normal…
I then realized I didn't want to be "normal" anymore. I wouldn't make it like that; I wouldn't survive. I changed my whole life after that. My relationships, who I'd allow in my life, therapy, life coach, AA. People and past that I was ready to leave behind me. Some family and a few good friends. But it was about survival now. I was willing to do anything to never feel like that again. It was no longer about where I come from, but rather, who I wanted to become in my future. A future I wanted to live and see unfold. Dreams I wasn't ready to give up on. The dream of who I could be.
E s s e n c e:
"Blue Valentine, Normal People, Rust and Bone, Like Crazy, Marriage Story, Past Lives, Scenes From A Marriage, Cafe De Flore."
This film is about LIFE, your first FREE FALL INTO LOVE, first real HEARTBREAK. About the complicated relationships we experience. Friendship. Family. Loss and grief. Mental health and substance abuse. It's life, complex and messy. Inspiring and hopeful. I want to make my most inspiring piece of art yet. I want the audience to feel uncomfortable for invading this couple's most intimate moments. I want it to feel REAL, too fucking real. I want the love to be tangible, tactile, and palpable. So fucking present, it defies reality and feels like a glimpse into someone's world. Love blossoming, in bloom, and the collapse. From a blazing sun to a supernova. A nebula. A memory of light. Shining its final beams of light as we look back to our memories with a smile.
This story is NOSTALGIA, YOUNG LOVE, PASSION!! I want it to feel like a vintage Photo Booth strip, a Polaroid, FILM, a pastel, creamy, rich, and textured wonderland. New York City, pursuing your dreams, Young and fearless! Protected by love, invincible. Rip each other's clothes off, live inside each other's skin, love everything about them— honeymoon phase. I want to shoot on film. I crave raw authenticity. I want it to feel like they're living in someone's skin, sharing someone's life, many natural and improvised moments. I want our couple to live together; I want several weeks of improvised memories and love unfolding. I want a well of beauty and riches to choose from. Bringing together a perfectly strung, real-life experience! I want the audience to forget they're watching a movie and see themselves in our actors. Remember the mistakes they've made in their past. Young naivety. Maybe a toxic love of their own. More people than admit have been through relationships like Blue and Natalie. In complex friendships and unrequited love. In messy, complex familial relationships. In trauma. In abuse. In starting over. The weight and glimmering hope. When done right, these performances will leave the audience awestruck.
I want them to laugh, cry, and fume with anger. I want to make a film that sticks with them long after they leave the theaters. I want to show the New York that only New Yorkers know about. I want New York Street Fashion. I want grungy and gritty. Whimsical! New York in every passing season of life. PURE ART! I want it to be modern-day but so timeless it feels like all of our youth.
Nadine Crocker is a Director, Writer, Actress, and Producer. Her latest film, Desperation Road, hit theaters in October 2023. It stars Mel Gibson, Garrett Hedlund, Willa Fitzgerald, Ryan Hurst, and Woody McClain. The film was produced by Nadine Crocker, Cassian Elwes, Michael Farris Smith, and Walter Josten and was released by Lions Gate and Grindstone Entertainment.
Her award-winning feature film "Continue" will be released in theaters later this year. Crocker Wrote, Directed, and Produced. Alongside her producing partner, Jay Seals, and Husband, Anthony Caravella-Crocker. "Continue" is based on Crocker's life and the true story of surviving a suicide attempt when she was 23. The film's message is focused on suicide prevention with the hope of saving lives from suicide. Part of the film's proceeds will go to charity for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention. Crocker has created her nonprofit, "Continue On," which she started to coincide with the film. Rachel Bilson, Olivia Allen, and Lea Griffin joined the board to support Nadine and create impact and change. The Continue On Organization will continue to elevate mental health and suicide prevention stories on our way to our highest goal of creating a subsidy to pay for mental health services for underprivileged youth.
Continue also stars Shiloh Fernandez, Emily Deschanel, Lio Tipton, Kat Foster, Anthony Caravella, and Jay Seals. Continue has screened at several film festivals, the most recent being Mammoth Film Festival. Continue, and Crocker was nominated in every category at the Festival, with 8 total nominations. Crocker won "Best Director" and "Best Achievement In First Time Filmmaking." Continue is set to release domestically in 2024. The film has taken home awards at nearly every festival it has attended, previously winning Grand Jury "Best Feature Film," and Crocker won "Best Actress" at the Beverly Hills Film Festival. It currently has 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Crocker is prepping her third film, "Vanished," set for 2024. Robbie Brenner and Marc Forster are producing the film. Garrett Hedlund is attached, and the film is currently casting with Rich Delia at the helm.
Nadine Crocker was born in Nashville, Tennessee, and raised in Fresno, California. Knowing she was destined for more than an ordinary life, Nadine dropped everything and moved to Los Angeles, California, on her own at 16. Her greatest desire is to create IMPACT and change the world through storytelling and art.