Abstract
An Ambulance Made of Whiskey is the story of Sven, a famous writer who loses his inspiration. He becomes a target of bullying by his fans and falls into a deep depression, shutting himself off completely from the public and from his family. He tries to commit suicide several times with no success.
Suddenly, after overdosing on a mixture of drugs, he enters into a surreal world in which he is confronted with his own death. While he is hallucinating, he is traveling in an ambulance on the way to the hospital. This affects his perception, mixing with the parallel world that he is experiencing. In the ambulance is Martina, an EMT who is concerned about Sven and who desperately tries to keep him awake while en route to the hospital.
Sven, knowing that this might be his last night on earth, tries to bond with Martina, but she is focused on doing her job. This experience makes Sven realize that he might not want to die, and that there are many things that he has not yet tried. As a defense mechanism, his brain creates an alternative reality which allows him to experience the different stages of a possible relationship with Martina, but in this reality, Martina is just a mechanical and lifeless character that shows no more than a superficial connection.
Soon, Sven finds out that he can’t get beyond the first date, making him realize that the answer to fulfilling his desires is not in this relationship. The more he understands, the deeper he falls into another reality in which he finds Miss Captain Coffee Nirvana, his conscience, his inner voice or God for those who are religious.
Miss Captain Coffee Nirvana has the attitude of a nurturing and loving mother who doesn’t have all the answers to everything, but can guide because she knows what is the best for Sven. After talking to her, Sven realizes that the answer to everything that he is looking for is in himself, and the decision of whether to die or not is his and his alone.
After a very hard night, Sven wakes up in the hospital feeling very confused. When Martina, the EMT, comes into his room, he apologizes to her. She gives him a notebook to encourage him to return to his career path. This notebook ends up as the source of his notes for his new book, An Ambulance Made of Whiskey.
Library of Congress Subject Headings
Motion picture authorship; Motion pictures--Production and direction; Authors--Drama; Suicidal behavior--Drama
Publication Date
11-25-2015
Document Type
Thesis
Student Type
Graduate
Degree Name
Film and Animation (MFA)
Department, Program, or Center
School of Film and Animation (CIAS)
Advisor
Jack Beck
Advisor/Committee Member
David Sluberski
Advisor/Committee Member
Skip Battaglia
Recommended Citation
Mejia Yepes, Maria Victoria, "An Ambulance Made of Whiskey" (2015). Thesis. Rochester Institute of Technology. Accessed from
https://repository.rit.edu/theses/9113
Campus
RIT – Main Campus
Plan Codes
FILMAN-MFA
