Table of Contents
There is a particular horror in loving someone who is always taking notes. Amber Schaefer's Doctor Death Grip lives inside that discomfort, following Gavin, a film agent wrestling with a compulsive porn addiction and a sixth finger, and Anna, a successful writer whose viral autofiction essay exposes the most intimate details of his sex life and insecurities. The result is a sharp, darkly comedic drama about intimacy, exposure, and the cost of turning a partner into material.
Schaefer, who directs, writes, and acts, has made television for Saturday Night Live, Jimmy Kimmel Live, and Last Week Tonight, alongside a run of award-winning independent shorts. Here she trains her eye on a very contemporary genre β the confessional essay that goes viral β and refuses to let anyone off the hook, least of all the writer she clearly understands from the inside.
Key Takeaways
- A meditation on the confessional-essay boom, and who those viral pieces actually hurt.
- Schaefer wants empathy and heartbreak for both protagonists, not a villain.
- A small, specific story by design β no true crime, no blockbuster remake.
Schaefer spoke about the paradox at the film's heart, the surprises of her research, and where she wants to take this next.
Interview
What drew you to make this film, and why this story, why now?
Artists always draw from their personal life. We cannot escape our shadow. But a certain kind of exposing personal prose a la Lena Dunham, Emily Gould, or even Caroline Calloway has never been more in vogue. This film is a meditation on that trend β who do these viral essays in the Cut hurt? What horror to be in a relationship with someone that is mining for material at your worst and most humiliating moments (i.e. dealing with a debilitating hentai porn addiction). But at the same time, this is the kind of art, the kind of prose, these writers, and our protagonist Anna, was born to make. They do not have a choice. My goal was to revel in that paradox.
What surprised you most about the filmmaking process, creatively or logistically?
In my research I was surprised to see how widespread porn addiction is.
What was the hardest creative decision you made while making the film?
How to deal with the non-stop rain in Florida.
What do you hope audiences take away from this film?
I hope they are left with a familiar bittersweet feeling and have empathy and heartbreak for both protagonists.
What tool, technique, resource, collaborator, or mindset shift helped most during production?
My cinematographer Soren's unflappably calm nature.
What is the greatest strength of independent filmmaking, and how did you lean into it here?
I love that you can tell small stories. That it doesn't have to be a true crime retelling or a blockbuster remake.
How does your film fit within, or push the boundaries of, its genre or form, and where do you see it going next?
I have yet to see a film about porn addiction Reddit culture. This was exactly the type of story I want to tell β at the core of all my work is a desire to show horny women in film. Let's make a feature, baby.
What does it mean to have your film selected for HollyShorts, one of the world's premier short film festivals?
An absolute honor.
Main Cast & Crew
- Amber Schaefer β director, writer, and actor. She has directed for Saturday Night Live, Jimmy Kimmel Live, and Last Week Tonight, and independently wrote and directed the award-winning shorts Doctor Death Grip (2025), NYC Tips and Tricks (2022), and the unsanctioned Bernie Sanders campaign film The People's Perfume (2020). She lives between New York City and Los Angeles with her two Pomeranians.
- Soren β cinematographer.
Filmmaker Opportunities
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