We’ve all had that moment on the platform when we just couldn’t take it anymore. The G train wasn’t just late — it was non-existent. As in, its existence was doubted by anyone who took the train after 10:00 a.m. and before 3:00 p.m. You were so late to your class/art modeling gig/poor excuse for a job, you started having thoughts about jumping on the train tracks with the rats just to alleviate the pain of your broke life.
To add insult to injury, once you got on the G, the man next to you was jamming so hard on his headphones that his flailing appendages were certainly very definitely in your personal space.
Once you got done with your day and were on the commute home, some crazy stranger bumps into you on the street and calls you an idiot. At home, all you want to do is drink wine straight from the bottle and hide under a blanket watching TV.
Filmmaker Jason Hood has created a short series entitled “Iris vs. Anxiety” that captures the zeitgeist of current life in Greenpoint for a 20-something with everything to lose. The one-minute vignettes are part of an upcoming web series called Pair of Normals, and show Iris dealing with the daily anxiety-inducing situations of life in New York, from personal space invaders to phone calls from parents that we could all do without.
Starring actor Lucy Cottrell, who delivers in “Iris vs. Anxiety” and who is luminescent in this music video, the series was shot on West Street, in Transmitter Park, in the Greenpoint Avenue subway, and on Greenpoint Avenue between Manhattan and Franklin.
You can watch the episodes below, and recognize some of your favorite spots in Greenpoint, where you’ve maybe had your own anxiety-induced freakouts.
“Iris vs. Stranger Danger”
“Iris vs. The Phone Call”
“Iris vs. Space Invaders”
“Iris vs. Intrusive Thoughts”
“Iris vs. A Bad Encounter”