Manfred and the Waiting Room

In a doctor’s waiting room, frantic Manfred is thrown into a truly bizarre power struggle with a mysterious sociopath.

Creative team

Writer/director: Joel Breitman
Producer: Angela Newell

Filmmaker’s statement

“Manfred and the Waiting Room was inspired by a news story I read online about a 15 year old who had just split up with his girlfriend. Distraught, the teen swallowed a handful of his father’s nitroglycerin tablets (a heart medication) in the hope his head would explode.

But the story failed to provide the details of what happened after the teen almost immediately had a change of heart and lurched into a local clinic.

Perhaps the scene was one of chaotic lunacy. Maybe slapstick? In my mind’s eye [it was] definitely comedic.

More importantly, the strange trajectory the story takes did not emerge until well into the writing process – only after I suddenly realized a number of behaviors I had written into the main character also belonged to a certain animal.”

About Joel Breitman

Director, screenwriter and editor, Joel Breitman was born in Montreal and dabbled as a Montreal Gazette journalist, stand-up comic and improviser before heading to Toronto to concentrate on directing music videos and comedy shorts.

Joel has also worked as a producer for the renowned Just For Laughs Comedy Festival.