• Season 10

Checking Out

Crystal Cecilia Collins (Producer), Ames Miyako (Writer/CoProducer), Ariel Zucker (Director)

When a really good date in the present resembles a traumatic moment from the past, a dissociated Alex must find their way through their own wry psyche to get back into their body, as long as a past version of themselves "Cool Alex" stays on their side...
  • Runtime: 11:56

This film includes a reference to sexual assault, which some viewers may find upsetting. If you or someone you know is experiencing mental health distress related to sexual assault, talk to a licensed therapist. For a mental health emergency, call the NAMI Helpline or call or text 988 for immediate support.

Why we chose this film.

This film takes on a challenging topic—navigating trauma triggers—and reimagines it through a creative, whimsical lens. Ultimately, the film sends the powerful message that self-compassion can open the door to more authentic connections with ourselves and others.

Filmmaker

Inspiration

I don’t know about you, but I find no healing in film and television that graphically depicts sexual violence. So I made my first film, Checking Out, a film that doesn’t depict trauma, but instead explores the complexity of surviving the rest of our lives.

This story comes from my own lived experience of living with complex-PTSD, and the often absurd and comedic ways I’ve learned to cope. The film is also intentionally queer-normative, in that queerness isn’t a plot point, but rather the world which our lead “Alex” fights to return to, and within which, deepens their authenticity.

Alex’s journey is one of avoidance, courage, and self-discovery. Instead of a bleak meditation on suffering, our film embraces the unexpected, the offbeat humor, the surreal moments, and the bizarre reality of what it feels like to untangle the past while trying to function in the present.

This film is about reclaiming agency over our own narratives. It’s for anyone who’s ever felt stuck in a loop, anyone who’s used humor as a shield, and anyone who’s trying imperfectly, but persistently to move forward. I share this story with the hope that someone out there will know they are not alone.

Thank you for being here. We’re in this together.

– Ames Miyako, writer, co-producer, and lead actor of Checking Out

Meet the Filmmakers

Ames Miyako

Ames Miyako

Writer, Co-Producer, Actor

Ames Miyako

Writer, Co-Producer, Actor

“Ames Miyako (they/them) is an award-winning actor and writer based in Los Angeles. A Queer LebaneseJapanese-American-Canadian, Ames’ work brings nuance, comedy, and a touch of surrealism to the unpolished stories of who and how we are.

Their acting work spans across television, film, commercial, theatre, voiceover, applied theatre. They’ve performed voiceover for National Public Radio, were seen on NBC’s Lincoln Rhyme as “Autumn Besser”, and numerous independent films/series. On stage, they have performed in NYC Off-Broadway and Off-Off Broadway, in Los Angeles, Seattle, and internationally in Canada, Scotland, and The Czech Republic.

They are a graduate of Columbia University’s MFA Acting program and a proud member of SAG-AFTRA and Actors Equity Association.

Ames also is a body-neutral Certified Personal Trainer and Corrective Exercise Specialist and has been featured by Fabletics Fit, PopSugar Fitness, and Everybody Los Angeles VOD. They love a good hike and one day will bring their leash-trained cat Jasper up a mountain with them… if he ever agrees. “

Ariel Zucker

Ariel Zucker

Director

Ariel Zucker

Director

“Ariel Zucker, Director (she/they), is an LA-based director and producer from Atlanta, powered by teamwork and well-timed snacks.

A Gotham TV Expanding Communities Fellow alum, Ariel produces at Dropout TV (Make Some Noise, Very Important People, and Um, Actually) and served as Studio Director at Assembly House for the 107-day Harris/Walz campaign—calling up to 8 cameras for 6 shows a day and directing streams featuring Beyoncé, Maggie Rogers, Cardi B, Gracie Abrams, John Legend, and a lot of Bon Jovi.

A Carnegie Mellon alum (John Wells Directing Program + Heinz School of Business), their work has been recognized by Outfest, AT&T Film Awards, Screencraft, NBC Out, Huffington Post, Variety, and more. Their web series Day-Bi-Day won Best Web Series at SF Queer Film Festival, and their short This Is Not a Love Letter took home Best Experimental Film at Women’s Voices Now. They were also a 2022 PGA Innovation Award Finalist.

They bring a director’s eye, a producer’s brain, and a theater kid’s heart to every frame.”

Crystal Cecilia Collins

Crystal Cecilia Collins

Producer

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