Story of Soul to Squeeze
Soul to Squeeze is the first film beginning in one aspect ratio (4:3) and slowly morphing into in another by the end (2.35:1).
This unique technique immerses viewers in its protagonist's psychological journey. The dynamic aspect ratio change from 4:3 to 2.35:1 symbolizes the evolving perspective of Jacob, a man who makes a desperate bid to escape his tortured mind. Jacob undergoes risky treatment, merging his physical body with his subconscious. He embarks on a perilous journey through his psyche, risking all for salvation.
Soul to Squeeze is a new adventure drama film that explores the limits of human emotions. Starring Michael Thomas Santos & Danielle Meyer, the film is directed by W.M. Weikart & produced by Andrew Rivas. The story follows Jacob, who after experiencing a life-altering tragedy, finds himself struggling to cope with the new reality.
Soul to Squeeze is the result of a collaboration between a talented group of filmmakers, each with their unique perspective and vision. Written by Andrew Rivas & W.M. Weikart, the film embodies self-discovery and imagination.
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Director's Statement
I’ve always been drawn to the quiet wars we fight inside ourselves—how we avoid, suppress, and distort what we can’t bear to face. Soul to Squeeze is about that reckoning. Jacob won’t speak about his pain, refuses to even acknowledge it—but he can’t outrun it. Seeking an extreme way out, he chooses a path that promises escape without understanding what it will require of him. What he doesn’t realize is that the very thing he’s running from will force its way to the surface, and he’ll have no choice but to face it.
Jacob, our protagonist, has spent his life running from his past, not through action, but through silence. He refuses to talk about it, to process it, to give it form. The treatment he undergoes is a radical attempt to change that—to force himself into his own subconscious and confront what he’s spent years suppressing. It’s an unnatural process, condensing what would take a lifetime of introspection into a single weekend. But the mind doesn’t work like that. It resists. It fights back.
The world Jacob enters isn't a dream—it has structure, logic—but it bends to the emotional truth of his experience. The house he's placed in shifts to reflect his mental state. He isn't alone there. He encounters characters, manifestations in human form—some helpful, some antagonistic—all fragments of his fractured self, each dragging him toward his buried truth through a gauntlet of raw psychological pain that strips away every defense he's built to protect himself.
The goal was to find the most honest way to tell this story—to build a cinematic experience that isn’t just watched, but felt.
The film’s visual language is essential to its storytelling. From the very first frame, the film’s aspect ratio begins to shift—starting in a tight 4:3 and gradually expanding until it reaches a full 2.35:1 by the end. The slow expansion of the aspect ratio isn’t a gimmick—it’s the audience’s experience of Jacob’s changing perception. As Jacob’s perception expands, so does the frame. As his world widens, so does theirs.
The audience doesn’t just witness his transformation—they experience it alongside him.
It’s a subconscious shift.
In the end, Soul to Squeeze is about the weight of guilt and the way the mind twists to protect itself from pain. Jacob’s journey forces him to navigate a world shaped by his own subconscious, where buried wounds take form and demand to be faced. Time may move forward, but the past lingers, waiting for the moment we’re finally ready to confront it. If the film leaves audiences with anything, I hope it’s this: We can’t erase pain without losing a part of ourselves—but by facing it, we make room for something deeper, something whole.
W.M. Weikart
Director & Writer