In a country (or family) subscribing to so-called “panopticon theory,” people are under pervasive surveillance and there is a constant threat of punishment from those at the top of the social hierarchy. Through the lens of a few young professionals and club owners, Panopticon is a dramatic narrative short film about Dallas, TX and the class tensions currently playing out across the city, and within the historic neighborhood of Deep Ellum in particular. Charlie Mason is a twenty-something real estate professional working for his tyrannical father’s incredibly successful firm. Upon his father’s death, Charlie re-discovers his goth adolescence whilst recalling years of emotional and physical torment at his hands.

Much to the chagrin of family friend Aiden, a bigoted braggart with plans of his own, Charlie’s meet-cute with a tattooed nightclub rep named Ophelia leads him down a transformative path of redemption. Out from under his father’s thumb, he naively hopes to use this newfound freedom to do some good for the city. However, Charlie learns that money and resources alone cannot stem the tide of gentrification, not when such complex problems exist at the nexus of race, class, creed, and fate.