At the intersection of high-stakes ambition and personal vulnerability lies “Achiever”, a sharp, heartfelt comedy that offers a tender look at an often-unspoken reality: the impact of psychiatric medication on sexual intimacy. The film follows Alexa, a high-functioning overachiever who approaches her sex life with the same clinical precision she applies to her career, only to be confronted by the physiological hurdles of her antidepressants. Navigating pleasure and perfectionism, “Achiever” is a grounded exploration of what it means to find connection when your own body feels like an obstacle.
The film marks a milestone for Madhouse Films, a production company co-founded by Charlie Traisman and Katherine Romans. Their creative partnership began a decade ago in a Shakespeare program in Oxford and has since blossomed into a mission-driven collaboration focused on bold, queer, and BIPOC-led stories. Traisman, a Vassar graduate and A.C.T. MFA alumna, and Romans, an NYU Tisch graduate, have developed a shared language rooted in subverting expectations. Following a successful premiere at South by Southwest 2026, the duo sat down with Cinema Femme to discuss the film’s journey from a “Lexapro joke” to a festival standout.
The Origin of the “Unhinged” Idea
The genesis of “Achiever” was born from a moment of transition and a bit of dark humor. After years of producing, Traisman was eager to step into the director’s chair. The spark occurred at South by Southwest a year prior when she made a joke to Romans about “all the orgasms I didn’t have on Lexapro.” While Traisman initially dismissed the comment as “unhinged,” Romans immediately recognized the narrative potential. As a producer, she saw a logline that was both relatable and untapped.
Traisman’s directorial vision was deeply personal, informed by her own 15-year history with Lexapro. She wanted to use a queer lens to explore “neuroses” and the idiosyncratic qualities of human attraction. By bringing the idea to writer Claire McFadden, the team transformed a casual joke into a brilliant script that investigates how we understand intimacy beyond traditional metrics of success.
Representing the Reality of Women’s Health
One of the most striking aspects of “Achiever” is its commitment to handling women’s health with grounded honesty. Side effects of antidepressants are a reality for millions, yet they are rarely depicted on screen without being the butt of a joke or a tragic plot point. Traisman aimed to show that while medication can create physical hurdles, it doesn’t preclude intimacy; rather, it shifts the pathway toward it.
“I wanted something that felt rooted in deep intimacy,” Traisman explains. The film suggests that when you struggle with mental health, you can over-identify with your anxiety or your attempts to control your body. “Achiever” encourages audiences to look at what is left behind once those neuroses are waded through, ultimately celebrating the vulnerability required to connect with another person when the “standard” roadmap fails.
A Decade-Long Creative Partnership
The chemistry on screen and behind the scenes is the result of a friendship that began when Romans and Traisman were teenagers in Oxford, England. Despite attending different undergraduate institutions—NYU and Vassar, respectively—the two remained inseparable, eventually finding themselves in the same MFA program. This long-term bond allowed them to develop a shorthand that became the foundation of Madhouse Films.
They built their company by producing a slate of short films, essentially putting themselves through their own version of film school to articulate their taste to the industry. “Achiever” felt like the natural culmination of this journey. “It was a creative celebration of everything we’d done as business partners,” says Romans. “Having Charlie direct and me act felt like the perfect progression.”
Building the “Dream Team”
Despite their experience producing larger projects, the duo wanted “Achiever” to remain contained and intimate. This was made possible by assembling a “dream team” of frequent collaborators. Cinematographer Sarah Weldon, who also shot their feature “The Plan”, provided a visual language that balanced the film’s comedic energy with its emotional undertones. The set was further enriched by a cast of friends in cameo roles, creating a community-driven atmosphere that mirrored the film’s themes of connection.
Looking Ahead
As “Achiever” continues its successful festival run—with upcoming stops at Flickers’ Rhode Island, Salute Your Shorts in L.A., and Long Beach—the team is already looking toward the future. While the short will eventually live on Vimeo as a Staff Pick, its primary legacy will be as the proof of concept for Traisman’s directorial voice. The success of the film’s tone has paved the way for her to develop her first feature-length project, ensuring that the unique lens of Madhouse Films will continue to challenge and move audiences on an even larger scale.
“Achiever” will be screening at the Salute Your Shorts Film Festival on Friday, August 21. Get your tickets here.
