A documentary by psychologist Dr. Niloo Dardashti
A psychological documentary about the allure of Twilight. An internationally publicized psychological documentary with incredible insight into yourself and your relationships.
“A groundbreaking foray into the female psyche....an intriguing documentary that is fascinating and sometimes heartbreaking.”
International Business Times, New York
As featured in
The Twilight phenomenon, explained
When Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight books and the Twilight movies became a worldwide phenomenon, the fans weren’t only teenagers. Women across generations and cultures, from adolescent girls to their grandmothers, were swept up in Edward and Bella’s love story, and many had never stopped to think about why.
New York psychologist Dr. Niloo Dardashti kept hearing about it from the people she worked with, mostly women, so she made a documentary to find out. Into the Twilight Haze explores the hearts of several women touched immensely by the saga, alongside a psychiatrist and sex therapist, a Jungian analyst and another psychologist. Together they look at the desire to feel mirrored, heard and validated, the pull of first love and old-fashioned notions of love, and what it all says about what men and women want from each other today.
Whether you’re a Twilight fan or someone who never understood the hype, the full 60-minute film is free to watch.
Watch the full documentary freeOfficial trailer · 2:21
What you’ll take away
About the film
Into the Twilight Haze attempts to uncover why so many are enamored with the books and films. Written, produced, and directed by a psychologist, it delves into the allure of Twilight as a vehicle to explore male-female dynamics today: what men want, what women want, our differences, and why it is often still so hard to understand one another.
Through a series of interviews, psychologist Niloo Dardashti facilitates a deep exploration into the hearts of several women touched immensely by Twilight. She discovers that Twilight triggers a deep-rooted primal desire to feel mirrored, heard and validated in relationships, along with a collective desire for old fashioned notions of love.
Using Twilight as a reference of comparison, the film touches on the balance of feeling fulfilled through an “Other,” while finding inspiration and wholeness within one’s own Self.
Who it’s for
If you are struggling in a relationship or need to recreate the magic you once had, this documentary is for you.
Twilight fans will better understand the addictive quality of the saga and their motivations, bringing new meaning and enjoyment to the books and movies.
Men will find this insight very helpful as it gives them a deep inside look into the thoughts and desires of women allowing them to be better husbands, boyfriends or better able to attract and have more meaningful relationships with the opposite sex.
Women will understand what often gets in the way of finding the love they want.
“Intriguing, engaging & captivating!”
Emily, 59, CT
The director
Dr. Niloo Dardashti is a psychologist, coach, and relationship expert living and practicing in New York City. She received her doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Long Island University in 2007.
When many of the people she worked with, mostly women, told her how deeply the Twilight books and movies affected them, she became fascinated and set out to document the cross-generational reaction of women to the saga. The result is Into the Twilight Haze, which explores the “Twilight Phenomenon” on a deep psychological and emotional level.
drniloodardashti.com →Cast & crew
Director Q&A
“I remember I was sitting in a restaurant exactly a year ago talking to a friend over lunch about Twilight. Right then, another friend called me and said that she had a friend who was having some serious marital issues and reading Twilight was bringing up a lot of emotions for her. Right then I thought ‘this is incredible. This must be the fifth time I’ve heard this in months.’ I had a flash about how interesting it would be to do some sort of investigation or study and then I thought ‘documentary.’”
“In terms of the women we did interview, there were moments where it was clear that they had reservations about getting into certain issues and I respected that. But for the most part they were all pretty open about their thoughts and feelings. … I have tremendous respect for the women who let us interview them and talked so openly about their personal lives.”