Student film ‘Total Knockout’ personifies the feeling of drunken insecurity
A still of the main character Knockout, played by Malia Achico, sitting alone at a party. Photo courtesy of Malia Achico.
Cora Perkins, Assistant Spectrum Editor
“Total Knockout,” a student-made short film about a girl who seeks solace at a party through drinking, premiered at the Grace Street Theater on Sept. 6.
Knockout, a timid girl, must fight against the personified Liquid Courage, a pro-wrestler who appears to her during her drunken delirium.
The premiere was bursting with color; storyboards, artwork, streamers and solo cups filled the theatre. Students, friends and family who came to see the premiere bustled through the lobby and buzzed about the designs and storyboards. Nearly every seat was filled.
Twin sisters Malia and Karina Achico — both third-year VCUarts students — wrote and produced the film together. Karina served as director and Malia played the lead role of Knockout.
The idea for the film came to them one late night in 2024, according to Karina.
“I had just wrapped on another project I was working on and was kind of in a creative rut,” Karina said. “Malia and I stayed up one late night just talking about stories we wanted to tell and after reflecting on everything that we had gone through in our freshman year, seeing how alcohol can impact people and how it affects confidence, we were like, ‘we think it would be a fun story to tell.’”
“Total Knockout” is a little over 12 minutes long, full of wrestling action and the ‘dramedy’ that accompanies a 21st birthday party. Mixed media elements and hand-drawn animated effects give the film a vibrant, comic book feel.
Laughter from all corners of the theatre interrupted the film multiple times. The crowd erupted with applause as the credits rolled.
The Achico sisters elaborated on what they hoped to accomplish with the screening in an interview with The CT.
“We can create a space where people can laugh, cry, do anything, it’s just that’s the space that we want to create,” Karina said.
The two hope that people remember the film was an experiment, Karina said.
“There’s a lot of mistakes and successes, but just take it for what it is,” Karina said. “It was a fun experience that we just would like to share with as many people as we can.”
The sisters also screened a behind-the-scenes documentary showcasing the film’s production, which was done with the help of the 2025 VCUarts Undergraduate Research grant, according to Malia.
“I think this grant definitely pushed this project further than what we were anticipating,” Malia said. “I think it really came down to just enthusiasm with the people and you know, just general student creativity, just wanting to contribute to just an idea and so forth.”
Attendee and communication arts student Jack Conigliaro left the premiere with the film’s theme of responsible drinking on his mind.
“I would say maybe just be mindful, be responsible when it comes to drinking, especially at parties, because there’s going to be people that you are not going to know,” Conigliaro said.
“Total Knockout” is viewable on its website, along with research done for the project, behind-the-scenes photos, development information and art for the film.
