Joelle Velez Explores Trauma, Trust, and Paranoia in “Sock It to Me”

Joelle Velez is an award-winning actress, writer, and filmmaker based in Chicago whose work blends comedy, suspense, and emotional honesty. A graduate of The Second City Film School, her first two short films screened at more than 20 film festivals and earned four awards, while her screenwriting has been recognized by the Chinonye Chukwu Emerging Writing Award, the Oscar-qualifying HollyShorts Screenwriting Competition, and StoryStudio’s inaugural Write Where You Are Fellowship. Before pursuing filmmaking full-time, Velez worked in venture capital and business analysis, and in 2025 she launched Sparkly Productions, a company dedicated to creating stories that entertain while exploring the complexities of the human experience.

Her latest short film, “Sock It to Me,” transforms an ordinary household mystery into a suspenseful and darkly funny exploration of trust, trauma, and paranoia. When a young couple discovers an unfamiliar sock in their laundry, what begins as a seemingly harmless question spirals into jealousy, suspicion, and an increasingly dangerous situation. Inspired by a real-life moment between Velez and her husband, the film balances camp horror, psychological thriller, and comedy to examine how unresolved fears can threaten even the healthiest relationships.

We spoke with Velez about the surprising true story behind “Sock It to Me,” bringing its emotional themes to life, the realities of DIY independent filmmaking, and her colorful new dark fantasy, “Choke.”

What was the inspiration for “Sock it to Me”?

The idea actually came from a night when my husband and I took some edibles and went to see “The Super Mario Bros. Movie.” We got home, he started doing the laundry, and he found a sock that neither of us recognized. He held it up and said, “Hey, is this your sock?”

My paranoid, high brain immediately went, Oh my God, he thinks I’m cheating on him. At the exact same time, he was convinced we had a stalker—that someone had been watching the house, waited for us to leave, snuck inside, and accidentally left their sock behind as evidence. That ridiculous moment became the inciting incident for the film.

But beyond the comedy, the story is really about what happens when you don’t take care of your mental health and you let unresolved trauma run wild. That part came from some difficult experiences in my own relationships and from watching people around me have these massive blowups over tiny things—like a dinner order or concert tickets.

I wanted to explore what happens when you carry baggage from the past into a healthy relationship. I was in an emotionally abusive relationship before, and that’s very much where Evie comes from. She’s constantly projecting her fears onto Damien, assuming he thinks the worst of her before he even says anything. In a lot of ways, the movie is about putting words in someone else’s mouth and the damage that can do.

Yeah, I can definitely relate to that. Especially when you finally get into a healthy relationship and you’re thinking, What is this? It’s such an adjustment.

Exactly. I think a lot of people have been there.

And the true crime element—did that naturally become part of the story?

First, I really appreciate you sharing your own experience. That means a lot because that’s a huge reason why I wrote the film. I’ve had people come up to me after screenings and say, “I’m Evie.” Hearing that has been incredibly meaningful because it tells me people recognize how easily past trauma can seep into current relationships if it goes unaddressed.

As for the true crime angle, I think it grew directly out of that same paranoid mindset. When I was developing the script, I realized Evie needed something more than just her backstory to fuel that anxiety.

True crime was perfect because it’s inherently unsettling, and it naturally feeds that sense of paranoia. I think everyone knows someone who’s listened to just a few too many true crime podcasts.

I remember being at my mother-in-law’s house while one of those crime shows—48 Hours or something similar—was on TV, and I thought, This is it. It fit perfectly.

One of my friends also helped solve the ending. I’d already written the podcast into the story, but I couldn’t figure out how to tie it all together. They suggested making the squatter the same person featured in the podcast, and the moment they said it, I knew that was the ending.

Can you talk about your co-lead and how you found him for the role?

Absolutely. Drew (Andrew Tamez-Hull), who plays Damien, came to me through my former agency, Dream Team Talent.

As a Puerto Rican filmmaker, I always try to cast Latino actors whenever I can. Chicago has such a large Latino population, but it’s surprisingly difficult to find Latino actors through traditional casting channels. There are a lot of systemic reasons for that, so finding the right person was actually a challenge.

Thankfully, Dream Team Talent connected me with a wonderful group of actors. Drew stood out because he brought so much vulnerability to Damien.

There’s definitely a conversation in the film about machismo and masculine pride, but underneath all of that, Damien is incredibly gentle. That’s what I wanted the audience to see. Drew captured that softness immediately. He gave Damien these heartbreaking puppy-dog eyes that made you understand how much he genuinely cared, and it added so many layers to the character.

I loved that. He never felt one-dimensional.

Did you want to talk a little about the technical side of the film—editing, post-production, and everything that went into it?

Definitely. “Sock it to Me” was actually my thesis project for the Second City Film School, and it was my second film overall.

Having already made one film, I came into this project with a much clearer understanding of what I wanted to improve. I really focused on elevating the cinematography and lighting. My DP, Adam Villani, shot everything on his Sony FS7.

After production, I handled all of post-production myself. I edited the film, did the sound design, cleaned up the audio—everything.

That’s incredible.

Thank you! I think that’s just the reality of independent filmmaking. It’s incredibly DIY. Our entire budget was around $4,000, which felt enormous to me at the time. Now I look back and realize how tiny that really was.

Can you tell us about your next project?

We just wrapped our third film, “Choke.”

Every project teaches you something new. I was really proud of how much Sock it to Me improved my production quality and storytelling, but with “Choke,” I wanted to push everything even further.

The easiest way I’ve been describing it is: it’s like a Black Mirror episode written by Dr. Seuss and set in Barbie Land.

That sounds amazing.

It’s a colorful, girly-pop, dark fantasy about authoritarianism.

The story takes place in a town called Very Nice Town, where everything appears perfect. It opens with a cheerful public service announcement from the mayor explaining what a wonderful place it is—as long as you’re not a “bad apple.”

The town introduces a new loyalty test called “The Choke.” If you’re suspected of being a bad apple, your ability to speak is magically taken away for one day.

After the PSA, we meet my character, who’s in charge of marketing The Choke. She’s basically a propagandist telling everyone, “If you’re a good apple, you should have nothing to fear.”

Of course, she eventually has to undergo The Choke herself and quickly discovers it’s not nearly as simple as she’s been telling everyone.

I love that premise.

What do you hope audiences take away from “Sock it to Me”?

More than anything, I hope people see themselves in these characters. Hearing audience members tell me, “I’m Evie,” has been incredibly meaningful because both Evie and Damien are pieces of me.

That’s what I love about comedy. It lets you approach really heavy topics in a way that’s accessible. The film deals with psychological trauma and emotional abuse, but it invites people to laugh while also reflecting on themselves.

If someone walks away thinking, “Maybe I should go to therapy,” or “Maybe I should finally process what happened to me so I don’t carry it into my next relationship,” then the film has done what I hoped it would.

A lot of my writing is really about healing from the past—just through very silly, very goofy situations.

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