Actress and director Amy Seimetz obtained a temporary restraining order against her ex-boyfriend, director Shane Carruth, accusing him of years of mental, emotional, and physical abuse.
On one occasion in 2016, Seimetz alleges that Carruth jumped on her in a hotel room and strangled her until she had trouble breathing, according to documents attached to her request for the order. She also alleges that Carruth has continued to harass and abuse her since she broke up with him in 2018.
Both directors are prominent in the world of independent cinema. Carruth’s first feature film, “Primer”, won the grand jury award at the Sundance Film Festival in 2004. Seimetz starred in her second feature film, “Upstream Color”, directed the anthology television series “The Girlfriend Experience” and starred in “Pet Sematary.” Most recently, he directed the movie “She Dies Tomorrow,” due out this week from independent distributor Neon.
The restraining order came to light on July 10 when Carruth tweeted an image from a vinyl album of the “Upstream Color” soundtrack. A paper copy of the restraining order was placed under the album so that the names were visible. The tweet received more attention this past weekend.
Seimetz requested the order on June 12, saying Carruth’s messages had become increasingly disturbing and she was terrified of him. In a May 15 message, attached to her request, Carruth allegedly said: “You are Shiva, the goddess of death. I see you. I will know when it is time for you to finish … You should be afraid. You don’t know what I’m going to do … You should be scared.
In the restraining order request, Seimetz said a private investigator had produced a “threat assessment report” and found that Carruth presented a “moderate to high threat level.” A forensic psychologist who inquired about the report said Carruth had demonstrated “fixation” and had made “direct murder threats,” according to the report, which was attached to his documents.
“Sir. Carruth’s most recent contact has caused me extreme anxiety and emotional distress,” wrote Seimetz. “I am terrified of my safety and fear that Mr. Carruth will appear in my home, physically injure me, or even kill me. The fact that Mr. Carruth continues to harass, abuse, and threaten me years after our relationship ended scares me. ”
A hearing will be set Tuesday to determine if the restraining order is permanent.
Seimetz obtained a prior temporary restraining order in 2018. At the time, she alleged in a court filing that Carruth had repeatedly yelled at her while she was drunk, put her hands on him, and called her a “stupid whore” and a “stupid c—. “
In 2018, Carruth denied any physical abuse, and the judge refused to make the order permanent. According to Seimetz’s recent request, that encouraged Carruth to continue to harass her in emails and text messages.
In a December 2018 email, also attached to his presentation, he wrote: “Do you want to fight me? Bring him. I’ll kill you.”
In August 2019, she pleaded with him to stop contacting her, according to the emails. In response, she allegedly wrote: “I know exactly where your house is … you will never beat me.” Later she said, “Understand how dangerous you are making this match.”
Carruth appeared as an actor in the 2018 movie “The Dead Center”. During the promotion of that movie, he said he was going to stop making movies.
In a question-and-answer session with IndieWire in May, he said he would like to see all studios die in the next five years.
“I am not in the same business as Hollywood,” he said. “This is not art and literature in early Greece. This town is what everyone says it is. “
The AV Club recently described him as a “visionary author”.
A Seimetz representative said he would not comment. Carruth did not respond to an email seeking comment.
