Filmmaker Statement

When I was first writing Cassandra, I intended it to be a drama. However, it quickly became apparent that the absurd premise, a woman driven nearly mad by a piece of art she didn’t like, needed an absurd tone. The seed of this story comes from a Greek myth steeped in tragedy. It tells the story of the Trojan princess Cassandra, who predicted that Troy would fall if the Trojan horse was allowed into the city walls. Despite her desperate plea to heed the warning, her family and the people of Troy ignored her prophecy and welcomed the horse inside, leading to the destruction of the city, the murder of its civilians and the kidnapping of Cassandra herself. This myth continues to have an enduring resonance today. It’s a poignant metaphor for the way in which women’s knowledge and voices are often discredited and silenced. Despite Cassandra having an extraordinary ability, she is gaslit into doubting herself and made to believe she might be mentally unsound. While the film takes its inspiration from a myth, and plays with elements of the fantastical, its central theme is grounded in a relatable, mundane experience of being told you’re wrong when you know you’re right.