Filmmaker Statement

The idea for In the Blood began when I was trapped in a bathroom myself. I frequently got panic attacks while on my period in high school and middle school, and have never seen such depicted in films. The blood that Hannah is covered in is a physical manifestation of the pain and shame you feel when you’re on your period. The experience of going to the bathroom and feeling like you’re in a war zone and going to die and your body is self-destructing, then having to go back out to class, or your family, or church and act as if everything is okay is something so universal for those who menstruate. Periods are seldom included in films at all, and when they are it’s usually as a punchline. I made In the Blood to change that.