Filmmaker Statement

Topics of abuse and toxic masculinity are often handled with literal, maudlin gloves, where we see the character as a victim, but never let them find their voice. I wanted to find the absurdity of overcoming abuse and what happens when a woman must face the imperfect being that lies beneath it - herself. Drawing on the co-dependent relationships of my 20s, I unearthed the trauma that was holding me back from finding my voice as a writer and director. Carla ultimately became a vessel for that journey. She’s a character that attracts and repels me, the way she vacillates between her autonomy and total dependence on Evan, unable to fully speak herself into existence. These opposing desires of wanting to be seen yet invisible at the same time, compelled me. The more I wrote I began to realize how haunted Carla was, not just by Evan, but by every single person she had ever encountered in her life that had told her she never had what it took to fully realize her voice.