Filmmaker Statement

A young man in his mid-20's (only known as "HIM"), arrives at a restaurant for a date with a woman, also in her late 20's (only known as "HER"). While in the restaurant, and through their conversation, the two learn more about each other, including their careers, aspirations, desires and limitations. Over the course of the conversation, "HIM" begins to fantasize about the life he wishes to live, including the romantic relationship he has already built for the woman in front of him. "HER" learns more about the man in front of her, including how to re-assess her own boundaries and what she wishes to find in a partner. By the end of the film, the two have arrived at opposite sides of a conversation they didn't expect to have. "HIM" confronts his own masculinity, while "HER" understands the people she will never indulge in again. Mea Culpa is the culmination of years of work, influenced by my background in narrative work, and my desire to use film to explore themes of toxic masculinity, while discovering nuanced and grounded human relationships. More specifically, the relationships that flourish and transpire in young adolescent lives; the ill-defined, the ones that nurture, inspire, challenge and define us. In this film, a young man confronts his idealistic fantasies of a relationship by meeting with someone focusing on a controversial career path.