Filmmaker Statement

Perfidia is a project that is very special not only to me but the entire team of producers and writers. We’ve been working with the characters of Lawrence and Rosie for almost two years. A story and script that were conceived during lockdown over Zoom. It’s a story that deserves global attention because it focuses on the taboo subject of domestic violence against men. Physiological violence and mental health are subjects that have gained centre stage among millennials and generation Z youths, and we should champion to showcase these stories as much as we can, because the audience that connects with them is now there to listen. Violence against men is taboo, because of preconceived ideas of masculinity, strength and gender gaps. Looking at the statistics, male victims are almost as common as female victims and even if most of the violence they suffer isn’t physical, the trauma still affects them as much. My main goal with Perfidia was to show that no matter your age, race, gender or cultural background abuse can affect just about anyone. The short film follows a young expecting couple, Lawrence and Rosie. Lawrence begins losing his own music affinity to make space for the baby but when he discovers and confronts Rosie about the circumstances of her pregnancy, she becomes intrinsically more dismissive, irritable, obsessed and violent. By the end, Lawrence is made to choose between his child or his freedom. The film is meant to give a voice to these speechless victims who rarely get to share their story without being judged because of the toxic views society has over their accepted views on masculinity. The film looks ethereal and dreamy, what we perceive is a loving and sweet relationship is actually an intense and broken one. The colours go from off white tones to oranges, the house goes from peaceful to catching on fire. Music is an important element in the film, Lawrence is a young musician and the film itself is named after the song that paved the way to the initial concept. The classic piano that comes early in the film slowly develops into distorted synth sounds also comparable to perception vs. reality. Finally, this short film is a passion project to us all, but to me it means more than just another credit. As a writer/director I’ve never directed a story that I hadn’t written, this will be the first project in which I share the responsibility with my writing partners and producers, because I truly believe in this script. I believe the result will touch many audiences and it’s a project we are all very much proud of.