Filmmaker Statement

The seed of this film sits in my childhood, or a version of it. The shame and frustration of being a young girl learning about sex and how these moments define you. Tackling subjects I am scared of has always driven me creatively - it’s a topic that many would shy away from, but for me that risk is where the creative potential sits. I am a storyteller. It’s all I’ve ever wanted to do. However arresting an image is, it will feel indulgent to me without an awesome story to hold your attention. Once the story is set I create through images. I am a film fanatic inspired by the likes of Eliza Hitman, Lynne Ramsay, and Sean Baker but artists from a variety of forms (Georgia Okeefe, Louise Bourgeois, Pina Bausch) also fuel my thinking - provocative and never conventional, with sublime attention to detail. Working with actors - trained and untrained - is the reason I became a director. I am fascinated by how we replicate real life in our art and how beauty sits in the small cracks of life. A key measure of the success of this film lies in my capacity to draw out authentic performances from our young untrained cast. I want to capture the essence of youth in moments where privacy is paramount and support that authenticity with a visual lyricism that I hope can help the viewer see these themes anew.