Mardi Gras Film Festival - Bad Girl
Bad girl Amy, 17, is given one last chance by her adoptive parents, who think Amy's friendship with local girl Chloe is a step in the right direction. But when Amy discovers Chloe's secret she finds herself fighting for her life, and for the future of the family she herself tried to destroy.
Interview with Writer/Director Fin Edquist
Watch Bad Girl on Prime Video and Vudu
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
My favourite thrillers are the ones that use the form to touch on some truth about human nature, whether in the context of a marriage (Knife in the Water), or in society at large (Blue Velvet). I’ve always been interested in the “rules” surrounding identity and "Bad Girl” was my way of exploring these themes… and also unsettling the shit out of the audience.
But it was a long process - getting the film made took nearly a decade. After several years of working on the screenplay without success, several things fell into place. A teaser we made attracted a lot of attention in Cannes. This led to us being picked up by Curious and Arclight, and production funding from ScreenWest. Most importantly, I had the good fortune to audition Sara West and Samara Weaving. After watching them act together, I knew I had to make this film.
It’s a fresh take on a psychological thriller, with two terrific young female leads - Samara Weaving and Sara West. Their battle for supremacy in the Anderson family unit is sexy, exciting and very moving. I was interested in exploring notions of identity and family. What makes a family? Who gets to decide who’s in and who’s out? At the time of writing the screenplay, I was going through a breakdown in my own marriage, and these themes were of particular relevance to me.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development and production?
Partly by design, partly by accident. Initially, the screenplay centred around the father in the family; the teenage girls were secondary to his story. At the time, we wanted to make a teaser that we could shop around Cannes. However, we couldn’t attract the male lead we wanted. There were, however, two young female actors willing to play the daughter roles and I wrote a couple of scenes specifically for them. In the shooting of the scenes, the producers and I had the simultaneous realisation that THIS is where the real story lay, the struggle between the two girls. Subsequent to shooting the teaser (which went down well at Cannes) I rewrote the story around the two girls. The reworked story felt fresh and vital, and the project really gathered momentum.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
Very positive amongst younger audiences. The film was a hit in Korea (Busan International Film Festival), and resonated with 20 something female viewers.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
The film confounds expectations - it starts as a coming-of-age story and morphs into an edge of the seat thriller. Some audience members have resisted this.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
We know there’s an audience for this movie, we want to make them aware that it’s out there.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
We can always do with more film festival directors picking up this film.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I’d like to see more films with women in the leads. Hopefully this film is part of a trend.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
Who is the bad girl?
Would you like to add anything else?
The fantastic soundtrack by Warren Ellis (of the Bad Seeds) is being released soon.
What are the key creatives developing or working on now?
Fin Edquist: developing a US-Australian TV series about the dark web.
Sara West: the lead in Australian feature "Don’t Tell".
Samara Weaving: Working in US. Starring in forthcoming US feature “The Babysitter”.
Interview: February 2017
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We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series and music video. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
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Bad Girl
Length: 90mins
Director: Fin Edquist
Producer: Steve Kearney, Bruno Charlesworth, Tenille Kennedy
Writer: Fin Edquist
About the writer, director and producer:
Fin Edquist (writer/director): Writer/director who works in film and TV. Co-creator of Secret Daughter (7) TV series, writer/voice director on several animated features (Blinky Bill, etc).
Steve Kearney: Melbourne-based producer of feature films Oddball and My Mistress.
Bruno Charlesworth: Paris-based producer of several feature films and documentaries, including Good Vibrations and Not Quite Hollywood.
Tenille Kennedy: WA-based producer currently working on her second feature.
Key cast:
Sara West (Amy), Samara Weaving (Chloe), Felicity Price (Michelle), Ben Winspear (Peter), Rebecca Massey (Daniels)
Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists):
Film Festival Directors
Funders:
Screen West
Made in association with:
Film Victoria, MIFF Premier Fund
Where can I see it in the next month?
Limited arthouse release in capital cities.