Lamb
An eager and trusting filmmaker follows a female assistant from a hotel lobby to a secluded room for “a meeting” with the assistant’s boss. Were these female assistants who led Hollywood’s lambs to slaughter accomplices in the complicity machine or victims themselves?
Interview with Writer/Director Caroline Slaughter
Watch Lamb here:
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
When the #MeToo movement exploded in the fall of 2017, it brought back visceral memories for me. Memories I tried to forget; about the power of a dream and the lengths, I was told I’d have to go to get it on a summer night in 2009. When Weinstein and others were exposed, my shame, anger and pain from that night all came flooding back, but the person I felt the most betrayed by was not the predator, but the woman I trusted, who led me to him.
This incident manifested into distrust for “those types of women,” which when #MeToo hit instigated my writing Lamb. Through the process of conceiving Lamb and speaking to “those types of women” to flesh out the assistant’s character, I realized . . . We’ve all been “that woman.” We’ve been the sacrificed and the sacrificer, even if it’s a comment about a woman’s competency at work, assumptions or judgement around her weight, age, how she raises her kids, etc. As women, we’ve played both roles, and our ownership and awareness of that can initiate the shift from sacrifice to support. The purpose behind Lamb is to join the movement in rewriting the female narrative around women sacrificing women, or at least make people aware there is one - The female assistants were rarely discussed in the unveiling of sexual assault in our industry, but they are a crucial part of the story and the change.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
I know both women and men have fallen victim to the power plays that are exposed in Lamb. Due to this, watching Lamb can either be healing or haunting depending on how one has dealt with their trauma. Either way, it's a film that provokes emotion by raising awareness to ignite conversation and champion change.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
Lamb is a cautionary tale that explores both POWER and SACRIFICE. What are we willing to sacrifice to pursue our dreams? Or for some... Who do we sacrifice to achieve them?
As was stated in an earlier question: We have all been the sacrificed and sacrificer, but how can we shift that narrative to not operate from a place of lack and fear but from abundance and support, which will ultimately lead us to universal power, not the individual, self-motivated power exhibited in Lamb.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
The script was inspired by The New York Times article exposing Harvey Weinstein written by Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor. The article catapulted the #Metoo movement, encouraging women to speak to their own sexual assault and/or harassment. I spoke to my own experience through Lamb, which is a story about women sacrificing women in service of power-hungry men... The film was my #Metoo about the power dynamics I faced in the industry, which I created as a vehicle to expose and heal. Though I never dealt with Weinstein personally, his story was one where the complicity machine was called out, which is what I was most interested in examining in Lamb.
We hired a female crew who all had their own stories, but not all were about sexual abuse or harassment, some involved not being seen as equal in our industry because they're women. They came onto Lamb to support a complicated, but important, female-driven story. The crew and cast fueled the film's shoot and endured long hours working at top performance in support of the whole, which unlike the LAMB storyline was an experience of women supporting women thus our creating the hashtag #wetoo.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
We've continually heard that Lamb is a powerful film with solid performances and a steady build that exposes a different point of view on the abuse of power in Hollywood... BUT we've also heard from festivals that they can only take one #MeToo story, which is frustrating feedback as it's not easy to categorize such personal stories as a social issue genre.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
Thankfully, overall, the feedback on Lamb has been positive -- It's a polarizing film that provokes conversation which is what I wanted, but what I didn't expect when I conceptualized the script was its ability to heal women who have gone through similar circumstances to Jean's character. It hits a chord with these women that's cathartic.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
Having a platform like wearemovingstories.com helps to get Lamb out there so it can engage more viewers and hopefully affect them in the process.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
We'd love to get a sales agent, buyers, and distributors on board! Lamb is finishing its festival run and we've spoken to a handful of distributors and are interested in meeting more partners to help us get the film out on the right platform.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
Our goal with Lamb is to raise awareness around women sacrificing women, so we can CHANGE that narrative and instead support one another through the current surge of female empowerment. #wetoo
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
Do you believe the female assistants who led Hollywood's lambs to the slaughter were accomplices in the complicity machine or victims themselves?
Would you like to add anything else?
I conceived Lamb from a place of shame and vulnerability, but through collaboration, the creation of Lamb became one of the most empowering experiences of my life... Thank you for taking the time to watch and read about Lamb.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
I'm finishing up a slate of TV projects that I'll package and go out within 2020.
Interview: September 2019
We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. 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
Lamb
An eager and trusting filmmaker follows a female assistant from a hotel lobby to a secluded room for “a meeting” with the assistant’s boss. Were these female assistants who led Hollywood’s lambs to slaughter accomplices in the complicity machine or victims themselves?
Length: 6:09
Director: Caroline Slaughter
Producer: Sara Elizabeth Timmins
Writer: Caroline Slaughter
About the writer, director and producer:
CAROLINE SLAUGTHER feels a responsibility to tell the truth in her work with content that impacts, raising awareness around social issues to ignite conversation and champion change. Caroline graduated from the New School University and launched her career in the industry as a performer in New York. She went on to perform and produce New York and London theater collaborating with writers like Beau Willimon (House of Cards), Elizabeth Meriwether (New Girl), Billy Eichner (Difficult People) and with institutions that include LAByrinth Theater Company, The Public and The Flea. Caroline made the transition to writing working on sketch comedy with Upright Citizens Brigade in Los Angeles, which led to co-writing a screenplay with Jay Lavender (The Break-Up) and developing the pilot Falsies with FX Networks. A move to Atlanta led to a commercial casting stint that developed into a commercial directing career with brands that include Meyer Natural Foods, Pellegrino and Georgia Pacific. Caroline's award-winning short film LAMB about the female assistants who led the victims to Harvey Weinstein's hotel room is on the festival circuit and is used as a vehicle to support the women's movement. www.carolineslaughter.com
SARA ELIZABETH TIMMINS is a savvy businessperson and producer whose gift for relationship and community building sets her movies apart. In 2008, she established Life Out Loud Films to balance business and art to create quality, inspiring films that make a positive impact behind the scenes and champion women in film. Her tenacity and drive first made an impression with the success of Lake Effects (starring Jane Seymour), on the Hall- mark Channel and she co-produced/line-produced the feature Coming Through the Rye with Chris Cooper playing legendary J.D Salinger, Wish You Well, based on the novel by New York Times best-selling author David Baldacci (starring Ellen Burstyn, Josh Lucas and Mackenzie Foy). She is currently in development on several films including Shoeless Wonders, an inspirational sports drama inspired by real events and is field producing a docu-series for Mark Wahlberg’s company and HBO. She also works as a consultant for both films and filmmakers and has produced national commercial campaigns for companies like Meyer Natural Foods & Laura’s Lean. She has been Qualified Independent Producer for NBCUniversal/IFTA, a member of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, The Screen Actors Guild and both DGA & PGA eligible. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from Xavier University.
Key cast: Kathryn Boyd Brolin (Rebecca/The Assistant), Tyner Rushing (Jean), David Silverman (Him)
Looking for: distributors, sales agents, film festival directors
Facebook: Lamb
Instagram: @lamb_thefilm
Hashtags used: #wetoo; #lambtheshortfilm
Made in association with: Life Out Loud Films
Funders: Self-Funded
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? SCAD Savannah Film Festival/Savannah, GA - October 29th to November 2nd; COMMUNION, a female empowered event to promote unity and healing in Atlanta, GA - October 27th