La Casita de la Mariposa
What happens to the Princess after she marries Prince Charming to find out he's a monster?
Interview with Writer/Director/Producer Samantha Ferrand
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
I started telling stories through recounting the many adventures of my mother, Renee Samantha Gamero, to strangers on the street. She is a one-of-a-kind human being and I knew I always wanted to share one of her stories on the big screen. I never thought It would be this particular one, but the second the script came to mind, I knew there was no other way. La Casita de la Mariposa is an ode to every sacrifice made by women providing for their children. To first loves and great pain and how those two opposing forces intersect.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
You should watch this film if you have ever experienced helplessness. This film is for mothers who never stop fighting and the children who idolize them. Or, if you are like me, perhaps this film is a chance to reconcile with hateful love. I made this film as a source of healing wounds I didn't want to face. I hope this film helps you heal in return.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
As a Latina, I grew up with the concept of "machismo" and the toxic nature that holds over our culture. We don't usually raise boys to express their feelings in a healthy manner, and often those feelings manifest in rage or depression. On the flip side, the language used for wives is to grin and bear it. We marry our spouses through sickness and health, but cruelty deserves to be the caveat to the agreement.
Unfortunately, it is not. I know far too many couples with skeletons in their closets. Falling in love with the wrong person is as universal as it gets. A mother's love is endless. Strong women move mountains to provide a happy life for their children.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
Of course! The earliest version of this script borrowed heavily from A Christmas Carol and involved a magical time-traveling car. We produced this short during Covid-19, and the restrictions passed down to us from our university started to change the overall flow of the story, but never the through line. Renee was always getting in that car to leave her husband.
My Director of Photography, Xuerui (Joy) Wang, and I got together via zoom once a week over a year to discuss each scene, not visually but emotionally. With every meeting, the scenes shifted to fit what was best for Renee's character arch. I am a firm believer in consistently working a story until it flows in the right direction. I'm very grateful for the final product and have my crew to thank for that.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
At the end of the day, I made this film for my mom. The best response I've received so far was the only one that ever mattered: the moment my mom saw the final cut. I saw her and she saw me. It is was the more cathartic shared crying session of my life!
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
What's crazy is that every time I shared the story of my Butterfly Princess and her not-so-charming Prince, I met more and more people who identified with it. Growing up, I always felt like "other" because I didn't come from a white picket fence nuclear family, but the reality is that every family has its issues. Mothers, daughters, and even sons have responded with their own stories, and I've never felt more understood than in those moments.
On the flip side, we screened La Casita de la Mariposa for our school during the final stretch in post-production, and a majority of the feedback was helpful and complimentary; there was one note that never sat right with me. I was told to "soften" the Prince and to cut the flowers in the kitchen. "That's not the story you're trying to tell." Gender is inconsequential, but I should state that the entirety of the meeting was filled by older white men.
Their discomfort only confirmed how vital it was to share my mother's story.
To answer your question, I wish the response challenged my point of you but it only confirmed how we need to open a dialogue on marriage in the modern era. I believe in love, and I want to see more stories that confirm my suspicion that it's out there. Maybe we can start with the love of family and grow from there.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
I want to honor the filmmakers who worked tirelessly to make this movie a reality by getting as many pairs of eyes on La Casita de la Mariposa as possible. Hopefully in doing so, this film will find more little girls who grew up like me and know they are not alone.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
La Casita de la Mariposa is a love story. The love of a mother and the love of self.
Heartbreaker Films is the production company co-created by Samantha Ferrand & Beliz Eyrilmaz, whose mission is to tell love stories that are genuine, diverse, and empowering.
Renee fell in love with her Prince not because he was cruel, but because he was kind. Whenever I see domestic abuse in mainstream media it is already in the thick of the violence, but abusive relationships don't start out with abuse.
We need to see better examples of love, in all its forms, to learn what is and is not acceptable behavior. While we don't discuss what makes for a healthy relationship, stories like Twilight & animated fairytales are telling our children how to "fall in love" but not how to navigate it.
Currently we are working on multiple feature length scripts dedicated to love and heartbreak with WPOC characters at the helm of the narrative. Love has so many shades of colors and Heartbreaker Films is making it their mission to discover each one.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I want this story to be a healing and comforting experience. We need to discuss domestic abuse in the public forum. La Casita de la Mariposa isn't an uncommon story and I want women to feel identified in this film. Romance is a vastly overlooked genre. I can't empathize with a car chase or robbing a bank, but I know what it is to be heartbroken or to imagine every color in your lovers eyes. That's the beauty of existence. I hope La Casita acts as a wave of appreciation for romance in cinema.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
We fall head over heels for the perfect version of a person, but how are we supposed to know who they will become over time? Is the family unit meant to stay together even if doing so is tearing it apart?
Would you like to add anything else?
Thank you for your time and consideration in watching my film La Casita de la Mariposa. It means the world.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
Heartbreaker Films is currently working on multiple feature lengths scripts dedicated to love while also producing a TikTok series set debut later this year.
Interview: September 2021
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
La Casita de la Mariposa
Length:
20:23
Writer/Director
SAMANTHA FERRAND is a Peruvian-American filmmaker with a bachelor's degree in Motion Pictures & Psychology from the University of Miami and an MFA in Directing from Chapman University's Dodge College of Film & Media Arts. While visiting Poland at seven years old, Samantha attended a screening of "The Pianist" alongside her grandmother. Speechless from the film, the pair walked out to find a blizzard waiting for them after the credits. This experience was the moment Samantha knew she wanted to become a filmmaker.
Producer
ANNISSA OMRAN recently received an MFA from UCLA's TFT Producers Program. Prior to getting her masters, Annissa worked for several years as a freelance screenwriter and project manager for an informational video company. She has served as producer and production manager on features and short films shot in Miami and Los Angeles, including THE LAST THANKSGIVING (2020), a feature which made the rounds on the genre festival circuit before acquiring independent distribution.
Key cast:
Sole Bovelli (Renee) Victor Manso (Prince) Tricia Cruz (Martha) Adel Carrillo (Little Renee)
Looking for:
journalists, producers, film festival directors, distributors
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/samanthaferrand/
Where can I watch it now?
INDEPENDENT SHORT AWARDS/LA- SEPTEMBER 2021; HALLUCINEA FILM FESTIVAL/FRANCE - October 2021