As she breaks up with her boyfriend, Thara looks back on the reasons why their relationship came to an end.

Interview with Writer/Director Helene Ha

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

I wanted to reflect on the ambiguous nature of the failed relationship and address the pressure of perfection, or what it is to be an “ideal girlfriend”: polite, caring, good-tempered. I wanted to create a female character who refutes this pressure and acts against it.

Why should someone watch this film?

I think it’s important to encourage female narratives, especially the ones in which women are no longer victims. It’s also visually poetic, if that’s your kind of film.

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

The ephemeral nature of relationships is a broad and dramatic universal theme. I chose to focus on the de-dramatization of the break-up by highlighting just how banal it can really be.

How has the script and film evolved over the course of its development?

I think the collaboration process in both production and post-production, like working with Juliette Lossky for the photography and Evan Macdonald for the music composition, has really taken the original idea for the film to a higher artistic level.

How has this film’s feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

I’ve been asked why I decided to make such a short film, with a 5 minute running time. For me it was a question of making the most from our means with this film, and respecting the ‘tableau’ aesthetic that I had imagined in the script. We’ve also been told it makes people want to see more of Thara and Florent’s story, and that’s always nice to hear. That to me is the purpose of short filmmaking.

What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?

I think the main question on everyone’s mind after watching this film is why did Thara and Florent’s relationship end as it did ? What really triggered the break-up? I think the answer to that can be interpreted in many different ways.

What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?

I’m currently in the final steps of writing another short film about a mother and daughter immigrating to Canada. This is a project I’ve been wanting to do for several years — it hits very close to home. I wanted to make sure I had the experience to be able to carry this idea all of the way through, but it’s a story that has been on my chest and that I need to tell.

Interview: May 2018

______________________________________________________________________________

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

_______________________________________________________________________________

Merveilleuse

As she breaks up with her boyfriend, Thara looks back on the reasons why their relationship came to an end.

Length: 5min20

Director: Helene Ha

Producer: Nancy Pettinicchio

Writer: Helene Ha

About the writer, director: Driven by a passion for aesthetics and feminine exploration, Merveilleuse is young director Helene Ha's first short film. Helene is compelled by the dynamism, the banality and the ephemeral nature of love, as well as by what it means to be a woman in the 21st century.

About the producer: As a young producer, Nancy strives to bring feminist narratives to light through film. Merveilleuse, is the first short film produced by the young Montrealer.

Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists): Looking for Festival directors

Funders: Solène self-funded

Made in association with: MELS, Cinépool, Cinéground, Outpost

Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? The film is still in festival, indeed there are no public screening for the moment.

Here is the link of the trailer : https://vimeo.com/259187811/6e8281b8e6