Flickerfest 2019 - Dolls
A group of plucky dolls initiate an emotional break-up in a last ditch attempt to escape a toxic relationship.
Interview with Writer/Co-director/Producer Clare Sladden
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
I made Dolls for three reasons. First, because I wanted to play around with genre. Dolls is a comedy with horror elements, which veers into pretty dark territory, and I wanted to set myself the challenge of combining those elements successfully. Second, I wanted to direct another short with my sister Jasmine. We’d already directed one short together, Consent, which was very well received at festivals and had fantastic cut through, and I wanted to make something new with her. Third, my mother has a massive porcelain doll collection, and I really wanted to get it on screen!
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
You should watch Dolls because hopefully you’ll laugh (it’s weird and funny), but also because the relationship break-up tropes that we play with (which start off being funny, then become quite alarming) raise some interesting questions around power and control.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
Thematically, I wanted to explore control and power imbalances within an intimate relationship. As a woman, these themes are at once personal and universal. Dolls is a heightened narrative that uses a progression of tropes to escalate the story quickly, and so we’re able to play with these themes in an interesting way. The way the dolls attempt to placate and humour the man reflects the way women are taught to handle volatile situations – diffuse, accept blame, shift focus – and it’s confronting to see that played out in a situation where there is such an obvious imbalance in the power dynamics.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
I’d written a couple of drafts, then when my sister Jasmine came to stay, we went through and really interrogated the script in preparation for the shoot. I did another couple of drafts based on our evolving discussions, and then we finally locked the script about a week out. The most contentious issue was the ending: I had originally written something a little more bleak, but we decided that we’d rather end with the possibility of escape for the dolls to counteract the seemingly hopeless nature of the situation. We wanted to give a glimpse of the power shifting at the end.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
People have really seemed to enjoy it. I think the comedy plays nicely against the heavier stuff, so people don’t feel bummed out, they think it’s really funny.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
We haven’t gotten any feedback that’s thrown us – we’re just happy people like it and are responding well!
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
I think making others aware of your work and your sensibilities is always a good thing. I’ve had people contact me out of the blue because of an article, web series, or film description they’ve seen online, and some of those connections have led to real life collaboration. I think that’s pretty cool.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
I don’t have great plans for Dolls besides a targeted festival run. Having said that, I would be thrilled to connect with anyone who is intrigued by the film and wants to learn more/chat further.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I would like people to laugh, that’s a good start… but I also want people to feel a little uncomfortable when things are getting dark towards the end. We play with a lot of relationship break-up tropes, which are funny, but then when those tropes become sinister, I want people to feel as though these dolls are really in danger… and then so it goes, if you feel for those dolls and are invested in their story, imagine how dehumanising it must be for a woman in a similar situation.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
Do you think they got away?
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
I’m writing and directing a low budget feature that looks set to shoot at the end of 2019. Jasmine and I are working on a horror script, which should be lots of fun.
Interview: January 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
Dolls
A group of plucky dolls initiate an emotional break-up in a last ditch attempt to escape a toxic relationship.
Length: 5:37
Director: Clare Sladden & Jasmine Sladden
Producer: Clare Sladden
Writer: Clare Sladden
About the writer, director and producer:
CLARE and JASMINE SLADDEN are sisters who write and direct together. Their debut short film, Consent, has screened at multiple Academy qualifying festivals. Dolls is their second short film together.
Key cast: Cameron Hurry & Caitlin Hill
Looking for: producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists
Facebook: Broken Head Productions
Instagram: @brokenheadproductions
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? At Flickerfest, Bondi Beach, on Friday the 18th of January, and at the Byron All Short screening in Mullumbimby on Saturday the 26th of January.