A single woman attempts to take control of her life and uncovers the dark side of self-help.

Interview with Director, Writer GG Hawkins

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

I created An Aspirational Space to parody the dark side of endless self-help.

After decluttering my funky Brooklyn studio using the best-selling book by Marie Kondo "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up," I found myself too keen to clean. From Marie Kondo’s organizing cult to the passionate followers of goop — we are surrounded by a constant stream of content covering self-improvement, self-betterment and self-love-that-may-make-you-hate-yourself-at-the-end-of-the-day-because-nobody’s-skin-is-that-clear.

It feels like of these articles, products and images are designed to make me feel that that this aspirational life is just out of reach. An Aspirational Space, and the online presence we built as a continuum of the world, sinks its teeth the flawless glowing complexion to expose what’s underneath.

It's also important to me to build an inclusive team that reflects diversity both in front of and behind the camera. I am proud to say more than half of our cast and crew identify as women.

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

This is a story that critiques the constant scrutiny women undergo. An Aspirational Space explores the repercussions of the endless chase towards perfectionism, and how we are constantly aspiring to be a better version of ourselves, which sometimes can spiral into a dark place.

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

I wrote this and directed based on my personal experience going through the KonMari method, and funnily enough, recently went through a breakup and essentially found myself in the same place as the main character.

We also explored one-way people cope with a broken heart, especially by pushing down all their feelings and distracting themselves in an unhealthy way.

Finally, I wanted to play with the world of the film itself by creating a website (AnAspirationalSpace.com) and social media presence in the world of the film. It felt so easy and fun to build a brand in the voice of The Book that drives the story, and that was one of the most fun parts.

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?

When I originally wrote this, I thought "one person, alone in an apartment — how hard can that be to shoot?" And boy, did I underestimate the work. We had an incredibly ambitious shot list and had to cut and truncate the shots in ways that forced us to get creative and lean more into the stylized look of the film.

The story really became tight and apparent in the edit. My editor, Ananda Ferrari Ossanai, and I reworked the story, always asking the question "will this make the audience uncomfortable" because ultimately, that was our goal. And what tied the whole story together was the original score composed by Haley Shaw, which allowed us to build anticipation and build to the most intense moments towards the end of the film.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

There's no better feeling than people who you don't know laughing at the work you've done. And we are getting a lot of laughs in screenings! Lots of people compare it to Black Mirror, and praise the shots created with my our Director of Photography, Adam Volerich, which really play with bright color and deliberately-choreographed performance.

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

The audience is overwhelmingly drawn to the performance of Andrea Raggio, a longtime friend and first-time acting on camera. She is one of the funniest people I know, so it makes me even more happy to see others embracing her work.

I'm surprised by how much audiences get a kick out of the initial moments of Andrea's character testing out the book. We improvised most of the moments, which speaks to Andrea's innate comedic timing. And of course, when I pushed Andrea to "embrace the crazy" she totally committed.

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

I hope to show more aspiring filmmakers that you don't have to have everything figured out to make something that you're proud of. This was my first time directing in this capacity, and I trusted the people around me and my vision to make something I still get excited about today. If you want to tell a story, tell that story and the rest will fall into place!

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?

We are very open to who this film reaches, and we are in pre-production for another film called Break Cute, a short dark comedy that tells the story of a couple breaking up, essentially the antithesis of a Meet Cute.

What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?

I hope this makes people think. And that it makes them laugh uncomfortably. Because I love having that effect on people.

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

What is the dark side of self-help?

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

I'm producer a short film directed by Kyle Scott and taking the summer off before starting film school in the fall.

Interview: June 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

An Aspirational Space

A single woman attempts to take control of her life and uncovers the dark side of self-help.

Length: 8:00

Director: GG Hawkins

Producer: Kyle Scott, Christine Driscoll

Writer: GG Hawkins

About the writer, director and producer:

GG HAWKINS is a Brooklyn-based director, writer, and actor working in media and entertainment. She currently works at Gimlet Media, an award-winning podcast company, overseeing partnerships with brands like HBO and Showtime to create award-winning audio content, including the first Cannes Lion for audio Chompers. GG is part of the inaugural UCB NY Academy Cohort and the narrative fiction team Podcation’s Jupiter Saloon. She has studied improv, sketch, film, and acting at UCB, Berkeley Repertory Theater, and the Gaiety School of Acting, among others. GG has also worked at Studio B Films, Google, and The Wall Street Journal. You can follow her work at GGHawkins.com and on social media @lostingraceland. An Aspirational Space is GG's directorial debut and she is starting her MFA in Directing at the Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema Fall 2019.

KYLE SCOTT is a producer, director and writer working at Bleecker Street Media.

CHRISTINE DRISCOLL is an independent podcast and film producer based in Brooklyn. She also writes and directs.

Key cast: Andrea Raggio (She), Alli Brown (Sister)

Looking for: journalists, buyers, distributors, film festival directors

Facebook: An Aspirational Space

Twitter: @AASshortfilm

Instagram: @anaspirationalspace

Hashtags used: #anaspirationalspace

Website: anaspirationalspace.com

Other: IMDb

Made in association with: Dull Pleasures Production and Great Scott Pics

Funders: Self-Funded

Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? NewFilmmakers SummerFest on Wednesday, July 10th at the Anthology Film Archives (32 Second Ave, New York, New York) , Festival of Cinema NYC August 2nd – 11th 2019 at the Regal UA Midway with additional screenings at the Queens Museum and Forest Hills Library.