Sherman Oaks Film Festival 2019 – First Person: A Film About Love
Stifled by her family life and the stranglehold of feminine expectations, a mother who has it all decides to pursue herself above all else and refuses to bend to society's mores, even in the face of unspeakable tragedy.
Interview with Writer/Director Ashley Cahill, co-producer Flyn Roddam, production designer Sophie Tabet and Producer Brighton McCloskey
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
ASHLEY: Felt like a good story to tell. I wanted to see if I could make a film that A) gave a more nuanced and hopefully realistic depiction of what motherhood and married life are like for some people. B) Intentionally inverted the Laura Mulvey theory of the "male gaze" by making men the object of a female-gaze and having them have almost no character beyond being there to serve the women in the film, which I thought an interesting twist on the norm. And C) a film that could pass the Bechdel test. But beyond all of that, it was just something I thought people would find interesting and engaging and maybe make them think a little.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
ASHLEY: Because hopefully, it will open up some questions about a woman's role as a mother and whether this is actually what all mothers want out of their lives. Also, it's an interesting movie with some great performances in it.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
ASHLEY: I think the themes of family, parenthood, disappointment and love affairs - whether actually based on love or just based on a wanting to escape, are all universal themes most adults can identify with. As are insecurities and, to a degree, insanity.
FLYNN: The themes explored in First Person are both universal and personal which I suspect a lot of audience members, especially women, will relate to. Margaret Atwood said, "If we were all on trial for our thoughts we would all be hanged." In this instance, Annabelle acts on those thoughts and desires, which ultimately culminates in an unspeakable tragedy. Like the protagonist, I think many women feel stifled by family life and their responsibilities as mothers and wives. Men walk out on their families all the time, but for a woman, it's an almost unthinkable prospect. This film explores that taboo and presents us with a main female character whose actions elicit both sympathy and condemnation - something you don't often see in everyday cinema.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
SOPHIE TABET (production designer): As with every low budget indie we had to get creative. Since painting is a theme in the film, we decided to use color blocking to better drive the drama and suspense of the movie. We always knew red would play a big role because that was in the script, so red became Annabelle's color - she's fiery and passionate and prone to violence. Her sister Catherine is envious, so green became her color. Orange became the color of Annabelle's lover and so on. The colors were added more and more as the movie progressed so that in the beginning it might only be a red kettle, for example, or a red handkerchief. But by the end, practically everything in the room is red.
ASHLEY: The film is pretty close to the original script. We moved VERY quickly on this film. The whole thing from the day the first draft was finished, to view the first cut of the completed film was only 8 months. After that - basic tweaks, sound mixing and music clearances all took a few more months. At our budget level, there's always a lot of waiting for the best deal or opportunity or favor. So one isn't always in control of one's schedule. But on the whole, I'd say the film moved too quickly to evolve into something which wasn't already on the page.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
ASHLEY: So far people seem to have responded very positively to the film.
BRIGHTON: Yes, I'd have to say especially women aged early 30s and up. Younger women and almost all men find the protagonist, Annabelle, to be something of a monster, whereas women over the age of 32/35 seem to identify with her a lot more closely and see her as something of a more complicated human being. I know I do, and I don't have children. But I think as we get older and more mature we stop seeing things in idealistic black and white terms.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
ASHLEY: I don't think so. Other than I'm always surprised if someone thinks something I've done is any good.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
BRIGHTON: Obviously we'd really like First Person to get out to as many people as possible. At our level, there is never anything left over for any kind of marketing and so it's very hard to get your film noticed. But beyond that, We Are Moving Stories is very much the demographic that we were always aspiring for when we first sat down to make this film, so it's perfect.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
BRIGHTON: We are currently going over the contract with a sales agent company. But I would always welcome film festival directors, journalists and, of course, buyers!
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
ASHLEY: I hope people like the film and don't forget it by the time they've reached their car. So many films now are just there for disposable entertainment, where you can barely remember what it was about just thirty minutes later, I hope mine is not one of those. Like it or hate it, I want people to react to it. To want to think about it and talk about it. Even if it's in a "this film really bothered me and I hated it" way. Good! Better that than a shrug and a "what's for dinner".
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
ASHLEY: Is Annabelle a monster or is she just trying to do what's right for her? Who said family is more important than living your life the way you wanted to? And is abandonment such a crime, if you didn't love your family to begin with?
Would you like to add anything else?
ASHLEY: I don't think so.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
ASHLEY: Hoping to be shooting my next feature The Life and Death of Adam Riley in New York next year. It's a romantic comedy. With no romance.
Interview: November 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
First Person: A Film About Love
Stifled by her family life and the stranglehold of feminine expectations, a mother who has it all decides to pursue herself above all else and refuses to bend to society's mores, even in the face of unspeakable tragedy.
Length: 1:28
Director: Ashley Cahill
Producer: Brighton McCloskey
Writer: Ashley Cahill
About the writer, director and producer:
ASHLEY CAHILL moved to LA from London to study film at the prestigious USC School of Cinematic Arts. In 2012 Ashley wrote and directed Random Acts of Violence starring Jake Hoffman (Wolf of Wall Street) and Rebecca Dayan (Celeste And Jessie Forever). The film got distribution in North America in 2014 and received a theatrical release in Europe in 2013 (under the title Malcolm).
BRIGHTON MCCLOSKEY came on board after being highly recommended by film director Katharine O'Brian and producing various shorts. She later went to work for Robert Pattison to help develop projects for him.
Key cast: Valene Kane (Annabelle), Jazzy De Lisser (Catherine), Odessa Young (Brie), Adam Budron (Brett)
Looking for: distributors, journalists
Other: IMDb
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? Sherman Oaks Film Festival - The Whitefire Theatre, Friday November 22nd, at 10pm.