Cleveland International Film Festival / Florida Film Festival 2019 / Artemis Women in Action Film Festival – Sorry, Not Sorry
A couple's one-upmanship reaches unbelievable heights after a man eats his wife's plums (Inspired by the 1934 William Carlos Williams poem, This is Just to Say).
Interview with Writer/Director/Producer Monique Sorgen
Watch Sorry, Not Sorry here:
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
I was re-reading my college journal over the Christmas holiday, and I came across a page where I had written down the poem This is Just to Say, which I had just discovered in my English literature class at UCLA, and next to it, I had written "This would make a great short film." When I was 19 and wrote that, I'd never made a short film in my life. But now, I know all about short films and the structure of the story came to me in a flash. I wrote the first draft in an hour. On a business level, I felt it was important to have a fresh piece of material now that people are finally paying attention to women filmmakers, and taking us seriously. I hope this film will prove that I know what I'm doing, and get me opportunities to direct my passion project movies, as well as a TV episodic.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
You should watch this film because it's funny and deep. It'll make you laugh, and then it'll make you think.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
Mostly the film is a commentary on marriage and relationships. There are parts of being in a long term relationship that people don't think about when they're putting on a white dress and promising to devote their life to another person until they die. Things like communication breakdowns, and passive-aggressive behaviour, and what happens when your parents start falling apart and relying on you. These are all issues that are examined in this film, in ways that are both honest and biting.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
Originally, the script was inspired by the poem, which I've always seen as a man's sort of unapologetic excuse for having eaten his wife's plums when she specifically told him not to. The poem ends there, so I imagined how the wife might feel after seeing his callous apology, and what she might do next. That sort of brings them into a war. I added the father later, because of the escalation I would need to create-- and he also adds a lot of tension in the marriage because he's always complaining and demanding kind of stupid stuff. But from his point of view, he just feels neglected and he wants someone to pay attention to him. Then during the editing process, once we'd filmed it, we realized that there were parts of the script that didn't need to be shown to get the message across, especially once the film ramps up, and the audience is getting what's going on. We also cut a lot of the father's dialogue in post-production, because I had totally over-written it. (It still feels like he never stops talking, so I'm sure people who've seen the film will be asking themselves how there possibly could've been more dialogue than there is).
What type of feedback have you received so far?
People love the film, like in a cult-ish way-- which is awesome! People think it's hilarious and unexpected. The feedback has been really gratifying.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
One thing that's surprised me is that a few very sensitive (usually older) people have been offended by the film. I think they are offended by the portrayal of the old man. But he's based on my grandmother-- who I thought was hilarious (despite how annoying she was)-- and it's meant to be a loving homage to her. I guess everything is offensive to somebody... but that wasn't my intention.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
I want to be on wearmovingstories because I want to be seen in the good company of the other films that I've seen on the site. I'm also trying to create more visibility for the film because I want as many people as possible to get a chance to see it in theaters, as we begin our festival tour. It's a really fun experience to see it with an audience.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
I'd love to be invited to more festivals, so programmers and directors are at the top of my list of people I'd like to meet or be exposed to. I've just got my first review, so journalists would be great if they want to review it and/or interview me about it, and I'm always looking to connect with producers because I have a lot of follow up projects that I'd like to make next.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
As far as reception, I would love to win a bunch of awards with it. As far as the impact it has, my main goal was to give people a good time and make them laugh, but I'm always happy when someone comes out of it and wants to talk about how hard and complex meaningful relationships can be. I think people go into marriage a little too blindly sometimes, and I wish there wasn't so much societal pressure to do it. People need to do it because they know it's right, not because they're at that point in their life or in their relationship where it's all that's left to do and they feel like they're supposed to do it.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
How can people continue to respect each other when they know each other too well? Why do we hurt the ones we love? How can we learn to not take the people we love for granted?
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
I'm developing a feature for Jessica Oyelowo to star in and produce with her company Yoruba Saxon. She and her husband, David, also have several other projects going into production currently. M. Emmet Walsh has an upcoming seven-episode arc on Sneaky Pete. Wallace Langham has some upcoming TV appearances on shows for Amazon and Apple+, as well as a role in an upcoming Christian Bale movie. Additionally, I'm in development on a TV show about my childhood, and a feature film based on my novel, How Long You Should Wait to Have Sex, which I'm also planning to direct.
Interview: April 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
Sorry, Not Sorry
A couple's one-upmanship reaches unbelievable heights after a man eats his wife's plums (Inspired by the 1934 William Carlos Williams poem, This is Just to Say).
Length: 7:31
Director: Monique Sorgen
Producer: Darryl Pugh Jr, Monique Sorgen
Writer: Monique Sorgen
About the writer, director and producer:
MONIQUE SORGEN’s first short Pants on Fire garnered international distribution, screened on TV and airlines around the world, including the prestigious ARTE Network in Europe. Her directing work includes several music videos for the band Thirstbusters, which have been featured on Disney XD, The Dish Network and Yahoo Music, and several unscripted series for the International 4K network Fashion One. Currently, she is in post-production on a new short film, Bad BFF which will serve as a proof of concept for her feature film debut.
DARRYL PUGH JR. began his career as a Media Engineer for Disney. Today Darryl works as a Senior Video Channel Producer and Studio Manager for Capital Group, a Mutual Fund and Investment Firm. Throughout Darryl’s career, he has produced a wide variety of content including documentaries, TV productions, web series, commercials, corporate videos, marketing content and independent films. He is currently enrolled in the Producing Program at UCLA Film School.
Key cast: Wallace Langham (Harry), Jessica Oyelowo (Abby), M. Emmet Walsh (Harry's Father)
Looking for: film festival directors, journalists, producers
Facebook: Monique Sorgen
Twitter: @moniquesorgen
Instagram: @moniquesorgen
Hashtags used: #SorryNotSorry #NotsorryFilm #comedy #AWomanWroteThat #Awomandirectedthat
Website: sorgenm.wixsite.com/moniquesorgen, sorgenm.wixsite.com/sorrynotsorry
Other: Vimeo
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? Cleveland International Film Festival. Tower City Center, April 3rd at 9:10 pm, April 4th at 8:15 pm, April 5th at 12:00 pm & April 6th at 9:30 pm; Florida Film Festival, Regal Winter Park Village, April 13th at 8:00 pm and April 17th at 4:00 pm, Artemis Women in Action Film Festival, Laemmle Monica, April 27th at 10:10pm & April 28th at 6:15pm