Film Invasion LA 2020 – Supernova
On a road trip with her best friend, Valentina is finally given the space and support necessary to process the grief and guilt she carries in association with her boyfriend’s suicide.
Interview with Writer/Director Marielle Boland and DOP Iris Lee
Watch Supernova on Prime Video
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
MARIELLE: I made this film because I felt like I had to. The main reason I even went to college was because I knew at the end of my studies, I would have the opportunity to make a thesis film. This was an opportunity that even in high school I understood would be extremely special. I also knew early on that I wanted to take that special opportunity to shed light on mental health issues. It just so happens that just before I began the early phases of pre-production, the TV show, "13 Reasons Why" was released, and I felt the urgency to make something with an accurate portrayal of mental health and suicide - without all the blame. I also wanted to make something digestible by all audiences, that could hopefully be used to help younger audiences understand too. There are a lot of mental health issues in my family, and I began to understand that at a very early age. My older brother was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in the early 2000s when he was only in middle school. However, his episodes were part of my life since birth. Before he started high school he had had multiple suicide attempts. When he was 14 years old, he killed himself by overdosing on my dad's old (and recalled) anti-depressants. He stayed alive for about two days in the hospital before his body finally gave out. I was eight at the time, and I didn't visit him. For so many years I felt as though if I had just done that, he would have survived. I felt guilty all through my adolescence. I made this movie so that hopefully I could prevent other little girls (or boys, or teens, or grown-ups) from feeling the way I did for so long so that anyone watching could feel more empowered to ask for help, and so that we could all do our best to bring down suicide rates.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
MARIELLE: You should watch this movie because everyone should. Who doesn't love a coming of age film? A buddy film? A road-trip film? There is stellar music, beautiful landscapes, and so much that these characters can teach.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
MARIELLE: I don't think personal vs. universal themes in life exist. We are all human together on this earth and have so much more in common than we give ourselves credit for. I think we're finally starting to understand that more through this pandemic. This movie is something anyone can understand whether they have been affected by mental health or not. Loss, friendship and growing up are all both personal and universal themes that come together in Supernova.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
IRIS: In the pre-production phase, Mari and I worked on incorporating themes visually so that little things like distance and framing would naturally add to the ambience of Supernova - for example, we wanted the absence of her boyfriend to feel like it was weighing on Valentina's character until the last scene, where she drives away into the universe. We took great care in contrasting the first and last shots of the film with closeups of Valentina in the passenger seat with her taking control in the driver’s seat as a small symbol of her growth. To me, it felt important to highlight the last scene as Valentina's willingness to begin her journey of recovery, so I felt we should move from tighter shots (within the van) to a general openness (giant desert landscape) throughout the ten minutes.
MARIELLE: To me, the biggest development through the whole process was just how much was cut out. I was able to cut out so much dialogue, entire scenes in some cases, to make this film what it is. I'm so happy with all the changes that I did make, but I still sometimes hear lines I wish I had changed or cut! Another HUGE way these cuts came to occur from challenges on set. Our picture vehicle broke down before we even got to set. We got it towed to set, and the owner of the car company came to swap it out. We had shot driving footage all-day driving from LA to Joshua Tree, but now we had a new van. So we had to scrap all that footage. Then, the new van got stuck in the sand, and we lost about a day (out of four total, two of which were travel for us) trying to dig the van out of the sand and eventually ordering another tow truck... which broke trying to pull the van out of the sand. Eventually, we had to get a tow truck for the broken tow truck, as well as another tow truck to finish pulling our van out! I was thinking about rewriting the entire script on set to focus on the girls getting stuck in a ditch. Luckily one of my amazing producers (and boyfriend), Josh, asked me if that's what I really wanted. Of course, it wasn't, so he and the other producer, Bailey, made sure that I didn't have to. All of that forced us to move efficiently, but also limited options in the editing room where I had to get rid of things I sometimes didn't want to. I wouldn't change any of it though.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
MARIELLE: Even though I'm a leo and I'm good at performing as confident and super sociable... I'm truly a shy introvert. Staying home and only seeing my roommates & boyfriend has actually left me feeling more at peace than I could have ever imagined (of course I'm facing challenges just like the rest of the world right now as well). All of that is to say... I've received incredible feedback. I've had so many people reach out to me about what they learned watching Supernova, or how it helped them move forward from a loss, or how they just felt less alone after watching the movie.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
MARIELLE: All this positive feedback has definitely surprised me, especially when I get opportunities like this or screen at a festival. I don't think I've really had my point of view challenged since completing the film. However, during the editing process, my incredible professor, Nancy Richardson, definitely pushed me to make choices that went outside my comfort zone and instinct.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
MARIELLE: The most important thing for Supernova for me has been and always will be its ability to help people. What I'm most looking to achieve by having my film featured by We Are Moving Stories, is for more people to see/know about Supernova. Of course, as a young director very early in her career, I'd also love people in positions of power to be inspired by the film as well and take a chance on me for future projects.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
MARIELLE: To amplify this film's message and to help me continue to make impactful films, I need all the help I can get. Any producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, and journalists who are at all curious about working with me or interested in sharing Supernova -- please let me know. I am aware that I have more to learn, but I'm ready to jump in the deep end!
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
MARIELLE: I think a key question that I'm hoping to come from this film will surround accountability. When I was pitching the concept to different people, I had so many different reactions about that subject. Some people were so excited to hear a story about suicide that takes the message away from blame. But others thought it was offensive and problematic, thinking the take away is that there is nothing any of us can do to prevent a loved one from attempting/committing suicide. OF COURSE, that is NOT the intended message from this film, but I'm excited about the idea of others debating that for themselves.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
MARIELLE: I have mostly been directing music videos. I especially work closely with a wonderful artist, Lav (that you should all check out). I'm also in the very very early stages of developing a feature script with my older sister, Sylvie that we're both super excited about. Additionally, I am writing a few lower-budget shorts that I'll hopefully be able to fund and execute after shelter-in-place lifts. Before shelter-in-place began, I was getting ready to start assisting one of my favorite music video/commercial directors on her projects & jump on board for the development of her first feature. I'm still excited about that prospect for when we're able to return to work.
IRIS: I’m working on a few music videos and shorts in LA that hopefully will have the same sort of harmony Marielle was able to set up with her key creatives (which, by the way, were mostly female and was real fun).
Interview: May 2020
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
Supernova
On a road trip with her best friend, Valentina is finally given the space and support necessary to process the grief and guilt she carries in association with her boyfriend’s suicide.
Length: 12:50
Director: Marielle Boland
Producer: Bailey Olmstead
Writer: Marielle Boland
About the writer, director and producer:
Born and raised in the Bay Area, MARIELLE BOLAND decided to stay in LA after graduating from UCLA's School of Film and Television. She is now a Los Angeles based film and music video director. As her work has developed through the years, one common theme Marielle brings to all of her work is empowering those without power.
Key cast: Jasmine Flores (Valentina), Emily Schlachter (Sadie)
Looking for: producers, distributors, film festival directors
Facebook: Marielle Boland
Instagram: @marielleboland
Hashtags used: #directormari #suicideawarness #bffs #mentalhealthawareness #roadtrip #supernova
Website: www.marielleboland.com
Other: Vimeo
Funders: GoFundMe