A daughter invites her parents over to meet her boyfriend; a recluse man living in her walls.

Interview with Writer/Director/Editor Alyssa Sue Borkowski

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

After graduating from film school, I wanted to keep making films! I conjured the premise of this film in a comedy sketch brainstorming session over Zoom and got funding for it that following Fall. It was wonderful to work with so many familiar faces; the crew consisted of friends, former classmates, and previous film professors.

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

If you're a fan of absurdist humor or comedy horror, I highly recommend it. I made this with the intention to make you laugh, but also unsettle you.

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

I often find humor in unlikely places, so something so innocuous as a family dinner is a great starting point to devolve and spiral.

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

We stayed pretty close to the script during the production; I think the only change made was added after we built the set. The wallpaper we put up looked a lot worse than I imagined so I added a line where the characters mention it. It's a bit of a "wink wink this is on purpose :)".

What type of feedback have you received so far?

As far as audience members go, so far it's been well received! There was plenty of laughter at the premiere (Thank God) and I owe a lot of that to the performance of my actors, Isabella DelCastillo, Jesse McLean, and Carl Bogner. It was truly a pleasure to direct them and pull some great moments from them all during filming.

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

To, of course, get this in front of more eyes, and also to reach people making similar work. I love collaborating with/meeting new filmmakers, especially ones that deal with humor in their films.

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

While I definitely want the humor and horror to come through, I also would like my audience to appreciate the work we put into the art direction and overall aesthetic. I spent many months in pre-production working with my Art Director, Ava Kanthack, obtaining furniture, props, and overall set pieces to create a space completely unique (we built the set ourselves!). Even the miniatures for the intro/outro, created by VFX Supervisor Jesse Bleck, was intricately assembled to tie the film up in a neat little bow. Just a lot of attention to detail that I want to be seen!

Would you like to add anything else?

It's my real hair in those effigy dolls!

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

As of the moment, I'm developing my first feature related to my time as a middle schooler in a Catholic school. Maybe another short comedy before then, as well.

Interview: May 2023

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

Stuck Somewhere

A daughter invites her parents over to meet her boyfriend; a recluse man living in her walls.

Length: 9:33

Director: Alyssa Sue Borkowski

Producer: Kallista Kuhlow

Writer: Alyssa Sue Borkowski

About the writer, director and producer:

Currently living in Milwaukee, ALYSSA SUE BORKOWSKI is a graduate of UW-Milwaukee Film, Video, Animation, and other Genres. Using a vast variety of different artistic mediums, she enjoys telling stories, finding new ways to express her vision, and making people laugh.

KALLISTA KUHLOW attended film school with director Borkowski and is primarily interested in music video production.

Key cast: Isabella DelCastillo (Brooke), Jesse McLean (Mother), Carl Bogner (Father)

Instagram: @lyssaburlapsack

Other: YouTube

Made in association with: Brico Forward Fund, MKE Film