The Confessional
An anxious screenwriter, eager to raise money for his next film, invites an old friend over for dinner, but as wounds from the past come to light, he soon realizes that his friend has changed.
Interview with Director/Producer Felicity Pickering
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
We made The Confessional because we wanted to ACTUALLY make something! Too often, creatives wait around for external validation or funding. We wanted to gain agency over our creative careers by making something independently with the talented and very generous people we had around us.
The project came about when Writer / Producer Michael Batchelder approached me about directing something of his. I was thrilled with the idea because I had been a fan of Michael's writing for a long time. With our limited resources in mind, I asked Michael to write something new, to a specific brief, that I knew we would have the budget and time to achieve.
The brief was a story under ten pages, under four characters, and set in one location. The Confessional is the product of these creative constrictions.
As a director, my inspirations were The Invitation (2015), directed by Karyn Kusama, and The Celebration (1998), directed by Thomas Vinterburg. I wanted to focus on naturalistic dialogue, character portrayal, and power play. The setting of a dinner party provides such a rich backdrop for exploring complex characters, hidden agendas, and escalating tension.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
The Confessional is a contemporary reimagining of The Fox and The Hound. It's a tale of two unlikely friends whose lives take them down opposing paths. It's a story about friendship that delves into a range of complex themes and experiences like the queer experience, abuse, money, vulnerability, power and the pursuit of creative expression.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
While the story is fictional, it's a tale anyone can relate to. It's about the pressure that time, change and personal growth can put on long-term friendships, and the fear that some people have an expiration date in your life. Through the lens of The Confessional, viewers are invited to reflect on the complexities of maintaining relationships amidst life's transitions.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
The script went through many iterations. After setting the brief, Michael sent me an initial draft. With the initial draft, we cast the wonderful actors, Stuart Rial, Timothy Grove, Adejumoke Dosunmu, and Oleksiy Zubach, and had a table read. We actively sought feedback and insights from the actors. Hearing the dialogue coming out of the actor's mouths, we could hear what dialogue felt natural and see how the pacing would be. After careful refinements, we sent the final script out. Michael took each writing challenge in his stride, which is a testament to his abilities.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
Initial feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. I feel we have created a powerful and nuanced work within our creative constraints.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
Nothing has challenged us yet.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
By having The Confessional on www.wearemovingstories.com, we hope to get the eyes and ears of festival programmers, managers and agents. The film is the result of many talented individuals who deserve exposure and representation.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
We would love Film Festival Directors, Distributors and Journalists to come on board.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
We would love The Confessional to resonate with a wide audience. It's a story that anyone can relate to.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
What does this film say about friendship and the LGBTQI+ experience?
Interview: March 2024
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
The Confessional
An anxious screenwriter, eager to raise money for his next film, invites an old friend over for dinner, but as wounds from the past come to light, he soon realizes that his friend has changed.
Length: 8:33
Director: Felicity Pickering
Producer: Felicity Pickering
Writer: Michael Batchelder
About the writer, director and producer:
FELICITY PICKERING short films include The Confessional, Toni Fitzgerald's Cult Following and Facon. Toni Fitzgerald's Cult Following was screened at the Detroit Shetown Women's Film Festival, Melbourne Women in Film Festival, GRRL HAUS CINEMA and many more. The film was nominated for Best Comedy at the Australian Women's Film Festival and Women's Comedy Film Festival, Atlanta. The Confessional is Felicity's first film shot in the USA. In recent years Felicity has been expanding as a director by doing fashion films, music videos and mumblecore shorts.
Key cast: Stuart Rial (Ben), Timothy Grove (Cooper), Oleksiy Zubach (Zane), Adejumoke Dosunmu (Kim)
Looking for: journalist, film festival directors
Facebook: Fliction Media
Twitter: @FlictionMedia
Instagram: @flictionmedia
Hashtags used: #TheConfessional #LGBT #FemaleDirector
Website: www.felicitypickering.com/theconfessional
Other: IMDb