Spotless
In the film we follow 15-year-old Ruby. During her period, she doesn’t dare to ask her mother for tampons or sanitary pads because she knows that money is tight. She tries to fix it herself. With the film we tackle the theme of period poverty.
Interview with Writer/Director Emma Branderhorst
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
During my research for the taboo on menstruation, I found an article about period poverty. It is a double taboo, first of all on menstruation and second, the poverty. That’s why people don’t talk about it. In the research I found out that it’s way more nuanced, it’s not only about having no money for period products, but it’s about consideration.
Imagine when you have 2 daughters, and you all have the period on the same time. But you also need to buy laundry detergent to pay for the school trip. For people with a weekly budget of 50-70 euros it's a lot. It’s so hard to imagine how it is to experience period poverty and that’s what we tried to do with Spotless. Besides this I think you read a lot about period poverty, but for me it was very hard to imagine how people actually feel experience it. I want to give them a face, show how their life is like. That’s what we tried to do.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
To experience having the problems of period poverty. In my opinion sanitary products should be covered by the government. Or at least you can get money back from the health insurance. That we still need to pay it our selfs its crazy, even in Holland sanitary products are seen as a luxury product, there is 21% btw on the products. There are big companies making a lot of money on it, while its just a necessities of life.
It's a subject you don't think a lot, so with the film we wanted to create the awareness.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
Mostly I start with a research traject that's close to a personal fascination. Like for instance I wanted to make a film about periods and the taboo on your period. But during the research I found that article about period poverty. I think it's very interesting to tell universal themes (or problems) but stay very close to the main characters. In this way you feel connected to them, but you can tell their story and also the stories of many other people in the same situation. I think that's the power of my work.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
I think a script always develops during the process. But of course it changed also with our process. At the first moment we just created the situation and the characters. But after we got the funding we did a lot of field research. I worked at the food bank for several works and really tried to understand the world we created. So we deleted some scenes also. On the set I'm quite free, so I love to improvise. Some of those scenes are also in the film, I think that helps with the realistic character.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
I think with our film we started to create awareness about period poverty. What I mostly hear from people who saw the film is that they had no clue this was such a big issue. After the premiere at the Berlinale (feb 2022) a woman came up to me. She told me she was a teacher at a high school and said to me, ’Your film really showed me that this subject is very hard to see, and that they’re more girls than you think experience period poverty. From now on I will put sanitary napkins on every toilet and I will tell other people to do it as well’. For me this moment was a break through. The film inspires people to take action their self, and I think that’s the biggest compliment.
So a lot of positive words. I had no idea that people would love the film so much... But that means a lot to me of course. And people are really shocked by the way this is such a big problem (even in The Netherlands). When people see the film they get want to help! I think that's a Wonderfull reaction.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
Yes it totally surprise me. In the beginning I thought people we're not really waiting for a film about period poverty. I thought it was too much of a niche film, only for women. But the film has been seen by many people, young / old, men /women. I think that's amazing. We won a lot of prizes worldwide, so its a theme that touched many people. That's the biggest compliment for me as a filmmaker, but it also shows why it's such an important story to tell.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
I hope the film will be seen by MANY more people. It's a story we need to expand, so the girls who experience period poverty will be heard!!!
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
I would love to have an Executive Producer (a famous one, who's fighting for woman rights) on our film... For the Oscars it would be amazing to get some more leverage, so people know our film and hopefully they will vote!
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I think we are already making a difference now, because we opened the conversation about period poverty. I don’t really believe in like an end goal, but I think we already make proces because of all the interviews and that there’s finally some attention for. But of course like I said before, I would love to solve this problem and make the products available for everybody who needs it. But small steps are also steps!
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
Do you think sanitary napkins need to be subsidized by the government? And would this be the end of period poverty?
Would you like to add anything else?
At the moment I am in the post production of my new short film 'Ma Mere, Et Moi'. It is a road movie about a symbiotic mother and a daughter, in which the daughter is going to follow a language course in Marseille. A film about saying goodbye and letting go. I am also working on a feature film about parents who drink too much, told from a child's perspective.
Interview: December 2022
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
Spotless
Length:
15:36
Writer
Milou Rohde & Emma Branderhorst
Director
Emma Branderhorst
Producer
Marc Bary, Nicky Onstenk, and Julie Jansse
Facebook:
Director Emma Branderhorst:
https://www.facebook.com/emma.branderhost
Producer IJswater Films:
https://www.facebook.com/IJswaterFilms
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/spotlessthefilm/
Director Emma Branderhorst:
https://www.instagram.com/emmabranderhorst/
Production Company IJswater Films:
https://www.instagram.com/ijswaterfilms/
More info:
https://www.ijswater.nl/en/producties/spotless/
Film Fesstival:
New Filmmakers Los Angeles