A Little House In Aberdeen
A woman reflects on her past and wonders about her future - while she happens to be having an abortion.
Interview with Writer/Director/Producer/Actor Emily Goss
WATCH HERE:
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
Thank you! It was the coming together of a few things actually. I've been an actor here in LA for the last 10 years, but I always wanted to write and direct. During the pandemic I realized that I couldn't wait for the opportunity to come to me, I had to just make something. In 2020 I had written a one-minute monologue for a competition (it was roughly the first minute of this film). The monologue was one of 40 finalists out of 8,000 entries. So when I decided to make a film, I knew there was something to this story, this situation. Nuanced, authentic abortion representation in film and TV is really important to me - because there's so little of it. 1 in 4 women will have an abortion in addition to the trans and nonbinary people who will have them. But that is absolutely not what we see onscreen. So in addition to feeling that the monologue was strong, I knew I wanted to tell an abortion story, one where the drama does not come from the abortion, to fill that gap in the narrative.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
"A Little House In Aberdeen" was meant to normalize abortion and humanize the people who have them. And show that abortions are safe, straightforward medical procedures. To me, any film that does that is worth watching. I thought I could bring everyone to the table around the human experiences we all share. But now, after the Dobbs decision, people need to watch "Aberdeen" to see what millions of people in this country have lost: the right to determine the course of their own lives and the right to the healthcare they need.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
I believe that the more specific a story is, the more universal it is. As the writer setting out to create an empathetic character, the best way I knew to do that was to give her my specific thoughts and specific experiences. The best way to get universal is to get really personal. Many of the things Britney says are things I believe or think about it. And almost all of the anecdotes are autobiographical - my grandfather ran the concessions at the race track, my mom is an oldest sibling, sold the concessions on the weekends, and she couldn't get an epidural when she gave birth to me because she got to the hospital too late because she was moving a table... But the difference is that we have a great relationship and talk all the time.
Getting personal was also important to me because it hammers home the point I hope to make in this film: that everything, so easily could have been different. For all of us. Where we were born, our political beliefs, our religious beliefs, the courses of our lives are so arbitrary. I could be in this situation and hey, so could you. So let people get the healthcare they need.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
Good question. Originally I did not have the abortion provider say anything. But after talking to representatives from Planned Parenthood and Whole Womans Health, including a few Planned Parenthood physicians, I learned that wasn't accurate. Laur Allen's dialogue is taken directly from an interview I had with a physician. I asked him to talk me through the procedure. But I think this piece is rare in that what I ultimately wrote and storyboarded is what we ended up with. We shot this in one day so we didn't have a lot of time to experiment with the script or the camera movements. We were able to do 5 takes. The whole day was a whirlwind.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
The feedback has been incredible. I'm very moved and humbled that people respond to this film. Our screening at Dances With Films was packed and the audience response was overwhelming. I'm overjoyed that people - men and women - relate to this character.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
No, I don't think so. I say that this film is radically casual in its approach to abortion. It's an abortion film that's not about abortion which is the more pro-abortion part of the whole thing. But in the last week the world has changed. Now I wonder if there isn't a place for this film - maybe we only need stories that are radically radical. We are beyond a Code Red. But then I remind myself that we just need more abortion stories. There are as many different abortion stories as there are abortions. We just need more and more.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
I hope more people find the film and start to think about onscreen abortion representation.
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 really love to talk to journalists. This film is unique and is resonating with audiences at a crucial moment in history.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I want people to feel like they now know someone who has had an abortion (because 100% they already do). I hope this film is received warmly by the people who actually work in abortion care and for organizations that fight for abortion rights.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
Do you know how long an abortion takes? What do you really know about abortion? Where do your beliefs about abortion come from?
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
I am in post on my first feature as a producer, a queer psychological thriller with a social justice theme. Thank you for your time and questions!
Interview: July 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
A Little House In Aberdeen
Length:
6:54
Writer/Director
Emily Goss
"A Little House In Aberdeen" is Emily Goss's first narrative short as a writer and director.
Emily received her BA in Theatre from USC's School of Dramatic Art and MA in Classical Acting from LAMDA. Her feature film credits include "Shook," "Jane and Emma," "Season of Love," "The House on Pine Street" (3 Best Actress awards), and "Snapshots" (4 Best Actress awards). Her television credits include guest stars on "Criminal Minds," "L.A.'s Finest," "Castle," and "Future Man." She is currently producing a queer psychological thriller feature with a social justice message.
Producer
Emily Goss, Shayan Ebrahim
Shayan is an Iranian-American writer, director, and editor. While attending UCLA, Shayan edited the documentary "The Drop Box" which went on to win the Grand Jury Prize at SAICFF and was later released theatrically, becoming one of the highest grossing movies in Fathom Events history. Since then, he has edited another theatrical documentary called "The Dating Project," as well as nationally-broadcast commercials for Google, iHeart Radio, and Volkswagen. He is the writer/director of shorts "Foreign," "Life Support," and "Always Azizam."
Key cast:
Emily Goss (Britney), Laur Allen (Dr. Jane Randall); Madelyn Levine (Medical Assistant)
Looking for:
distributors, journalists, film festival directors, buyers
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/emilygoss650
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/emily.goss.7
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/emilygoss650/
Hashtags used:
#shortfilm #abortionrights #abortionishealthcare #directedbywomen #femalefilmmakers #filmmaking