Bastard
Synopsis
Upon discovering a box of decades-old letters, Julia’s naive understanding of her never-married parents, and her sense of self, is flipped on its head.
A love letter to the moment we finally see our parents as fallible, fellow adults.
Film Screening & Ticket Information
When & Where to See this Film!
…COMING SOON…
Film Information
From the Director
Director Statement
This short explores what it means to form our own identity as we near the seminal turning point of our thirties. At its core, we’re examining the stories we tell ourselves about who we are and the way our relationship to our parents impacts our sense of identity. Most of all, the way parental influence melts and assimilates into our own personal sense of identity as we come of age.
A through line in Monica’s work as director is the exploration of womanhood and how our upbringing shapes us into the people we are. Isabella wove her own experience of being raised by a single mother into this exploration, directing particular attention towards the difference in expectations of mothers and fathers.
In BASTARD, we dive into what it means to be a daughter while fighting to be an independent person, outside of our upbringing. The script struck a chord with our entirely female and non-binary crew, many of whom were moved, during filming, to reflect on their own relationships with their mothers in adulthood. We are eager to mirror this experience with our audiences.
Bastard is a late-twenties coming-of-age story, heightened by Julia’s confrontation with what it means to be wanted. Feeling unwanted and seeking validation are universal experiences – in our friendships, our romantic relationships, in our familial relationships. In this vulnerable short, we are asked to confront the childhood naivety that sometimes carries into adulthood and see ourselves beyond the stories we are told about who we are. It is then that we choose to want ourselves, and can therefore accept the love we are given.
Director Biography
MONICA ARSENAULT (she/her) is a Brooklyn-based writer, director, and producer who makes feminist, coming-of-age content with boundary-pushing themes and colorful aesthetics. All of her work focuses on the intersection of faith, womanhood and sexuality.
Since founding her own production company in 2018, she has written and/or directed an award-winning web series, three short films, two music videos, and two films as part of a mixed-art piece combining elements of live dance, poetry and film screenings. Most recently, she produced a female-led horror feature film which wrapped production in October 2023.
Her most notable directing works are Nun Habits – a six-part web series that received international distribution on The Roku Channel after a wildly successful film festival run, and Ending the War On My Body – a series of dance short films set to poetry that premiered in November 2022 to a sold out audience.
Currently, she is producing full time at Cry, a commercial and film production company. She is also currently on the festival circuit with two new shorts about how menstruating people relate to their period at different milestone moments in their lives, and she is in post-production on a third short, coming 2024.
You can find clips and stills of Monica’s produced work on her website at monicaarsenault.com.
ISABELLA JANE SCHILLER (she/her) is a filmmaker, award-winning actor, and theater artist. She is specifically interested in work that addresses the evolution of gender, the transformative power of grief, and disability. She adores the challenge and the intrigue of short form storytelling.
As a producer her work has screened at the Queens World Film Festivals (2 Nominations) Blackbird Film Festival (1 win, 2 nominations), Big Apple Film Festival, Chain Film Festival, Culver City Film Festival, Austin Revolution Film Festival (DELETE, winner Best Rom Com), Atlanta Shorts Fest, Philadelphia Women’s Film Festival, Cinequest, among others.
She has just completed her first film as a writer/director and is presently in development on two new shorts. You can view more of her work at isabellajaneschiller.com
Credits
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Monica ArsenaultDirectorNun Habits, Crimson Wave, Ending the War on My Body
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Isabella Jane SchillerDirector
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Isabella Jane SchillerWriter
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Isabella Jane SchillerProducerThe Rushing of the Sea, Delete, Crimson Wave, Black Cake
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Monica ArsenaultProducerNun Habits, Triple Threat, Hot Angry Mom, The Woods, Our Bodies and Other Shames
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Keong SimKey Cast“Ezra”Dead to Me, Hillbilly Elegy
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Isabella Jane SchillerKey Cast“Julia”
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Harsh MilanKey Cast“Jason”Jagged Mind, Holiday For Hire, SO That Happened
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Sagan ChenKey Cast“Nik”Survival of the Thickest, Grand Crew, High Maintenance
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Jennifer Dorr WhiteKey Cast“Margaret”Blindspot, Law & Order, Good Enough
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Maddalena De BeniDirector of Photography
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Sophia FeuerAssistant Camera
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Patricia MearsAssistant Camera
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Julianne CrossAssistant Director
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Gabrielle AdkinsEditor
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Emma MungerComposer
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T.S EveringProduction Designer
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Taylor SchaferColorist
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Amy SewellAssociate ProducerMad Hot Ballroom (2005), What’s Your Point Honey,
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