Waterwick

Director Statement

“The final rite of passage”, the film’s tagline, didn’t start as its tagline– but rather a recurring phrase in my head to describe the long episode of my life that has been making my first feature film– Waterwick.

This final rite of passage of mine has taken years of my young life, with the first story outline having emerged around January 2020. Through all the different periods of this film’s development, from its 50 nonconsecutive days of principal photography to its two years-ish in post-prod, multiple people have asked me, “Why are you working so hard on this? Why are you spending all your money on making a film?”

The short answer was, and still is, because I have to. I had personal demons to expunge.

As of my writing this, I’m 24. For years, it was my dream and obsessive creative goal to make a work derived from my experiences with depression, self-harm, and suicidal episodes. My hope of hopes is that by exploring such personal darkness, this film could offer some solace to people who have experienced the same– and above all, to deter. I sure know I’ve had my handful of stories in which I’ve found emotional refuge over the years.

To call Waterwick personal would be an understatement: it’s become a living appendage of my person. Every actor, every location, every costume, almost every prop is handpicked by I. I think it’s a pretty raw slice of self, and I champion that unapologetically.

Waterwick has been my final rite of passage and will always be.