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!
BLOC: Familial Trauma: 8 Films on the pain & bonds that shape family life.
KAS Zukor
5:45pm Friday, November 7th
Films in this Bloc:
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 is a Brooklyn-based director, writer, and producer who makes feminist, coming-of-age content with boundary-pushing themes and colorful aesthetics. Her work encourages conversations at the intersection of faith, womanhood, and sexuality.
Monica has produced and directed a wide variety of commercial, narrative, and experimental content. Her latest directing project is Bastard, a short film co-directed and produced with writer and lead actress Isabella Jane Schiller, is currently on the festival circuit. Her other notable projects include The Woods – Sarah Lyons debut feature film which is currently streaming on Tubi and Prime Video amongst others; Nun Habits – her original six-part web series that received international streaming distribution on The Roku Channel before finding its home on Stareable TV’s YouTube Channel; and Our Bodies & Other Shames – Jenny Lester’s second feature film written by Malka Wallick and starring Wallick, Gideon Adlon, Micaela Diamond, & Alysia Reiner which is currently finishing up post-production.
Monica is currently working full-time as a commercial producer at Cry, a commercial and film production company, where she has produced commercial work for multiple organizations including Duke Cancer Institute, the Virginia Lottery, theSkimm, and Limbitless Solutions. This year, Monica had the opportunity to direct her first commercial for Virginia Energy Sense’s “Jack is Back” campaign.
You can find clips and stills of Monica’s produced work on her website at monicaarsenault.com.
Isabella Jane Schiller (she/her) is a New York City born, bred, and based award-winning filmmaker and actor. 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. Films she has produced have screened at over two dozen international film festivals and counting. This is her first film as a writer/director and she is presently in development on two new shorts. You can view more of her work at isabellajaneschiller.com
Credits
Cast: Sagan Chen, Harsh Milan, Isabella Jane Schiller, Keong Sim, Jennifer Dorr White
Monica Arsenault, Director/Producer
Isabella Jane Schiller, Writer/Director/Producer/”Julia”
Maddalena De Beni, Director of Photography
T.S Evering, Production Designer
Gabrielle Adkins, Editor
Julianne Cross, Assistant Director
Emma Munger, Composer & Sound Design
Taylor Schafer, Colorist
