Rosalie

Director Statement

“Rosalie” is about how an unplanned pregnancy leaves an overwhelmed mother of four determined to end it—and her infertile best friend determined to stop her. The film explores bodily autonomy and pregnancy loss through the lenses of motherhood, friendship, obsession, and desire.

We shot the film in April 2024 with a majority female and gender non-conforming cast and crew—and after a successful Seed&Spark crowdfunding campaign. The script for “Rosalie” was awarded Second Rounder status in the 2023 Austin Film Festival Screenplay Competition.

A personal film, “Rosalie” was conceived in the aftermath of my own pregnancy loss and the overturning of Roe v. Wade. As someone from Texas, I thought about the women in my home state who would lose access to essential healthcare and the right to decide the most intimate stories of their bodies. I also considered, certainly not for the first time, how deeply divisive the issues of women’s bodily autonomy and abortion are in our country—and how alienating and painful abortion and miscarriage can be for people. Finally, I wondered what might happen to two women—bound by friendship yet confronting very different circumstances—who find themselves in a pressurized time and place, bearing their burdens alone.

With “Rosalie,” I aim to show a close-up portrait of the complexities of womanhood, motherhood, and caregiving, and to leave audiences with questions about the answers they always thought they knew. My co-producer, Adriana Spencer, and I want the film to reach audiences across the country, raising awareness about vital issues like bodily autonomy for all and women’s mental health—and to play a role in effecting positive, meaningful change for women in our country.