It Gets Better.
Popular and influential sex advice columnist Dan Savage started a revolution with those three words – "it gets better" – but for many gay people it doesn’t get better.
And that’s why the world needs aspiring filmmakers such as Karina Vidal, who wrote and directed the short lesbian film Reds & Blues. While the short was filmed on the streets of New York and New Jersey, it is a film that will resonate across the world to gay and straight men and women.
Reds & Blues takes place in Asbury Park, NJ in 1997 and it depicts a visual journey into the thoughts of Daphne, who hasn’t gotten over the death of her girlfriend Haylie. Both women couldn’t be together because of interference from Haylie’s aunt, Dolores, who convinced Haylie to think she was straight, and which subsequently led to her suicide.
"I wanted to portray the manipulation to teenagers by their parents - in this case the aunt - about sexuality and not just the aftermath of the life they’re damaging but also the collateral effects in those involved with them," Vidal explains. "It was inspired by my teenage years and those of someone I used to know who in fact committed suicide. This is a work of fiction though because I wanted to target a broader issue."
Vidal and her crew shot the 10-minute film over three weekends and other weekdays in her Brooklyn apartment while they also utilized the recognizable Asbury Park, Hoboken, Union City, Manhattan and Brooklyn spots.
Vidal and her producer Aimee Sequeira put everything together for the short film and not only wrote and directed the footage but edited and distributed it as well. The cast have been receiving accolades for their roles, especially lead actress Theodora Woolley who wowed audiences at the screenings.
"A lot of people really like it and in fact my lead has been getting compliments for her performance from people who’ve watched it at screenings or online," she says, adding Woolley is currently working on off-Broadway plays.
Able to successfully fund the film through private investors and indiegogo, Vidal is thankful to the talented cast plucked from different NYC conservatories and the crew, which was formed by undergraduate students and alumni from Manhattan’s School of Visual Arts.
"It’s only 10 minutes long but it gave us a year of headaches," she jokes, adding she spent five months editing the film after it was shot. "But we are all very proud of our collaboration and we really hope the message resonates."
The film, which was beautifully shot and woven together, brings audiences on a journey through the time the lovers met until the aftermath of the suicide death, which is not shown. It has already been shown and well received at several screenings but Vidal hopes more audiences find their way to the piece.
"I really hope it gets people thinking about the issue and the consequences of certain actions."
