‘Julian’ is a wonderfully entertaining exploration of familial dynamics. It presents a ridiculously bizarre circumstance, a woman deeply and delusionally in love with a fruit, to talk about one of the most universally common aspects of our social structures, conflicted sibling equations.
Brynn is a seemingly successful pediatrician, in a healthy, supportive relationship. However, her loving partner is juxtaposed against Marlow, her “toxic”, by her own acceptance, sister. As the party of three meets for a reconciliation meal, things continue to get out of control in quick succession.
The film is intelligent in its brevity, ensuring that the leanness of the narrative works in its favour, keeping you involved in the plight as well as the antics of its characters throughout. Additionally, the story has its heart in the right place, ensuring that it closes with an unexpected, but undeniable, sense of warmth and wholesomeness.
Read LessBrynn is a seemingly successful pediatrician, in a healthy, supportive relationship. However, her loving partner is juxtaposed against Marlow, her “toxic”, by her own acceptance, sister. As the party of three meets for a reconciliation meal, things continue to get out of control in quick succession.
The film is intelligent in its brevity, ensuring that the leanness of the narrative works in its favour, keeping you involved in the plight as well as the antics of its characters throughout. Additionally, the story has its heart in the right place, ensuring that it closes with an unexpected, but undeniable, sense of warmth and wholesomeness.
Cast
'Julian’ was shot in the middle of the pandemic. My friend Stephanie Drake and I had wanted to work together for a long time, but we didn't really have any ideas for a short. We enlisted my friend Cory Stonebrook, who is a brilliant writer, to pitch some ideas, and one of them was about two sisters reuniting where one sister is engaged to a cantaloupe. As soon as he said it, we all laughed, so I knew that had to be the one!
We didn't have the budget for a crew, and we shot the film in twelve hours in a small house in the valley we rented. When I got the footage, I was struck by how good it looked and how much Markus Mentzer could achieve with only a small camera. I learned a lot on that shoot.
We didn't have the budget for a crew, and we shot the film in twelve hours in a small house in the valley we rented. When I got the footage, I was struck by how good it looked and how much Markus Mentzer could achieve with only a small camera. I learned a lot on that shoot.
Vivian KerrDirector, Julian
HAVE YOU MADE A FILM?
