Teenage Women

Logline

Over the course of a birthday party, three twenty-somethings, on the precipice of full-fledged womanhood, find themselves forced to examine their fleeting girlhood as their relationships and self-identity begin to crumble.

Directors' Note

The story and namesake of Teenage Women takes its inspiration from the revival and reclamation of girlhood by adult women. Much of this trend has manifested in meme culture and internet-speak, encouraging consumers to engage with seasonal fast-fashion cycles, but it has also influenced the ways in which women interact with the world around them and how we represent ourselves in it. Teenage Women seeks to explore the balancing of the child-self and the adult-self and how it relates to society’s forcefully imposed expectation on women: to look young but to act old.

Our film follows a group of young twenty-somethings on the precipice of the vast unknown called adulthood. The three teenage women – Maggie, Summer, and Layla – are our main subjects. It’s Maggie’s 23rd birthday, the first birthday that hasn’t been tied to some sort of real world “marker.” She’s not voting, learning to drive, or drinking alcohol for the first time… she’s just 23. Maggie’s bedroom, the stage for our birthday party, is of particular interest to this concept of  a “teenage woman,” as it represents the melding of her child and adult self. Her cannabis and alcohol are stashed amongst her stuffed animals and diaries. Is it possible to bring your childhood with you as you embark on your journey to maturity?

To Maggie, Layla represents the past. She is Maggie’s childhood best friend and surrogate sister. In some ways, the two of them will always be stuck as their childhood selves to each other. Summer, on the other hand, represents the present and the potential future. She is Maggie’s college best friend and the one who has seen Maggie the most as her close-to-adulthood self.

There is a constant push and pull between these two worlds of child and adult in Teenage Women. Ultimately, Teenage Women is an homage to girlhood and womanhood. We start with the three friends and end with them. The central connection is between them. They are all both alienated and invited by their childhood interests (i.e. truth or dare) and adulthood desires (i.e. relationships and sex). There is turmoil but there is also intense, fierce passion for protecting and loving each other. Girlhood and womanhood present ties that bind.

Budget Breakdown

Movies aren’t free (unfortunately)! But we’re working to make this one as close to free adjacent as possible, so we are seeking to raise $15,000 to pay our cast and crew (and feed them!), book locations, and build out the world of Teenage Women visually. Here’s our budget breakdown, so you know where your money is going!

$4,900 - Cast and Crew Salary

$1,000 - Art Department

$600 - Costumes, Makeup/Hair

$1,500 - Post-Production Expenses

$6,000 - Food

$1,000 - Location

The Who's Who of Teenage Women

So many amazingly talented artists and creatives have already signed on the project! Here’s a taste of who’s going to be behind the scenes and in front of the camera:

Caitlin Ann Bury: Writer/Director/Producer/Maggie Warner

Molly Robbins: Writer/Director/Producer/Summer

Kate Alberts: Layla

Eli Gardner: Nick Warner

Michael Perez: Andrew

Justin Parrish: Connor

Ethan Reichwald: Leo

Zohar Varadi: Director of Photography

Maddy Higdon: 1st AD

Will Kindrachuk: 2nd AD

Nina Maravic: Producer

Matt Kim: Producer

Madeleine Murden: Mentor

Haley Hansen: Composer

Gillian Kwok: Production Design

Emma Robbins: Costume Design

Thank you so much for making our dreams come true. Let's make a movie.

Love,

Molly and Caitlin