BIRTHDAY BOY by Rosa Brooke
“BIRTHDAY BOY”
An interview with filmmaker Rosa Brooke.
By Emmanuel Itier
“Birthday Boy” the debut short by Welsh filmmaker Rosa Brooke is a splendid “tour de force” and the promise this young filmmaker has a bright future ahead of her. In April, this very emotional movie premiered at the Cleveland International Film Festival and at the FOCUS Wales Film Festival. Next it will be screed at the Kingston International Film Festival. After this, we hope for World Domination at a festival near you! This is a beautiful story. Rae is an artist going through an identity crisis. They’re unsure of their gender, struggling to find success, and starting to feel a little invisible. Today is Rae’s birthday, and when their father Jeff comes to visit, along with his troubled wife Mandy, things start to deteriorate. Tragedy strikes the house within minutes, but Jeff insists that they stick to the birthday plan: a family meal at his favorite Mexican restaurant. Speaking about the film, Rosa has said:
“I wrote “Birthday Boy” because I wanted to talk about the strangeness of having an 'identity' in the world, and the need for others to acknowledge it. Rae, the protagonist, feels totally unseen by their father Jeff, while feeling this deep need to express who they are; but this becomes completely crowded out by the needs and voices of others. I want to relate how lonely it can feel to be misunderstood by the people closest to us; and at the same time, how embarrassing it can feel to want attention and understanding, to want to be seen as a real, unique individual in a world full of loud voices.
I was lucky to catch up with Rosa in between Festivals screenings and here is what she wanted to convey about her movie:
Q: What was the inspiration putting this film together?
Rosa: My sister’s family visit was the main real inspiration. She had a pet dog that died suddenly and it was tragic. And there was the family pressure. And I thought this situation could lead to a funny movie. I wanted to write about “identity”, how we express it and how we do it with the people the closest to us. We want to be seen by the people who see us the most. And this is all it came together.
Q: Any challenges you faced making this film?
Rosa: First, we had the cat situation! The cat dies within the first few minutes. And we had to figure out how to do that. I found a taxidermist who does cats and other animals. He had a friend who had a matching situation between a cat and its dead cats that looks alike. We had a tiny budget for a very rich script with animals, musicians, there was also a big restaurant scene. We had to do some crowd funding. And so many people came to offer their help. We film it in four days.
Q: Beyond identity are there other themes you were exploring?
Rosa: For me it’s about realizing that sometimes you can’t get what you want from people who are close to you. You have to learn to accept that person for he/she is. Find yourself for yourself. There are themes of gender identity. I hope people understand what it means to be misunderstood.
Q: What is the life of your film, right now?
Rosa: We had a great warm welcome to the Cleveland film festival. All together, we have three more festivals to go to. And, hopefully, more will select our film. I’m also trying to develop a longer form, a feature, from this short.
Q: Are you working on other projects?
Rosa: Oh, yes! I’m planning to fund another short. I also have a pilot and a feature. I’m quite busy.
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