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TagVictoria Negri

Posted Short Films

Mermaid, Bitch

“I have scales. This is so f***ed!”

True friendship endures many challenges. But what if one of those challenges happens to be a mermaid transformation?

Written, produced and directed by Victoria Negri (Gold Star), the short film Mermaid, Bitch is a quirky and heartfelt fantasy-comedy about a young woman who wakes up to discover she’s sprouted a mermaid tail overnight. Lily (Alexi Pappas) calls her bestie Ruby (Ruby McCollister) in a panic. After a night of shenanigans and a potentially transformative tarot reading, Lily is now a mermaid and she needs help. Lily and Ruby set out on an adventure through the streets of Los Angeles to get Lily out to her new home: the ocean. Will their friendship survive this radical shift?

“You’re assuming that it is so easy to just become something else and instantly become an advocate for whatever it is that you are and that’s actually really hard to do.”

Mermaid, Bitch is sweet and laugh-out-loud funny. The story can be interpreted as a metaphor for personal transformation and embracing a new identity and the struggles that come with that. It also delivers a nice message about how to be a supportive friend through life’s obstacles.

I can’t help but think that the young adults who grew up reading the Emily Windsnap books as kids would find this story, especially with its Gen Z type of humor, absolutely hilarious.

Alexi Pappas—Olympic athlete and star of the film Olympic Dreams (2019)—and Ruby McCollister play off each other beautifully both giving their characters a unique interpretation of youthful angst. I quite enjoyed seeing the director Victoria Negri‘s cameo as the seemingly judgmental passerby who is surprised by Lily’s mermaid tail.

Mermaid, Bitch is currently available on Omeleto on YouTube. You can watch the full movie below.

Posted Female Filmmakers

The Fever and the Fret

High school student Eleanor Mendoza (Adelina Amosco) is tormented by her peers. Why? Because of large birthmarks on her face. They taunt her, harass her, spread rumors about her and physically abuse her. One student in particular, Carly (Vanessa Carmona), really has it out for Eleanor. As a result Eleanor has become incredibly withdrawn and barely speaks to her peers. Ms. Gutierrez (Kathleen Changho) reaches out to Eleanor but can’t help her to the fullest extent because of Eleanor’s lack of communication. To escape the torment, Eleanor finds solace working on her art at home where she lives with her grandmother (Shirley Cuyagan O’Brien) and in her affair with an older man, Alex (Rod Rodriquez) who runs the restaurant where Eleanor works part-time. As things escalate, Eleanor is overwhelmed by the pain and enters an altered state. In this alternate world, she imagines herself in a desolate and beautiful natural space. She’s essentially alone but is joined by an imaginary child who represents her younger self in various stages of development. When a confrontation with Carly turns ugly, Eleanor world starts to fall apart. Will she be able to find her voice again and stand up for herself? Can she find any semblance of happiness in the real world?

Directed and written by Cath Gulick, The Fever and the Fret is a powerful anti-bullying tale that isn’t afraid to dive into the pain and the torment victims suffer and the feeling of helplessness as those who hold social power continue to victimize them. Adelina Amosco delivers a powerful yet subdued performance as Eleanor. The camera spends much time on Eleanor’s face which is marked also her countenance carries a map of the world. We see the inner turmoil through her eyes, through her tears and through her silence. Every minute of this film is powerful. For anyone whose been the victim of bullying, myself included, you’ll be able to relate to Eleanor even if your situation wasn’t as dire as hers. 

The film’s villain Carly is played by Vanessa Carmona who delivers a seamless performance as the privileged bully who expects to get away with her bullying because Eleanor is “weird.” Her lies eventually catch up to her and I found that resolution so emotionally gratifying. 

Gulick imagined her 76 minute low-budget indie film as a fairy story where realism meets dark magic. She say “I imagined a girl who was tormented during the day but who could travel to another dimension at night… The story of a young girl who is discounted by other people in the ordinary world, but has her own secret reality is something that has always resonated with me.” 

Eleanor’s world is black and white yet when she escapes to this alternate world the film switches to color. To me The Fever and the Fret was more realism than magical realism. Eleanor’s escape into the altered state felt less like fantasy and more like self-preservation.

The Fever and the Fret has a diverse cast and crew. It’s directed, written, edited and produced by women, features mostly Asian-American actors. One of the producers, Victoria Negri is one of my favorite up-and-coming filmmakers. She wrote, directed and starred in one of my favorite indie films, Gold Star.

The Fever and the Fret is available to watch on Amazon Prime. It’s screened at the Queens World Film Festival, LA Asian Pacific Film Festival and Lighthouse International Film Festival and has received jury prizes and honorable mentions. Visit the official website for more information.

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