By Gracey Murphy
Boyhood dominated every screen last year, but what about Girlhood?
Two University of Iowa juniors, Taylor Edelle Stuart and Caitlin Rose Edwards, have collaborated to create a girl’s coming-of-age story. This film, The Girl who Came out the Wrong Way, will be set in 10 episodes. Through these flashes, HER, the protagonist, experiences death in the family, depression, and everything along the way to womanhood.
So often feminist films depict women as strong and unbreakable, but that’s not always the case, Stuart said; feminist films came be about women in their weakest states.
“I wanted to write a story for women, about a woman’s journey through life,” Edwards said. “I think it’s important to write my story and what it’s like growing from birth as a woman as opposed to a man.”
She originally wrote this script as a play for her playwriting class. When she approached Stuart, it was as a best friend looking for guidance on her assignment. However, the script impressed Stuart so much that she decided to adapt it for film.
“I was at this point in my career that I was itching to do a story about a woman,” Stuart said. “There’s a depressing underrepresentation of women in film, especially directors and writers.”
Edwards and Stuart have cast a variety of people to participate in this film. Most come from the UI Theater Department, either current students or alumni, as well as an actor from Cedar Rapids. Because this is a female coming-of-age story, the women have also cast two young girls who are 8 and 10.
The actors support the film, and the shoots sometimes take as long as 10 hours a day. Stuart supplies coffee to make them feel comfortable. She gives the set a fun and lighthearted atmosphere, Edwards said.
“Everyone is so passionate and so committed to making art,” Stuart said. “If you can’t express it verbally, then make a kick-ass montage.”
Edwards and Stuart said they believe they can be a voice for women and feminism through art. The women are unaware of what exactly they’ll do with this project in the future, but they do hope to continue to work together.
The two women, close friends for two and a half years, aspire to start a production company in which they can continue to develop feminist films.
“We think art, particularly art and theater, is good for social change,” Edwards said. “If we can put out the work we want to, then we think that will make a difference.”
The movie will not be strictly realistic, nor will it be filmed following standard methodology. The women have researched footage on several archival sites to explore ways to subvert common material. They don’t want to shoot a simple movie on a DLSR.
“I doesn’t take on the typical structure of a blockbuster feature,” Stuart said.
Edwards and Stuart had originally intended this film to be out by the end of the year but have settled for a completion date in 2016.
“Artistic endeavors are the most potent social tool,” Stuart said. “We can change the world through art. I so wholeheartedly believe that.”