Céline Roustan
It’s Christmas time at Clare’s high school, but instead of focusing on the talent show, her friend Anica would rather talk about boy drama, while Clare only seems to be able to pay attention to what’s going on with her teacher Mrs. Larsson. S/W alum writer/director Lauren Minnerath (The Morning After) is back with a new short, named after its main character. Mixing themes of consequences and power dynamics, Minnerath crafts a compelling and poignant coming of age narrative.
“I wanted the short to stand on its own outside of the feature”
Clare actually began as a feature film screenplay that Minnerath wrote a few years ago. Admitting that “back then I had only directed one film and it was a micro-budget short (The Morning After)”, the filmmaker adds that she “figured it would be very hard to convince anyone to give me money to direct this film, so I decided to make a short proof of concept”. At Short of the Week, we tend to frown on those proof of concept shorts, but at the same time we are well aware of how the film industry works… which is why in our judging criteria if the short has its own narrative arc and feels like a short, we can’t hold against it the fact that it is part of a bigger story.
Minnerath knew the importance of ensuring her film worked outside the larger project, revealing she “wanted the short to stand on its own outside of the feature”. Since none of the scenes she had previously written fit the bill, she crafted a new scene within that universe that would paint the “power imbalances and abuse of power” that are ultimately what drive the narrative structure of Clare’s story, in both the short and feature versions.
“I knew if I were to make a short version of the feature, it would have to center around this scene” – Minnerath discussing the moment Clare is confronted
However, when writing the short, she knew that her starting point, when the husband threatens the student, would be a scene in the feature. This “ugly and chilling” moment actually captures so much in terms of power dynamics and responsibilities and gives the film a very effective emotional depth that you can’t immediately shake off when the credits start rolling.
Just like in her previous short, Minnerath expertly plays with the tone of her films. Clare is a drama, but it feels incredibly realistic thanks to the humor she infuses, at the just right times, in her narrative. These lighter moments work to to give the short an engaging emotional pacing and make Clare’s life feel authentic. With very little on-screen time, we get a good grasp over Clare’s world, and her friends, which is quite impressive to achieve in under twelve minutes with such a heightened tension at the core of the film.
“I’m not sure I’ll ever go back to not using one. Seriously, they’re worth their weight in gold” – Minnerath on working with a casting director for the first time.
As is usually the case with films that are titled after their main characters, casting was an essential piece in the success of the short. Working for the first time with a casting director on this project, this is how Minnerath found Sophie Rossman, who portrays Clare. Rossman’s performance carries the film with a remarkably compelling, nuanced and layered portrayal as a teenager who is a little bit lost and not fully equipped to deal with all her emotions. Torn between what she thinks she wants, what others think she wants and what is offered to her, most of her performance relies on her facial expression, and how the camera captures her face and where her mind is at.
Clare had its world premiere at the 2022 edition of SXSW and went on to have many festival selections, including the Palm Springs ShortFest, ahead of its online debut. As previously mentioned, Minnerath is currently developing Clare the feature, but also a tv series. She is also attached to write and direct another feature, hopefully going into production over the Summer and is currently in post on another short made through the Creative Culture Fellowship.