Céline Roustan

Love and sports, many stories have been created from that combo. And while at first glance, the narrative behind director Jojo Erholtz’s Tape might appear like yet another tale of forbidden desire in an athletic environment, it subverts expectations with its impressive and poignant emotional portrait of a teenage hockey player and (pun intended, my apologies) how frozen out she feels when she can’t talk to one of her teammates. 

Watching Tape it didn’t take much to draw me into the film, as usually forbidden love is all it takes. But what struck me in this film is the depiction of isolation that we get to see and experience through Rooney. Of course, the unfairness of the situation increases engagement and prompts the audience to root for her even more, but it’s really that physical, emotional distance between Rooney and Alex that I believe carries the film.

That distance is ultimately a character of its own, given how Erholtz manifests it on screen. The fact that it is hockey helps by setting the story in a cold, white environment that instantly feels harsh, while their gear also creates an inherent distance. Erholtz and DP Vaughn Greve capture the space between the two characters by having the camera orbit lead actor Brittany Giles or recreate what she sees. Each time Rooney’s gaze lands on Alex there is something in the way, both literally and metaphorically.

Brittany Giles as Rooney in Tape

The pacing of the last act of the film makes the climax all the more empowering. While it starts with that simple gesture that can’t leave anyone indifferent, it’s the game scene that mounts the tension and again the camera work is a key element in raising the stakes. The naturalistic style mixed tinged with nostalgia creates a visual aesthetic that perfectly complements the emotions at play between restrictions and bigotry.

Erholtz shared with us that Tape is actually inspired by a true story that a friend of hers went through. In that recounting, what struck her the most was the feeling of “becoming suddenly an outsider in one’s own social network”, but it was only after the director shared that story with writer Shuhan Fan that they started developing the project.

Tape had a great festival run, earning special mentions at the Palm Springs ShortFest and Outfest. Erholtz is currently writing her feature debut My Mothers (working title), which she describes as about “a girl who can’t stop lying to everyone around her in the pursuit of finding unconditional love”. She is also developing a feature version of Tape, reuniting with the same creative team.