Céline Roustan
When writer/director Kailee McGee is diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer, her world is turned upside down – affecting everything from her relationship with her boyfriend to her art, self-expression, perception of reality, and life in general. On her healing journey, she turns to the one thing she knows best for catharsis: making movies! In Can, McGee plays a version of herself, navigating the challenges of this life-altering experience.
“I made this film as a way to share and as a vehicle to remerge”
Can is obviously an intensely personal film for its director. Fueled by McGee’s own life experience, the spark for her inspiration was very similar to the events in the film. Finding herself “unsure how to make sense of it all”, she was struggling to picture a way “to get [her]self to the other side” and so channeled these feelings into crafting the film. After retreating into isolation to help herself to “process and get through the hardest parts”, the making of the film was for her was both “a way to share” and “a vehicle to remerge”.
The kind of short film that I love, as it feels uncompromising, Can has a raw quality that makes the story emotionally potent, without sacrificing its effective dark humor. Creating the film with her “closest collaborators and friends”, McGee’s intimate and brutally honest approach enhances the authenticity of her material. While that life experience is undeniably challenging, she strikes the perfect balance between comedy and drama, with one enhancing the other in a way I’ve rarely seen on screen when tackling such heavy subjects. This approach allows us to see the ups and downs of her journey, and how one can quickly turn into the other, and back. And “despite” the topic of the short, Can contains an infectious energy – thanks to Patrick Jones‘ cinematography and the way it was edited by McGee and Rich Costales – which truly makes it feel like the aforementioned vehicle to move forward.
“It was an incredibly intimate set in terms of size and vibe. We shot mostly at my house and some local neighborhood spots” – McGee discussing her production
The community layer of the film, both in front of and behind the camera, can also be felt on screen. Every single person Kailee encounters deals with her in a different way, feeding into her experience. However, it’s Mamoudou Athie, who portrays her boyfriend, who brings a deep sense of love and support, without ever entering saccharine territory. His chemistry with McGee feels real and genuine, and in all their scenes together, we catch a glimpse into the strength and history of their relationship.
After its World Premiere at the 2024 edition of SXSW, where it won the Audience Award for Best Narrative Short Film, Can went on to be selected at multiple festivals including Seattle’s SIFF and the Palm Springs ShortFest. With it its online debut today, McGee can now shift her focus to new projects – including her upcoming feature film Big Big and a limited series titled Unbecoming.