AVA, 11min., Australia, LGBTQ+ Supernatural
Fantasy, Independent, LGBT, Sci-Fi, Short Films
Ava and her best friend Devon push the boundaries of their relationship confronting the feelings for one another. Exposing herself to the truth, questions arise. Who is the real and true Ava and what path will she pursue with the help of her Astral Device?
Directed by Simone Neviani
Written by Christina Sloan
Cast: Caera Beightol, Jessica Maree King, Simone Neviani
Director Statement
AVA's story comes originally from the heart of my friend and writer Christina Sloan. My interest in telling such story comes from the implementation of my own personal experiences within the original story itself. Starting from the exploration of patterns of self-doubt that I had in my previous loving relationships throughout my 20s, where I struggled to simply let myself love somebody and be vulnerable.
Moreover, I wanted to include a supernatural element, that also happened to me, represented by the Out of Body Experience, which reflects the parallel uncertainty and conflicts of our minds, versus our bodies.
This is a coming of age short story of a young girl, Ava, who has been accustomed to a seemingly-perfect relationship with her boyfriend, Jackson. She finds her truth by letting herself fall into concealed emotions felt over her best friend Devon.
Unsure of the outcome of such actions, she will try to explore the ultimate answer by experiencing an altered reality with the help of a device that will allow her to have a controlled Astral-Travel (Out of Body Experience). This will allow her to separate her consciousness from her physical body and test the "What ifs" of one of her internal conflicts.
The portrayal of such uncertainty and its desire of delving into this surreal projected future by dividing herself in half, is represented by the split symmetry and balance of the picture and within the title itself.
The picture comes to a conclusion with its closing shot of Ava's "subconscious half" kissing Devon whilst her own "physical half" has been witnessing the whole projection from the comfort of her couch while wearing the bracelet of Astral Travel.