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Bella Thorne has been on and off sets since the age of six, starting out with the Farrelly Brothers. stuck on You, circle And Oh, And then appearing on the Disney Channel show as a teenager. shake it Up Unlike Zendaya.
Almost 20 years and almost 130 credits later, the 25-year-old the game of love And divinity The actress is now committed to making her mark behind the camera.
“Directing has always been something I have loved. When I am on the set, I am behind the camera. I am asking a question to the DP. “I’m thinking, and it’s always been that way for me since I was really young,” Thorne told Deadline at the Taormina Film Festival this week. Click on the related link to watch the complete interview.
The actress and singer came to the festival for her short film debut paint it red and also guest hosted the festival’s ‘Influential Shorts’ evening, for which he presented a diverse selection of half a dozen cutting-edge works.
Thorne and young influencer Juliet Sterner co-star in a series of powerful miniatures, unapologetically raw work showing one woman’s journey as she struggles to break free from the implications of patriarchy and the male gaze.
‘Paint it red’
“The whole movie is like a giant metaphor for what we feel, these boxes that we were born in, the song that we keep singing… You sing this song and then at some point, you say, the words to this song What are? Do I know the words? You look around and you’re asking some questions but you’re also dancing,” Thorne said.
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“That’s why the line I wrote is there – I just keep dancing and they want me to keep dancing – I think it’s a good metaphor for society and how we feel and how we move. Live on, even with all the warning signs…we still keep dancing.
Thorne’s character emerges as a movie star whose life appears to be entangled with that of a spoiled cigar-smoking producer whose story points to a questionable background of sexual harassment and abuse.
The actress, who has opened up about the sexual abuse she faced as a child, says the film is not specifically about the film industry.
“It’s much bigger than Hollywood. The story is told from that perspective, but it’s really something that no matter where you go in life, you’re going to find it,” he said.
In the final scene, the actress breaks free of the male body suit to reveal her true form.
“The ending started with the idea of what it feels like to have him taken away from you. I have talked about this before also. When you’re abused and sexually assaulted, you get it on your skin like a dirty cologne, it’s just attached to you, you can’t get it off yourself. You look in the mirror and it’s there, it’s all over your face and your skin, and there’s something horrifying about it.
American-Israeli writer, director and producer Oren Moverman provides the male voiceover, mixing poetry and prose, through which the protagonist tells his story for the majority of the film.
Thorne explained, “I’ve worked with Oren on a few other things and he’s an amazing writer and amazing creator… He’s always taken an interest in me as a director and said, ‘I know you have it in me.’ Yes, kiddo.
“He was like, ‘I don’t act.’ And I say, ‘Can you please come over to this ADR booth. And here’s the script, here’s the brief, it really means a lot to me.'” He loved it, so he did it and trusted me. Did.”
Thorne says he’s moving into directing paint it red It is a natural progression after years of using writing as a means to explore and process past traumas and events in her life.
ace paint it red After starting her festival tour in Taormina, Thorne has already shot another short film, based on a tragic true story told to the actress by a close friend, who then insisted on playing her role in the work Was.
“I felt like it would help him get through this time in his life. We had just shot it and he wanted to act himself… How much bravery and courage does it take for someone to relive these kinds of things,” she says.
The actress-filmmaker revealed that she is so happy with the end result that she now plans to expand the work to a feature-length film.
“Once you start you can’t stop. It’s like a tattoo. “You become more obsessed and more in love and more involved,” she says of her new love for directing.