Homecoming

The idea for this film came to me at a low point. I was giving up, and I was thinking a lot about expectations-both for myself and the expectations that others have of me. I felt boxed in and highly self-aware. I didn't want to stay in school and was on the brink of dropping out. The idea of Homecoming at this point came as a question. I was asking myself, where is this pressure coming from? In answering this, I created these characters embodying my internal conflict to examine this question. It started with Phoebe, who represents the feelings of resistance, stubbornness, and ennui I was feeling. Then, I created the perfectionist mother, Amber, to embody my expectations of myself and the societal pressure I felt trapped in. Finally, the brother and the father character we imagined represents the pieces of myself that wanted to see me get better but didn't know how. This project began as a self-help and exploration tool for myself. Still, it has grown into a lot more over development. Now I see this film as envisioning a much more complex story-one about family, substance abuse, pressure, and the weight of expectations, whether internal, societal, or familial. Gearing up to get ready to go into production, it's clear to me now that I want this story to show that there is strength in knowing when it's time to take a step back and take a break. I want my audience to leave with the notion that "messing up" isn't always the worst thing that can happen, and sometimes our mistakes lead us to exactly where we need to be.