Genre
Synopsis
After Aiko gets rejected from every college, they go for a long, defeated walk. They unexpectedly meet someone exciting, and follow them to The Woods, where they develop a crush on this mysterious, potentially dangerous, inspiring Deedi, who teaches them (and us viewers) to identify plants and connect to nature and their body. They fall in love with this person and their knowledge, wanting to learn everything about them, but later Aiko gets lost in The Woods, and is forced to connect to the Earth on their own. Eventually they get so lost they have to call their best friend from the city, and go home. Aiko narrates, telling the story to their cynical friend, sharing their new plant knowledge, integrating it into their life in the city.
Filmed in old growth forests and cities, 16mm eco-processed by the director. Produced and co-directed with our mutual aid-focused collective, Purpose Repair Shop.
Bio
Brielle Brilliant (they/them) makes films, books, and prank calls about (mis)communication, liberation, and the multiplicity of identity. They are the writer-director of the feature film FIRSTNESS. Brielle is also the author of THE SPUD re-run novel (Featherproof Books), the writer of THE CURTSY FAMILY (Thoughtcrime Press), the director of STREAKERS, the voice behind prank-calling project CALLS/DELIVERIES, and the artist of ILLOCUTIONARY HAY (Open House Contemporary). They have a degree in philosophy and they dance. Brielle has also worked as a youth counselor, writer, teacher, and bookseller, and has a couple other names, like Pavli.
Awards History
OutFest 2021 - Grand Jury Prize for U.S. Narrative Feature
Tacoma Film Festival 2021 - Best Narrative Screenplay
The Lorien Book Prize 2018
Credits
Actor - Alli Logout
Cinematographer - Michael Tyrone Delaney
Actor - zzzahara
