THE BODY REMEMBERS WHEN THE WORLD BROKE OPEN New Auteurs

Talent attending: Kathleen Hepburn (Director), Violet Nelson (Talent), Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers (Director)

Young, pregnant, and barefoot in the street, Rosie (Elle-Maija Tailfeathers) is being accosted by her abusive boyfriend when Aila comes to her aid.  Aila is everything Rosie is not — middle class, mild mannered — but the two women come together in an almost wordless bond. Aila then proceeds to take young Rosie to her home to help her recover from the traumatic afternoon.  Tailfeathers does triple duty here as the lead, co-director and writer, basing the story on an actual incident from her life.  Echoing such classic feminist masterpieces as CLÉO FROM 5-7 or JEANNE DIELMAN, 23 COMMERCE QUAY, 1080 BRUSSELS; newcomer Tailfeathers creates her own distinct visual aesthetic with this closely observed intimate portrait. The resulting film is a quiet and hushed story told in tiny tones, in released long held breaths and quiet looks. With her co-writer and do-director Kathleen Hepburn, these two women have crafted a deeply human film, a maternal film, a film about neighbors. and shared spaces and car rides and softly singing to your belly in the bathroom. –Lane Kneedler