NOTE FROM THE FILMMAKER
A fellow writer once said she liked my work because I had the guts to
say what everybody was thinking, but were too ashamed or afraid to say
it. I like to think my work is honest, examining truth that is often
brazen, brutal and individual. I don't generally look at large social
issues but rather focus on fractions that make up the collective whole.
I am particularly rebellious toward works that address grand scheme
issues, particularly "women's issues," a topic that female writers are
being encouraged toward by many well meaning but artistically corrosive
organizations. This film springs partially from that rebellion. Michael
Trent of Dances With Films dubbed this film "the anti-chick-flick" and I
couldn't have been more thrilled.
As this film will show, I am driven by a literary background with an
emphasis in playwriting. MY DINNER WITH ANDRE is a favorite film and
read for its layers and literary quality. SOMETHING BETTER is similar in
that it requires the viewer to work a bit, as one has to when committing
to a book - there is much to examine below the surface. The pace is
intentional; a response to the amusement park ride experience that
prevails in the industry.
SOMETHING BETTER springs from a desire to explore complex characters who
are imprisoned by their own perceptions. In his book, THE MAN WHO
MISTOOK HIS WIFE FOR A HAT, Oliver Saks discusses the case of a
horrified patient who perceives that his leg is not attached to his
body. Mentally sound other than this perceived condition he led a life
of agonizing terror because his detached leg was as real to him as our
ears being attached to our heads. This film is born of a need to
challenge our perceptions about our personal realities and the way that
we develop them. It is an invitation to mix yellow and blue rather than
be satisfied with the instant gratification of green.
My hope for this work is that it will challenge the viewer's perceptions
about film, what it has become and what it can be. Most importantly, I
hope I am able to convey the message of the film - that freedom can be
found in altering our perceptions about our individual realities.
Laurel Hunter