A poetic narrative following Lenna's discovery to
self-love.
DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT
"I've been wanting to make a short film told through narration and voicemail for a while, to put my catharsis into character. It was April 2020, and our “new normal" had me struggling financially and creatively, I needed to put my focus towards self-care during our second month of quarantine in LA.
It was another sleepless night. It was 4:00am and I was meditating to "Inward" by East Forest (the music used in the film) when images started flowing through my head…life growing, the night sky, dust in the sun, and thus the story of Loving Lenna was born. With the help and trust of my fiancée, Heather; we pulled together what resources we had in our home. Our two "Wo-man" crew worked together, standing in for lighting, taping gels and jimmy rigging a camera mount for difficult shots. The entire film was shot on our iPhone 11 Pro Max, in one week.
In Loving Lenna, everything is brief but intentional. The color schemes move between warm and cold; the characters’ wardrobes are opposing in nudes and reds...The poetry and music set the tone of the character. My character's name, Lenna, means lion's strength, brave hearted. She is LGBTQ+, but that’s only a part of who she is. The other character, Vida, means life or beloved. Everything has a meaning, a purpose. I wanted to show hints of isolation, depression ("the ugly") and sadness that everyone can relate to one way or another. Yes, Lenna is sad about a lover but the undertone is much more than that. She has love from family and friends, but her journey is in finding love of self.
My intention with Loving Lenna, my directorial debut, is to have the audience pause and just “be" in the present moment. To have “all the feels" so to speak. To feel heartache but in that, find a silver lining; the beauty of it all! What started out as an outlet for my ADD, a "Quarantine Film"... became something more. I left it open to interpretation because art is subjective. As artists, we are constantly growing. Sometimes the lessons we learn must come from deep within. THAT...is the deepest love."
-Writer, Director, "Lenna", Kirstie Muñoz
