PAULINA PLAZAS
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Horror meets Coming of Age in “The Girl Inside,” a story told from the Point of View of a young girl fighting demonic possession.
The Girl Inside
Press Release (ReleaseWire)
A coming-of- age drama collides with horror in "The Girl Inside", the tale of a sixth grader, Eva, who suffers from Dissociative Identity Disorder Demonic Possession. Told from her perspective through an aesthetic, post modern lens, including poignant animation and distorted images, the film is not only an exploration of the mind and the senses, but a siren call for mental health awareness.
The film takes place at Eva's school, where the student body, teachers, and staff are snowed in by a blizzard. Eva’s "demon" emerges and possesses her body, seeking vengeance upon those who have tormented her, and those who chose to look away.
Eva is powerless and cannot prevent the ruthless punishment the demon meets out.
The viewer experiences Eva's horror and helplessness against her mental illness, transposed into a kaleidoscope of live action, animation, reflections, distortions, and other visual elements, along with what promises to be a breathtaking, heart stopping soundtrack.
"The Girl Inside" is an ambitious project that incorporates a brutal viewpoint rarely explored in film. It not only encompasses the true spirit of independent film, but addresses a societal issue - mental illness - in a way that fosters empathy.
Graphic Novel
Additional revenue from the film will include merchandize and monetization of the IP.
A Graphic Novel for The Girl Inside will be published to coincide with the release of the film.
Artistic Approach
“The Girl Inside” is a coming of age story that combines psychological drama with shocking horror as we follow young Eva - a sixth-grader who suffers from Dissociative Identity Disorder Demonic Possession - as she wrestles with her psyche while being manipulated by a ring of abusers within her school. The story is told from her perspective in a postmodern aesthetic, rendered in part in striking animation and distorted images. Not only is “The Girl Inside” a vivid exploration of the mind and senses, but it serves as a spotlight to call attention to the twisted nature of the very mental illness our protagonist suffers from.
The audience experiences Eva’s desperate struggle against her mental illness in a kaleidoscopic montage of live action, animation, reflections, and other visual elements in tandem with what promises to be an emotional, heart pounding soundtrack. The visuals for “The Girl Inside” speak to the fragmented nature of the mind of the sufferer, pitting reality against itself, and keeping the audience unaware of what is real and what is imagined.
Eva’s struggle to become one with her double (her image) will be reflected by the use of glass, water, and mirrors. Initially the viewer will be placed directly in Eva’s distorted POV and as the story develops and she overcomes the battle against herself, reflections and images will become increasingly faithful to the morphing reality they represent. The film draws inspiration from cinematic representations of dual identity as seen in films like Krzysztof Kieślowski's "The Double Life of Veronique" and Ingmar Bergman's "Persona" as well as plastic artists like Mark Rothko’s who's work aims toward a spiritual experience, one that exceeds the boundaries of the purely aesthetic. “The Girl Inside” will use Rothko’s work as a reference to help convey the idea that a film should not only be watched but also experienced. The viewer will be placed in the middle of Eva’s struggles and will feel fear just as she does. Color will be used as a vehicle to elicit an emotional reaction from the viewer.
We will show trauma and mental illness as seen through the eyes of a child, a fascinating but brutal viewpoint that has rarely been explored in cinema.
“The Girl Inside ” is a place where live action and animation breed to create a deeper truth, one conveys the perspective of a child.
Meet the Team
Director
Paulina Plazas
At age 17 she was writing her first novel “The Life of the Death”. In the year 2000 Paulina was named one of the most promising Colombian talents of her generation by magazine Revista Semana. That same year she became the youngest screenwriter ever to win honors at the international screenwriting competition “Premio Solinas.” After graduating from the Academy of the Arts in Rome she moved to New York City where HBO selected her script “Colombianitos” for the Panel “Art of the Short” at the New York International Latino Film Festival. Plazas’s short film “Killer Talent” premiered at The Colombian International Film Festival in New York and her documentary “Lorena” premiered at the World Kids International Film Festival in India.
Producer
Katrina Wolfe
KATRINA WOLFE / PRODUCER
Katrina Wolfe is an Emmy and Critics Choice nominated producer who served for a number of years as Senior Vice President of Production for the Dimension Films division of the Weinstein Company (formerly Miramax), where she worked on a number of iconic films including Bad Santa, The Others, Death Proof, Scary Movie, Sin City, The Road, Youth in Revolt , and dozens of others
After joining BN Films -- a subsidiary of Alex Garcia's AG Studios -- as President of Production at the time of its launch in 2012, Katrina brought in and produced several feature projects including the critically acclaimed and Golden Globe nominated film "Nightingale"..
Director of Photography
Natasha Braier
Argentinean, Braier has worked consistently over the last 15 years on shorts and features latterly for some high-profile international directors—Shane Meadows, Lynne Ramsay, Claudia Llosa. Natasha’s work includes Lucia Puenzo’s Argentinean hermaphrodite drama “XXY” which won the Critic’s Week Grand Prix in Cannes 2000, “Somers Town” a lovely black and white film for Shane Meadows, and Claudia Llosa’s 2010 Foreign-Language Oscar nominee and Golden Bear winner “The Milk of Sorrow”. Braier’s films “ The Rover” , “Neon Demon” and “Honey Boy” all showcase her great versatility and talent.
Composer
Sonia Belousova
Sonya’s unique career presents a rare blend of contrasting genres and forms bringing her equal recognition as a composer and performer. Belousova’s works amass a strikingly broad audience. She composed three original ballets (The House of Bernarda Alba, Orchis, Surrogate), produced & co-composed the score for Stephen King’s highly anticipated TV drama-thriller "The Mist". Most recently wrote songs & score praised by Playbill as “insanely catchy” for widely publicized Millennials: The Musical produced by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Lin-Manuel Miranda, scored Natalia Leite’s female-driven drama and SXSW hit M.F.A. starring Francesca Eastwood & Clifton Collins Jr. (Pacific Rim), as well as created a viral sensation Player Piano series receiving global acclaim and millions of views and shares online. She recently finished composing the score for Netflix's One Piece.