Always Shine (2016)

Sophia Takal’s second feature film Always Shine is a breathless and spellbinding look at the jagged intimacies of friendship and performance.

Caitlin Fitzgerald and Mackenzie Davis play Beth and Anna, both actors in the early stages of their careers, who ditch Los Angeles for a quiet weekend in the lush wilds of Big Sur. With nods to Robert Altman's Images, Ingmar Bergman's Persona, and David Lynch's Mulholland Drive, Takal’s film takes a dark and winding road in its exploration of identity in crisis and performance as power. The main title sequence is a dizzying amalgam of footage and ticker-tape text that sets up these themes and creates an atmosphere of unease.

In the opening moments, Beth (Caitlin Fitzgerald) auditions for the role of a rape victim, watched and evaluated by a group of men. The scene is an extended look at and into Beth – her desire to please, her discomfort, her submission, her resolve. The quick cuts by editor Zach Clark that follow reveal flashes of the film, teasing out vital moments and lending the title sequence the feeling of a trailer. The effect is enticing and mysterious, drawing viewers in. Simultaneously, however, we’re given shots of the film’s clapperboard and camera lenses, reminding us of the filmmaking process and the medium itself, drawing us out. In the very moments that Always Shine begins to build, it also begins to deconstruct, starting a gripping and confident dialogue that warrants our participation. All the world’s a stage.

A discussion with Always Shine Director SOPHIA TAKAL, Editor ZACH CLARK, and Title Designer TEDDY BLANKS.

How soon after your feature Green, which came out in 2011, did you start working on Always Shine?

Sophia: I started coming up with the idea almost immediately after Green premiered at South by Southwest. The aftermath of Green was the inspiration for the movie. Just like, career competition with friends and feeling out of control. My husband Lawrence thought it might be cathartic and productive to turn all those feelings into a piece of art. Tapping into the anxiety I was feeling, I…

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