outtakes

I set out to direct a film about two friends navigating the boundaries of intimacy, friendship and their own personalities without any script, shot list or set design. The two actors, also named Aryann and Zlata as their characters, were put in spaces and settings, with broad prompts as I filmed their interactions, observing both, as they fictionalize their words and expressions and borrow from reality.

The form of the film, presented as 'outtakes' of Zlata's film archive, also came as we filmed this experimental project. At various points, the film presents the reality of the two's friendships but also deceives as real-life situations traverse across acted prompts and characters. Even as the maker of this film, I struggle to point what is real and fictitious as two beautifully complicated people make themselves vulnerable in front of my camera.