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Something You Said Last Night film image, director Luis De Filippis

Something You Said Last Night

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Having already suffered the humiliation of losing her job, Ren (Carmen Madonia), an aspiring writer, must now endure a week of summer vacation with her overbearing parents (Ramona Milano and Joey Parro) and extroverted, overachieving younger sister (Paige Evans). A 20-something trans woman eager to prove her self-sufficiency, Ren is instead forced to share a bed with her sister and wile away her time with resort activities intended for children or seniors. In the summer haze, it becomes increasingly difficult to distinguish between rebellion and regression.

With its intricate family dynamics, Luis de Filippis’ debut feature is disarmingly intimate and exceedingly well-observed. She empathetically illustrates how familiarity can breed cluelessness, leaving kin to rely on assumptions about one another rather than genuine understanding. The film’s deceptively rigorous structure sees each character transformed by week’s end, with Ren arriving at the realization that adulthood needn’t entail putting away all childish things.

 

Changemaker Award, TIFF 2022; Sebastiane Award, San Sebastian 2022

 

Q&A Oct 4 & Oct 6

 

Presented by

Media Partner

Global BC Logo

Director
Cast

Carmen Madonia, Ramona Milano, Paige Evans, Joey Parro

Credits
Country of Origin

Canada/Switzerland

Year

2022

Language

In English and Italian with English subtitles

Content Warning

Drug & Alcohol Abuse

18+
96 min
Award Winners Drama LGBTQIA2S+ Women Directors

Book Tickets

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Credits

Executive Producer

Michaela Pini, Kevin Chinoy, Francesca Silvestri, Jennifer Konowal

Producer

Luis De Filippis, Jessica Adams, Harry Cherniak, Michael Graf, Rhea Plangg

Screenwriter

Luis De Filippis

Cinematography

Norm Li

Editor

Noemi Prieswerk

Production Design

Matthew Bianchi

Original Music

Ella Van Der Woude

Director

Luis De Filippis headshot, Something You Said Last Night director

Luis De Filippis

Luis De Filippis is a Canadian-Italian filmmaker whose work has played at festivals such as TIFF, Rotterdam, and Sundance, where her short film For Nonna Anna (2017) received a Special Jury Prize. De Filippis’ films explore the complexities of family, the bond between generations, and the realities of living as a trans woman. Her debut feature, Something You Said Last Night, is executive produced by The Florida Project’s Kevin Chinoy and Francesca Silvestri.