Think you've had a one-night stand gone wrong? Think again!
From the creative minds at the WA Screen Academy and the West Australian Academy of Performing Arts, comes Linger.
“Linger is a short comedy film about Ariel, a young woman in her 20s who has a one-night-stand with her roommate, Aidan’s, ex-girlfriend Cat. The next morning, Ariel and her roommates scramble chaotically to find ways to get Cat to leave before Aidan’s parents arrive to meet his new partner, Nicole, for the first time.”
Currently in production, Linger is being made for and by members of the LGBTQ+ community, and has already garnered significant interest through a crowd funding campaign. A fun teaser video, made to promote the campaign, caught the eye of Magazine 6000 who sent the Linger team a series of questions…
What’s Linger all about?
The mayhem and madness of being a millennial. Anyone who claims to know what they’re doing is a bare-faced liar. Ariel’s had sex. Excellent. It’s with her roommate’s ex. Less excellent. And she hasn’t quite got the nerve to articulate what she wants (a symptom of being twenty-something), and asking the one-night-stand to leave is physically out of the question. So instead she ropes the entire household into her chaos, and you get the pleasure of watching the calamity unfold! -Katy McLean, Writer
What inspired this story?
Linger was inspired by the time I had a one night stand who lingered longer than I’d hoped. With this film, I wanted to explore the expectation and nuances of being a woman or femme presenting and how that affects the way we interact with people. Putting it in the context of queer culture and relationships however has put a beautiful spin on it and I am so excited to see it play out on screen. -Aaryn Bath, Director
Linger: Left Chaya Ocampo (Ariel), Right Abbey Morgan (Cat)
Who and what are some of your inspirations for the film?
For this specific film I have been influenced by films and shows such as Broad City, Booksmart and Banana Split. All have incredible friendships between the lead characters that I have been really inspired by. As well as that, the vibrant colour palette seen in those films is something we’re bringing to Linger. -Aaryn Bath, Director
You have a wonderfully diverse team and cast; how did you all come together to work on this project? And how does it feel to be working with this team?
After Aaryn pitched the idea, I couldn’t help but see the potential it had because it was so funny, and I wanted to be a part of that. Katy pitched another queer story, so I connected the dots and asked if she’d like to be our writer should it get picked, and it did and Katy said yes. We’re finally in an age now where the right people are telling the right stories, so I knew Linger needed that for their crew, and I think our executive producers knew that for the cast too because they really do fit the characters so well. Working with everyone has been so much fun! We’re all super close and all so passionate about the story. – Justine Hinz, Producer
Linger creative team: Left Justine Hinz (producer), Centre Aaryn Bath (director), Right Katy McLean (writer)
The teaser video you made for your fundraising campaign already had us hooked and wanting more. What made you decide that was the scene to go with?
It is amazing to hear that our teaser made an impact! I decided to write an extra scene just to use for the teaser that would show the hilarity that ensues, and which was enough to showcase our wonderful characters, without giving away the antics and twists and turns that go on in the script. -Aaryn Bath, Director
You ran a very successful fundraising campaign, what will the funds you’ve raised enable you to do with the film?
A lot goes into making a film, even if it’s short. The funds enable us to bring Katy’s script and Aaryn’s vision to life, from production design and props, to costume and make-up. We also have to take into account equipment hire, location charges, and festival entry fees. Maybe a fire extinguisher or two… But honestly the largest amount goes into catering for our cast and crew of about 40 for 4 days. – Justine Hinz, Producer
Once Linger is made, what are your plans for it?
After we screen it at the WA Screen Academy gala in September, we’ll be sending it off to as many festivals as we can, and that will go on for about 2 years. But as for more distant-future plans, Aaryn and I have talked about potentially developing it into a web series should it be received well. Potentially. It’s just an idea. – Justine Hinz, Producer
Keep up to date with Linger @Lingershortfilm on instagram and Linger: Short Film on facebook.