- 2 days ago
Director's Statement: "Someone Loves You" was written over the course of a few years, every Thursday night on Zoom, as a means for cathartic release from built up childhood trauma and a shared understanding of what it means to break away from co-dependent relationships with those who we love the most. The subject matter is inspired by true events and experience with loving and humanizing family members who live with schizophrenia and other challenges. We both come from ethnic backgrounds and communities that tend to silence mental health and treat it as taboo. As millennial and first-generation Americans, we are examining the different responses to mental health within the first-generation immigrant family dynamic. We have found that in focusing on one Jamaican household facing this diagnosis, we are opening up a much-needed universal conversation about schizophrenia and the humanity of those facing it.
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LifestyleTranscript
00:00I'm going to invite the writers, directors, and executive producers of that project,
00:08Amanda Mandy and Victoria Perriot first.
00:11Can we give them a round of applause?
00:17And then I want to also invite the actresses of this project,
00:22Ynoha Lainey and Nadine Sutherland.
00:25Can we please keep it going?
00:27Keep clapping, keep clapping, keep clapping.
00:30Y'all got to keep clapping.
00:39They're not here yet.
00:43Wow, this is nice to be right.
00:47Well done.
00:49Well done.
00:53I had to take a deep breath.
00:54Let's take a deep breath.
00:55Because for me, I was like, I was watching the intergenerational conversations, the interpersonal conversations within those.
01:04You kind of threw that curveball with a friend being trash, you know, trying to be with the daddy.
01:09What are we talking about?
01:10Your friend's in pain.
01:11But moving on.
01:13So let's first talk about how this started.
01:17The Thursday night Zooms.
01:19Where you guys are connecting on the stories, what is that like?
01:24What are y'all talking about?
01:25Who cried first?
01:27So Amanda and I, outside of being co-creators, are really, really close friends.
01:32And in our friendship, we share a bond.
01:36You could call it a trauma bond where both of our cultures don't really discuss mental health.
01:41And, well, we're naming it now schizophrenia runs in both of our families on different levels.
01:47For me, it is some of the men in my family and things that my mom has had to go through.
01:54And for Amanda, I'll let her speak for herself, but it's closer.
01:57It's a parent.
01:58It's a parent.
01:59So this was a space on Thursday nights that we never knew if we were going to make this or not.
02:04But we're like, let's just write a narrative around it and protect our loved ones, but finally have a chance to really go in deep and start some healing, even if we never put it out.
02:15So that really gave us a lot of creative freedom because we're like, we never have to show it to anyone.
02:20Let's just tell a raw story and build this world.
02:23So that world building took about like four years, I'd say, before we started.
02:28I was really reluctant to put it out.
02:32So, as I stated, it was a parent.
02:35One of my parents is schizophrenic.
02:37And so growing up, that was challenging, navigating that, not having friends over, not telling partners just because I didn't know.
02:46I didn't, there was a certain shame associated with someone who is mentally unwell.
02:53And it's a conversation that I grew up in a Caribbean household, Jamaican to be exact, and it just wasn't discussed.
02:59It was seen as someone put roots on you or, you know, that person's just unwell.
03:05And so what you end up doing is hiding that individual away from people, away from society, so it doesn't reflect badly on the family.
03:13And so this was a pretty cathartic experience, writing this with Victoria for the four years that we did, because I just never thought I would actually put it out and make myself this open and vulnerable.
03:24But I'm very glad that we completed this project and did that.
03:29Yeah.
03:29Yeah.
03:29Yeah.
03:30All right.
03:31Victoria, what culture are you in the gym?
03:33Yeah, I'm Mediterranean.
03:33So I'm Greek.
03:35I'm one and a half gen Greek.
03:36And then my Italian side of the family, where the schizophrenia is, they, coming, after coming to America, they didn't fully, I guess they were focusing on assimilating and just brush things under the rug as well.
03:48So it's a very zoomed in story that we needed to focus on the Afro-Caribbean immigrant experience, but we're finding that it's a really universal story that could be told in any household.
04:01Speaking as a Nigerian-American who deeply understands navigating by nationalism, trying to protect our parents, this, you know, you mentioned the shame that comes from, where did it even come from, right?
04:13Like, schizophrenia isn't inevitably bad, it is a condition that someone has, it isn't make who they are, right?
04:19And we just have this conditioning as people to, because we just don't have a lot of tools, right, to deal with people's differences.
04:28So when you talked about that shame, I deeply, I felt for you and I understood that and I had a lot of love for that.
04:33How did you decide on your cast?
04:34Because you two had such an incredible dynamic as mother and daughter that was deeply, ooh, it was like I wanted to wrap my arms around both of you for different reasons, right?
04:46And so how did you choose the cast?
04:48And then I'd love for the two actresses to tell us about your chemistry.
04:52So, first of all, shout out to these two ladies because they're both making their acting debut in this, for the first time.
04:59At Essence Festival?
05:01At Essence, yes.
05:02Well done!
05:03And the rest of our, we had quite an ensemble and they were very well trained.
05:08They've been well trained too, they put everything into it and their scene partners have done multiple things, so it made for a beautiful dynamic.
05:15But casting took us the whole summer, it was last summer, took us like three, four months and like a lot of Zoom, a lot of self-tapes, a lot of callbacks and chemistry reads.
05:26She likes certain people that I wasn't, uh.
05:29And vice versa.
05:30We had to meet in the middle, so yeah.
05:32It was like a lot of deliberation, but we feel like we both have the vision, like we're so different, but then the third option always ended up being the best.
05:40And we wanted to be intentional.
05:42We wanted a certain look that wasn't underrepresented, and we wanted as many Jamaican actors, especially the elders, just to have the authentic.
05:52And we love Terrell Hicks Dawson from Bronx Tale and Belly, so we reached out to her.
05:57We love Nadine.
05:58She's never acted before, but we grew up listening to her music, and she absolutely killed the audition and the callback.
06:06Correct, correct, correct.
06:09We found our mother and daughter.
06:11It was amazing.
06:12I love that.
06:13I hear the clap, so let's just finish it.
06:16Let's just do it.
06:17That's really good.
06:19So ladies, please talk about your dynamic, how you found your rhythm as actresses and through this story.
06:26And what parts of the story related to you the most?
06:28So I'm transitioning from commercial acting, which is not as much personal as being able to in theater or film or TV.
06:40There's just so much more emotion.
06:42And I keep saying this every time I talk to them, but it felt so purposeful from the moment I was sent the casting.
06:50It was a guy I met at a random networking event that was a year ago prior, was like, oh, I think you'd be perfect for this.
06:59And I was like, all right, I'll just shoot my shot.
07:01Literally two days before the casting was about to end, so every single step of this just felt so good.
07:08And I think all of our energies just made it so easy to be able to just connect on set.
07:15And then also our personal, like everyone here was able to relate.
07:19My father, like when I was talking to Jefford, I felt like I was talking to my dad.
07:24Like this is a conversation I had with him.
07:26Like, why aren't you understanding that I'm upset, I'm frustrated, I'm sad or whatever the case is.
07:31That was very easy to internalize and be able to project that.
07:36So real, real tears.
07:39But with Nadine, I don't know, I just, there's just something undescribable about our energies.
07:47And as soon as we got on set with everyone, like it just flowed so beautifully.
07:50So it was very easy to be able to emulate that.
07:54You're asking me these wonderful actresses thingy.
07:59And I can't really respond from that because I think I was preparing to Dirty Wine with Buja Banton because I've had some records in the dancehall reggae thing.
08:13It's a complete different thing for me.
08:16They just like called me.
08:17They wrote me on Instagram and I said yes.
08:21I said yes, I've done acting, which is true.
08:25For one time when I thought that there was no music left for me, I did my master's and I was the performing arts director for a school group.
08:35So I honed my acting skills in preparing my students for roles with monologue.
08:41That they done.
08:43I'm at my house getting ready for my show.
08:45They ain't lying to you.
08:46They wrote.
08:47I auditioned.
08:47They liked me.
08:48I went and said, I did my thing.
08:52I don't know.
08:53I don't know people preparing me and say, oh, as an actress, you have to say your research roles.
08:59I don't know nothing like that.
09:00And I can't lie to anyone.
09:02I probably had some acting skills there that was just immediately displayed.
09:10And that's all I can say to you.
09:13You really did your thing, Nadine.
09:15And you put so much into that character.
09:18When it's just in you, it's in you.
09:21I love that.
09:22I'd love to ask before we wrap.
09:24We don't get as much time as we could.
09:25But I hope you guys, if you resonated, to please feel free to talk to the women of this story.
09:31What do you hope people take away in the conversations that they had?
09:34In the beginning, I asked if anybody had had a sick family member or had to deal with that.
09:38Now that we've all experienced the film, what do you hope the conversations are in their families, in their lives, in their worlds?
09:46Yeah, that's a great question.
09:47I would say let's start having the conversation.
09:50I don't think we put that much effort into understanding mental health issues.
09:53And I would say being a safe space to people, friends, loved ones, family that go through mental health issues, have mental health conditions, being that safe space for them, it's not easy.
10:06And it's not easy for any of the people that are dealing with it.
10:10So I think it takes a village to really be receptive to understanding what's happening.
10:18And even if you don't understand, just being a safe space and not looking at them as outliers.
10:23I feel like we've done that, and we do that in society.
10:25So often when we see people on the street, or, oh, they're cuckoo, they're crazy, instead of really humanizing them.
10:30So I would like to, well, I hope that the film opens up a greater dialogue to mental health and understanding it.
10:36And being more empathetic towards individuals that suffer with mental health crises.
10:42And I would also add to that by saying so much of this is about motherhood to me and just loving someone deeply and wanting to save them.
10:50And I think we're kind of the first generation where it's not selfish to work on yourself.
10:56Because don't be surprised that when you do take boundaries and start working on yourself, you will rub off on those family members who were once making fun of you for taking boundaries.
11:06And I've started to see that in my own family, and it's a really beautiful thing.
11:10It's like we can heal our own mothers, and they can heal us, too.
11:14So just loving our family, because, as she said, once you step out into the real world, you're dehumanized if you're schizophrenic or if you're dealing with mental health.
11:25So we need to really humanize our loved ones in the household first.
11:29Do I have a second to add?
11:32Absolutely.
11:32I think, for me, personally, support your creatives.
11:38Even Nadine's role in the film, everyone just dismissed her and all her accolades.
11:44And immediately was like, all right, she lived her career.
11:46But people don't talk about how hard it is to always pat yourself on the back.
11:53So I think the takeaway here is just because you're successful doesn't mean to not take care of your mental health.
11:59Like, make sure you're good first before you're trying to outpour into the world.
12:04Yeah.
12:06Nadine, anything to add?
12:07Yeah, I want to add, you know, when I look at Marlene and the was, the was, she was a great artist.
12:16There were, you know, I identified with that so strongly.
12:21Because being a woman that is 57 in the music industry, they told me I was old in my 30s.
12:26No, I'm back on stage and doing it, and I'm semi-relevant.
12:30I don't even understand that word.
12:32And I can jump up and dance and do my thing and get in shows and performing and still recording.
12:37And now I'm doing a short film.
12:39Come on, baby girl.
12:40So I still understand when they write you off, you know.
12:45And she was written off.
12:47Her sickness, obviously, was what was a catalyst of writing her off.
12:52I just want to say we have to be more loving to the aging woman.
12:57We have to change some of our narratives in writing off people.
13:02I think we, you know, I see my age without any, I'm just like, I'm 57.
13:07My father think I'm crazy.
13:08He's like, woman don't really say them age, when them reach them kind of age, you know, Nadine.
13:13And I do it.
13:14I do it from a perspective of resistance and rebellion.
13:18Because you're not going to shame me because of my age.
13:21You're not going to call me a has-been.
13:23You're not going to say I am done.
13:25So I resonated so strongly with that part of Marlene's journey.
13:30Irrespective that it was an illness that, you know, so all of the women, them, past a certain age, big up on themselves.
13:37Yeah.
13:38I'm here doing it, baby.
13:42Oh, I really loved hearing you, all of your perspectives, what personally resonated with you in the story, why you wrote the story.
13:49I hope we all can relate to it because, again, it's such a universal theme.
13:52And I'd love to say that I know as we're getting to know people, whether it's family member who is personal to us, our friends, anybody.
13:59It can be tough, right, because when we don't understand each other, sometimes I'm like, it's easier to just not want to understand.
14:05But what's more beautiful is curiosity.
14:07If we can all take a commitment to connecting to curiosity, we can have more of these conversations.
14:12So I just wanted to say that.
14:13Congratulations to you, ladies.
14:15This is a gorgeous project.
14:16I hope we can hear more about how we can support you.
14:19Please stick around, chat with them, get to know them more.
14:22Thank you guys for watching and supporting.
14:24Share it.
14:24Tell people about it so we can get them funding and so we can see there are more of this.
14:28Because I'm like, this is a very important story.
14:31Thank you guys so much.
14:32Thank you so much, Stacey.
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