Masked

Visualize this: a sad clown. She smiles for the kids and adults, brings laughter and joy, forcing herself available to be laughed at and labelled but when she wipes away the mask of makeup in private,  she doesn't know who she is. She longs to connect on a real level to people, on equal playing fields but is afraid of being vulnerable. She has a choice to either unravel the layers of masks that she presents to the world or to continue to hide beneath them and deny true connection.

FARAH is a short film about Farah, a transplant to LA who works at a flower shop. Her single thread of connection is to her coworker who feigns niceness but could care less. We witness the layers fall to the side in the privacy of her inner world and emptiness. There's something so raw and revealing to witness a person alone without the distraction of activities.

Who are you without the noise, the life of the crowd and fabrications of an enviable, spinning lifestyle?

Farah meets someone and the seed is planted, the hope of these interactions flowering into a true connection overwhelm that feeling of loneliness. The challenges don't end with the decision to connect. Vulnerability is a constant battle. It's not a safe place with a guaranteed outcome but it's worth the aches and burns.

I'm passionate about stories that show people in honest, raw lights; flaws and fears exposed. People are capable of doing ugly things, failing and hurting others, particularly the ones they love the most. But that doesn't make them ugly people nor do they deserve a life of lack and misery. They can choose to pick themselves up, forgive, grow and overcome. Those stories are my favorites. I do believe that despite what people do and say they are truly good at heart. Some just keep it hidden deeper than others.