Ryan Michael’s film Josephine Doe premiered at Manchester International Film Festival (MANIFF) this weekend. The black-and-white film stars Erin Cipolletti, who also wrote it.
Josephine Doe follows Claire, played by Cipolletti, and her relationship with the mysterious Josephine. Struggling with the death of her father, Claire welcomes free spirit Josephine into her life. When they both get in trouble with the authorities, however, she discovers that her friend is not exactly what she seems. By having the film in black and white, Ryan Michael shows how Claire only sees what she wants to see and that her vision is limited to her own mind.
Overall, this film portrays an underlying fear of mental illness, shown in Claire’s sister Angie, played by Elisabeth Bennett. Angie struggles to understand Claire’s state of mind but still cares about her and wants to help. In contrast Lily, Claire’s niece, sees Claire as she is and doesn’t judge or question her relationship with Josephine.
Josephine Doe is a beautifully acted film and extremely well written. It explores the limitless nature of the mind and how everyone’s own mind functions differently.
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