Finished Shorts
Writer/Director: Jane Clark
Produced by: Jane Clark, Pete Maggi
Starring: Barbara Costa, Ryan Culver
Christina Price, a successful ballerina, gave it all up to have a baby with the man she loved. Seven years later her identity is lost to her children and husband. As the couple's relationship grows more strained, Christina's awareness of her situation grows stronger. Holding her feelings inside becomes more and more difficult as her inner dancer struggles to express herself. When a pivotal event breaks her silence and the inner dancer bursts out, Christina is forced to examine the truth and take a chance to find happiness in the life she has created for herself.
This film looks at a very common situation that women find themselves in, but rarely talk about. I was inspired after attending my cousin's life coach seminar, in Washington DC. The women in the room, about 20 of them, were all highly educated and successful women who gave up careers to raise their children. Every one of them was at that seminar because they had completely lost the essence of who they were. I was shocked and saddened to see these brilliant women at sea, struggling to figure out how to save themselves and still preserve their marriages and support their children.
Winner: Illuminati Award - Los Angeles Ladyfilmmaker Film Festival
Winner
Beyond Words (2009)
a Review
Daily Fix
By Jonathan W. HickmanPublished: March 10, 2010
Posted in: Daily Dose
Jane Clark's latest short film BEYOND WORDS is another impressive achievement. A dramatic narrative about a former ballerina who gave up her passion for dance to pursue a family, the film is skillfully acted and wonderfully captured.
A tight narrative BEYOND WORDS uses unique compositing techniques to tell the internal monologue of a beautiful dancer (played by Barbara Costa) who longs to dance again. At times, the protagonist splits on screen and an inner version of herself displays what she is feeling on the inside - anger, despair, and dance come to life in the less opaque apparition of herself. The ballerina's husband (Ryan Culver) finds it difficult to relate to and understand his wife's emotional strain. If only he could see the ghost she projects.
Continuing a familiar theme in Clark's work, BEYOND WORDS touches on an important social issue career vs. family. At one point, the ballerina tells a friend that she could have taken care of the pregnancy thus not interrupting her promising career on the stage. The tension between career and family is ever-present, especially in the United States where vacation time is held to an absolute minimum. Finding the happy medium can be very tough. WORDS hints at a resolution, which could be explored more fully in a feature version. The angst on display here is real and viewers should bond with the ballerina's plight. Stimulating conversation will follow, I'm sure.
Winner