Filmmaker Katherine Brooks doesn’t shy away from the taboo. One of her first short films, Finding Kate, was about two young female cousins who have had an ongoing physical relationship for years. Her hit feature film, Loving Annabelle, chronicles the relationship between boarding school student Annabelle (Erin Kelly) and her teacher Simone (Diane Gaidry). Her newest project, Confidential, will explore the relationship between a female psychiatrist, James, and her patient, Olivia. Brooks describes Confidential as similar in tone to Loving Annabelle, “but with higher stakes.”
“I’m a poetic dreamer of love overcoming any obstacle if it’s real, true love,” Brooks told me when I ask about the complicated relationships she explores in her films. “I feel like there’s always a special circumstance between two people, and I search for that special circumstance. I like watching two people battle to be together. You know, the conflict that people go through is so rich and layered.”
In Loving Annabelle, Simone does pay the price for her illegal relationship with the underage Annabelle. Will James also face the ethical and legal consequences of breaking the sacred bond between doctor and patient?
It’s been eight years since Loving Annabelle came out, and Katherine Brooks wants to bring lesbian audiences something new and powerful. “I’ve been very desperate to see a good movie with two female leads, where it isn’t about someone struggling with their sexuality, or struggling with issues of being gay,” she said. “I wanted to see something intense between two women, that wasn’t about that.”
Brooks has turned to Kickstarter to help fund her newest project. Everyone is working for free to create Confidential, but funds are needed to get the production off the ground.
The movie is expected to film this February in New Orleans and Thailand which, given Brooks’ keen eye for cinematography, should make use of its gorgeous scenery quite well. (Brooks grew up in New Orleans, and was in Thailand during the devastating tsunami, which affected her greatly.) While casting is ongoing, knowing it’s in Brooks’ more than capable hands, should hopefully encourage fans to contribute.
Are you looking forward to Confidential?
