Catherine Cobb Ryan’s directorial debut, SEASON OF PASSAGE, is not just an example of “direct what you know,” but almost approaches an exorcism by film, if you will, as she tackles an intensely personal look at the experience of going through a miscarriage. Ryan did go through that experience herself and her approach to the subject is incredibly lacking in overwrought drama or emotional villains, etc. Instead, it allows viewers to be a companion to the main character as she goes through the experience – intimate, yet removed as much as one would be if it was your friend that had just went through a miscarriage. It’s a strong debut combining good filmmaking instincts with a subject matter that is rarely addressed onscreen as squarely as it is here. The film recently won “Best Dramatic Short Film” at the Manhattan Film Festival, and will likely be popping up at fests throughout the rest of the year.

 

1 This is an incredibly personal film and yet, what I think makes it special is that it eschews the potential for high “Lifetime Movie” style melodrama as it depicts a woman doing some serious heavy lifting to cope with what has occurred. Was that a prime mission of yours as you wrote, developed it, and initially worked with filmmaker David Spaltro on it?  

Absolutely. When David first suggested I take my personal miscarriage story and make a short out of it, I thought no one would want to see it. But as I explored the idea with a lot of women, I heard over and over again that, yes, they would like to see a real miscarriage depicted on the big screen, as it is really experienced. The reality is that 1 in 4 women experience pregnancy loss and have to go right on living their lives regardless. They go back to their routines without missing a beat – they go to work, take care of their other children, continue the birthday party and rarely share it with anyone but their partners because, in most cases, no one else knew they were pregnant. It’s an unseen loss without fanfare or melodrama. It’s just another event in their day, albeit a devastating one.

 

2 Speaking of David Spaltro, he directed you in DARK EXORCISM and originally was the director on this film, even shooting the film to a great extent. The decision process for you to “accept” that in fact, you should actually have the director credit is a wonderful example of film artists with a lot of great respect for each other coming to a decision that often times can literally end up before arbitration panels or in the courts. Can you describe how that happened and what went into it?

It’s embarrassing to say, but as an actress, I never fully understood the director’s job from start to finish. In my mind, they were the ones calling “action” and “cut”. From the beginning, David always said it was my story and my film and, since I was also the executive producer and producer, I took l the lead. He was there to support me, offer me his guidance and opinion, but in the end he let me take the lead. I interviewed and hired the crew, did the casting and collaborated on what we were going to shoot and what I wanted to get. We didn’t always agree, but, when it came to shooting, it was important for me to step away and focus on acting, and trust he would get it in the can because if I didn’t do that job well, then there would be no film. I also had a wonderful Line Producer, Jane Renaud, who took over the producing as UPM on those days and successfully shielded me from any issues that popped up.

At the end of our principal shoot and David’s 1st edit, it became clear we had two different visions for the film, both valid, but very different.

It was important to me that the film be a straight narrative journey story with very specific pieces being told so that the audience wasn’t “surprised” by the miscarriage. I wanted them to go along for the journey and experience the emotions of the main character and feel the dread knowing the possibility of the loss. At that point we parted ways. I scheduled 1 and 1/2 days of pickups and reshoots, getting the shots I felt were necessary for the story and then brought the film to completion. When it was finished and I reached out to him and suggested we be co-directors. He said he had been waiting for this call for a year. He insisted I was the director and that he was more of an associate producer who stood in for me on those shoot days. That was hard for me to take in. It literally took him an hour to convince me. I joked that he just didn’t like the end product and didn’t want his name on it! But, as he said, I made a totally different film and I should to take credit for what I had done. He helped me look back and see all I had accomplished. It could have been very messy, but I think we both respect each other and, from the beginning, he wanted me to make my film, rather than get another credit for his resume. David is very generous with sharing knowledge and helping people.

 

3 Actors pick up and apply different things from the directors they’ve worked with when they take their turn behind the camera. Can you pinpoint something that you took from having been directed by David as well as the equally critically acclaimed Christina Kallas (42 SECONDS OF HAPPINESS, THE RAINBOW EXPERIMENT)?

I took two totally different things from each of these wonderful directors – they work so differently from each other! From David, I took the thoroughness of blocking out a scene and taking time to walk through the physicality and approximate where you can say your lines until it feels comfortable and works for the camera. From Christina, whose work is mostly well-prepared improv around a strong story structure, it was impressed upon me to know your character inside and out, their relationship with others, their desires and needs and allow that truth to come through even if it ends up being different than what was originally planned.

 

4 Why is it that you think the experience of going through a miscarriage is, so to speak, kind of neglected when it comes to being portrayed on film?

It’s a lot like cancer was in the 50’s. It’s spoken about in whispers, if at all, and it makes people uncomfortable. While audiences are used to watching someone bleed from being shot, stabbed, or violently attacked, seeing blood in a woman’s underwear or streaming down their legs seems to evoke a viscerally different reaction. Even on set, one of the crew found shooting the bathroom scene very emotional. I think he used the term violent and deeply sad even though he had been on sets like “Law &Order: SVU”.  However, I have seen (since I wrote and shot this film) that miscarriage has been addressed more in television, on the big screen, and on the web. Rihanna came out about her miscarriage and shared their loss with her fans. Allowing people into her private space was a very brave and generous thing to do. I have no doubt it helped other women. There is the #youarenotalone movement happening now encouraging more women to share their stories. It is very exciting.

 

5 You are early on in the film festival life of the film. Have you noticed a marked difference in how you find yourself talking about this film versus others you have been on the film festival circuit with in the past? 

Each film has its own story and purpose for having been made and I have been proud to be a part of each of them for various reasons. But my film is so personal and was born out of a desire to bring miscarriage into the spotlight. I find I am more passionate about informing people than entertaining them, though I found out at my 1st screening that I managed to do both! I am also way more engaged in talking about the technical aspects of shooting and producing a film than ever before because I hadn’t done that.

 

6 Since this could be described as a “message” film, what are you hoping for it to achieve as it makes its way out into the world?  

I want to reach as wide an audience as possible to really open up the discussion and how people think about miscarriage. I want to remove the taboo of talking about miscarriage. I want partners to have a better understanding and develop more compassion for what women go through. Making this movie made me realize I hadn’t fully grieved and it helped me heal. I hope women who see it will feel understood, be inspired to share their stories, get the suppport they need to heal, and to see that they are not alone.

 

7 While this has been an interview about a film with a very serious topic, we traditionally wind these interviews up with the following question: Popcorn or Candy?  

BOTH!!!!