Confessions
2023 · 11m · USA
Directed by Stephanie Kaznocha
Tones: humorous, melancholic, tender, whimsical
After a friend dies, two elderly nuns in their eighties begin asking what they still want from life, and one confession leads to another as they set off on a day of gentle adventure and mutual self-discovery.
Picked by Margot
The scouts
Two eighty-something nuns on a buddy-comedy day-trip — the demographic flip alone is welcome, and at eleven minutes it can't get cloying. Charming on its own terms.
Two women in their eighties leading a buddy-comedy road-trip — Kaznocha is centering interiority and humor that mainstream cinema persistently denies older women. The casting is the gesture.
Eleven minutes centering two women in their eighties (Carol Herman and Eve Sigall) in a buddy-comedy road-trip framework — that's a rare directorial bet and the SOTW curator pull-quote specifically credits the chemistry as the engine. With material this dependent on its leads, two well-cast veterans is the right scale.
Reviews
Irresistibly charming primarily due to the two lead actresses, Carol Herman and Eve Sigall, and their chemistry. Strikes the right balance between vulnerability and comedy, which makes her two protagonists immediately likable.
One of the more delightful shorts that I've seen in recent memory. Funny, touching, heartfelt and well crafted.
Festivals
- Palm Springs International ShortFest 2023
- Flickers' Rhode Island International Film Festival 2023, First Prize, Best Live Action Short
- Cleveland International Film Festival 2023, Best Comedy Short, Audience Choice
- Coronado Island Film Festival 2023, Mary Pickford Award for Outstanding Achievement in Filmmaking
- Salute Your Shorts Film Festival 2023, Audience Award + Jury Special Mention
- Femme Filmmakers Festival 2023, Bronze Bell + Writing Prize
- Tallgrass Film Festival 2023
- Boston Film Festival 2023
- Bend Film Festival 2023