Joanna Glum (C ‘15), “tells familiar stories in unfamiliar ways to build worlds that don’t exist for those who already do.” She is a writer, director, actor, and educator in theater and film, and her alumni award will help support the development of a feature screenplay that explores the issues of aging & America’s caregiving crisis that have always influenced her work. This project seeks to re-harness the road trip film to redefine our collective notion of American ‘Independence’ with characters defined by their dependence. In a society that glorifies productivity, Glum aims to resurrect from social afterthought those who no longer ‘produce.’ The low-budget film opens with claustrophobic interiors and the everyday mundane of caregiving – until this in-a-day drive offers grandmother and granddaughter vibrant, wider frames as they open themselves up to each other (these personal revelations becoming our road trip’s ‘new frontier.’) Throughout, this drive tracks a Northern California in conflict, where scenic beauty meets a perennial fire season and exorbitant, oblivious wealth spends nights in resorts across the street from local, rural poverty. This is a different sort of “coming of age” film, one that relies on seeing these characters see each other, and the audience will find there’s life in those we relegate to living rooms, should we choose to witness them.
Trailer for Glum’s You Should Get Out More, a near-silent short film that follows a pair of feet as they move throughout their day of caregiving. Official selection: Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival; Palm Springs ShortFest Film Market; Penn’s CAMRA Screening Scholarship Media Festival.