CAST LIST:

Narrator: Sean Ballantyne
Willow: Val Cole
Gert: Hannah Ehman

Get to know the screenwriter:

1. What is your screenplay about?
Bitter is a belated coming of age story for anyone that feels like the paradigm of success has shifted. It takes the traditional geek vs bully high school sub-genre and basically turns it on its ass, focusing on WILLOW, a once-hopeful two-time valedictorian, slated for success. Now, 10 years later, she’s a bitter waitress, struggling with resentment and unmet potential, all while PARKER, her high school bully, lives the good life as a prominent influencer.

2. What genres does your screenplay fall under?
Bitter is definitely a comedy. When developing this story, it felt necessary to look through a humorous lens. The plot tackles a lot of socially-relevant themes and issues we all deal with on a daily basis: comparison culture, scam-influencers, toxic personalities—things that can absolutely consume a person. So, I thought it was important to craft the story and its characters from a place of comedy. I wanted to avoid the perception of whining or lecturing, and write a story that has something to say, but also has audience wanting to listen because they’re getting to laugh along the way.

2. Why should this screenplay be made into a movie?
Movies have changed drastically over the last decade—some changes good, some bad, but I think a gap has been created for some of the sillier, more light-hearted comedies that can still pack a punch—that have something to say, but do it in a way to invites, not divides. I think Bitter recaptures this approach, in line with early-2000’s movies like Mean Girls, Bruce Almighty, Miss Congeniality. The themes are there. The lessons are there. But so is the fun.

Also, I think something that might set this movie apart—and maybe even me as a writer—is my use of secondary characters. I write them to be quotable. To be memorable. Yes, they have to support the protagonist and help push the story forward, but for me they have a much bigger job: make the audience want to watch the movie again. I like to say that nobody re-watches MEAN GIRLS for Kady Heron. They re-watch it for Karen Smith, for Gretchin Wieners, for Janice and Damion. And with the streaming business set up the way it is, I think it’s now even more crucial that movies are re-watched after theatrical releases, not less. I see a lot of great movies fade into obscurity on streaming sites, and it’s my hope that movies like BITTER can sort of reinvigorate the re-watching culture that binge culture has commandeered. And I really think the key to that is loveable supporting characters.

3. How would you describe this script in two words?
Obscene fun.

4. What movie have you seen the most times in your life?
Oof. Where do I start? Obviously, I’ve sort of established myself as a big re-watcher of movies, so it’s hard to pinpoint which one has the highest view count. But it probably is a movie from that late 90’s/early 2000’s range. And most likely a comedy. The majority of my top picks from that time are probably in the 20-30 views range at this point. But to give you an answer, I’ll land on BEDAZZLED, starring Brendan Fraser and Elizabeth Hurely.

5. How long have you been working on this screenplay?
All-in-all, I think BITTER took me about nine months from original concept to final draft. It was my first ever writing project, so there was a lot of learning along the way, a lot of re-drafting, and also a pandemic wreaking havoc in the background. But if I piece all of the segments of writing time together, it took about nine months.

6. How many stories have you written?
I have actually just finished a polished re-draft of my second feature. A high-octane action-heist comedy called IN LOCO PARENTIS. And I’m currently busy developing my third feature: another socially charged comedy called GOOD BULLIES.

7. What motivated you to write this screenplay?
Like most comedies, BITTER was born out of anger and frustration. I make it no secret that I have a very low opinion of social media and the detrimental impacts it’s having on society, on our future generations, on the world as a whole. And, one day, I was absentmindedly scrolling Instagram when I came across a scam-influencer promoting something (I forget what), and the “influencer” had barely masked her attempt at a scam. It was like she thought that people were so dumb, that there was no point to putting a cloak around her bad acting. And, unfortunately, I was fairly sure the video was making her a pretty penny. And it was that thought that I couldn’t get it out of my mind. The fact that a platform exists where bad people are inspired——if not encouraged——to take advantage and break the rules for personal gain, all while people who follow the rules are left behind, regardless of their efforts, their hard work. And it was with that thought that a socially charged comedy began to form.

8. What obstacles did you face to finish this screenplay?
There was definitely a few for sure. Obviously, the pandemic made it’s impacts on my productivity, but I would say the biggest obstacle probably was the anxiety surrounding believing that I had what it takes. I think that’s a big hurdle for most new writers to get over. But eventually something changed, something clicked, and a confidence creeped in that helped me finish those drafts and become proud of what I’d written.

9. Apart from writing, what else are you passionate about?
My obvious go-to answer for that is really boring: watching movies. Sometimes I like to think that watching movies actually counts as writing, you know: “because I’m learning”. It’s total B.S. But a better answer would actually be reading, specifically novels. I used to think it would be distracting as a writer—to delve into other writers’ worlds. But it actually helps a lot. And I specifically love reading books that have been made into movies. I love the comparisons. Where most people usually go to “the book is always better”, as a screenwriter, I love playing devil’s advocate and pinpointing which parts of the story are actually elevated by the cinema. I find that really fun. And then for a non-movie answer: paddle boarding. Turns out I’m surprisingly good at it.

10. What influenced you to enter the festival? What were your feelings on the initial feedback you received?
So, I’ve entered BITTER in a number of competitions—and usually placed, but it felt like I was sort of just collecting accolades, and to a degree, that’s not a bad thing. But I wanted to try a competition that could provide some exposure. You never know when the right eyes—or in this podcasts’ case, ears—will stumble upon your work, and I thought this competition would be a good way to start getting some exposure as a writer.

In regard to the feedback, I found it really great. It was actionable without being invasive. I’ve gotten feedback and coverage in the past where it feels like the reader is giving so many plot-based suggestions that they’re trying to morph your screenplay into something else—and it can sometimes feel like they’re giving that advice with an agenda. This feedback wasn’t like that at all. It was useful to know the places where the reader had some thoughts, but nice that it didn’t try to re-work the story for me. I appreciated that.