Starring: Rebekah Holdridge, Taylor Auriel, Brandon Johnson, Julia Martin, Wes Sheridan, Leah Woodruff

 

Set against the background of panic and depression that ensued during Donald Trump's first months as president and the fears of 'fake news' and social media abuse that arose from that, 'In Defence of Mansplaining' is an experimental portrait of Santa Fe, New Mexico.

The fractured, matryoshka doll narrative, viewed on two competing screens, explores the people and histories of the town through a sometimes dishonest personal and confessional style, grappling with how the passions and interests of the town exist within fractalizations of the national mood and the shifting worldview caused by the dependence on digital technologies. The characters' and narrator's vignettes mimic the often two-dimensional magical realism of social media identities and despite their best attempts to be modern and progressive, their subtle reliance to outdated social norms, seep through the cracks of their personas.

 

 

About the title: This film is NOT a defense of mansplaining. The title is both a reference and parody of clickbait culture (I had tried to come up with a title that was ridiculous, indefensible and obviously a joke only to be bested by the totally serious article by the Guardian using my same title a few months later. I then decided to use the UK spelling of 'Defense' from then on as an homage to the tone-deaf think piece) as well as an admission of potential subconscious complicity in traditional sexist storytelling methods. Since my film deals with the manipulation of language, stories, and points of view, the title reflects the biases of my own background. In a culture where stories from straight white males are still considered 'the default', I hope by associating my work with a very embarrassing and unwitting trend in men, I help break apart the notion that our stories are the “correct/default” ones.