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But I'm A Cheerleader |
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By Francesca Miller
There's a new face on the directing horizon, that of Jamie Babbit, a very
talented young auteur who has turned the traditional 'coming-out' film in a
new and very engaging direction. Instead of the usual tortured heroine
conflicted about her emerging sexuality, Ms. Babbit in her first feature
film, celebrates and lampoons all the stereotypical concepts of American
femininity.
Megan Bloomfield, (Natasha Lyonne) is a happy-go-lucky 17-year-old, who is suddenly torn out of her all-American, rah rah existence and packed off to True Directions, a brainwashing camp created to bring queer teens back to the fold of heterosexuality. While Megan protests having any lesbian tendencies, after all she's feminine, a Christian and a cheerleader for God's sake, at True Directions she meets a sexy, conflicted rich girl named Graham and is suddenly faced with the reality of her sexuality for the first time. The young, 29 year-old director's first foray into film direction was in the theater. Soon Babbit turned her dramatic vision to something more enduring, celluloid. She directed several short films including Sleeping Beauties which was shown at several international film festivals as well as Frog Crossing, a film which showed at the Rotterdam, Telluride, Sundance and Tokyo Film Festivals.
I caught up with Ms. Babbit recently and while the glow of her recent triumph at Los Angeles' OUTFEST 2000 was still quite fresh, it hasn't gone to her head. I found her to be remarkably clear headed and self-deprecating regarding her talent. She's the only director I've ever met who said, "Directing isn't brain surgery after all". Francesca Miller: When did you realize you were going to become a filmmaker? Jamie Babbit: (laughs) It was a gradual coming out process. Basically I always knew that I wanted to do something in the arts. I finished Barnard College... Francesca Miller: Did you study film at Barnard?
Jamie Babbit: Actually no, my initial interest was in the theater. I worked in
theater, stage managing and later directing. I worked on a number of plays
but realized that I was really limited by theater because it's such a
passing moment. I did about 100 productions but, of course, being theater,
they're lost forever. That's the problem with theater, once the production
is over, it's forgotten, there is no record so cinema was a natural
progression.
Francesca Miller: So then you earned a degree in film? Jamie Babbit: No, l couldn't afford that. My film education was limited to summer classes at N.Y.U. I had an extremely supportive directing teacher. After college I starting working in film, first in the office and then as a script supervisor on several feature films. I then started directing smaller films. Francesca Miller: But I'm a Cheerleader is an original story you conceived. How did you get the idea? Jamie Babbit: I got the idea actually from an article I read in a newspaper in San Francisco about a gay man who went to homosexual rehab camp and returned from it full of self-hatred. I went on the internet searching every site for these types of places, such as Ex Gay.com or I was Gay and Now I'm Straight.com. The sites were incredibly horrifying yet funny at the same time. Also, I was inspired because my mother runs a rehabilitation place called New Directions for kids with drug and alcohol problems. Its a different kind of place but an inspiration for my story. Francesca Miller: I had heard your mother was an inspiration for the over zealous gay de-programmer, the part that Cathy Moriarty played. How did your mother deal with your coming out? Jamie Babbit: (laughs) Shock! She whispered to me, "How can you be a lesbian, Jaimie, you're not even into sports." I saw at that instant how firmly entrenched stereotypes can be. Francesca Miller: How is she now? Jamie Babbit: Very supportive. Francesca Miller: You self identify as a femme. Was your femininity the basis of But I'm A Cheerleader?
Francesca Miller: You created the storyline but when it came to writing, you had screenwriter Brian Wayne Peterson pen the actual script. Why didn't you just write it yourself? Jamie Babbit: (Laughs) Because I'm a lousy writer. But actually one of the reasons I direct is that I'm very social. I love the interaction with actors, set designers, and producers. A writer has to be walled up for two or three months, which is a very solitary existence. I just don't like being alone that much because I love people. Francesca Miller: Was it intimidating working with your cast? After all you had Cathy Moriarty who worked with DeNiro and Scorsese and a bunch of hot young actors. Jamie Babbit: (laughs) I wasn't intimidated. They actually wanted to work on the film. Cathy is a pleasure to work with, a very funny and terrific lady. The rest of the cast was very supportive considering that in order to do the shoot, we had to film for one month during the Christmas break. No one but me would have been that crazy but all the actors were willing to give up their holidays to make this movie. Francesca Miller: After Cheerleader did the studios come knocking? Jamie Babbit: I wish. I did the film two years ago and it's finally being released. It's very important for me to continue learning and growing at my craft so my films look professional. I think that's the problem with so many female directors, they don't continue working on their craft, their films continue to look unprofessional and cheap. I am directing now. My day job is working for television, a series on the W.B. called Popular. Francesca Miller: Sounds great!
Jamie Babbit: (laughs) It pays the rent but directors in television just don't have
the clout they have in film because the power is with the writers and the
producers. When I direct a film, I have so much more power. On television,
I don't even get involved with the casting. Still, I'm using the medium as
an opportunity to learn my craft because it is essential that my films have
a finished look (laughs) even if I don't know what I'm doing yet. I don't
want them to look amateurish like so many independent films.
Francesca Miller: Were there any classic directors who you wanted to emulate? Jamie Babbit: Not really, no real classical directors come instantly to mind though I love the work of Jane Campion. I loved The Piano and Sweetie is one of my favorites. Oh, and I also love Sally Potter. I thought Orlando was wonderful; it was such a great looking film, so rich and so visual. Francesca Miller: What about male directors? Jamie Babbit: I like the look of the films of Douglas Sirk. Gus Van Sant is great because his films are so personal to him. And, I absolutely love the work of Tim Burton. His visual style is so strong. Francesca Miller: You have a strong visual style too. Considering how limited your budget was, your film had such an interesting look, all in pinks and blues. Was that your idea? Jamie Babbit: Yes, but I was so fortunate to have Rachel Kamernan as my production designer and we had a great collaboration. The first part of the film, when the lead Megan is at home with her parents, is in earth tones: brown and rusts. When she is forced into True Directions, we needed that blue for boys, pink for girls look. We found the perfect place for the shoot, this surreal Victorian house. Francesca Miller: How do you feel about the filmmaking process?
Jamie Babbit: Great. First of all, I had the advantage of working with the best producer, Andrea Sperling, on my first feature. Andrea is extraordinary, she has practically produced and financed every independent film shot in Los Angeles and half of the ones that go to Sundance. Francesca Miller: I read that you were working on a film for Tribeca Films. Jamie Babbit: It still going through the studio process and could be given to another director. I do have an idea of the type of films I want to do and am working on other scripts. I love to create interesting social satires and comedies and not necessarily gay-themed ones. My new film isn't gay-themed. . As far as directing, I love directing, love being on the set, and love working with actors. I just want my work to get better and better. Francesca Miller: What would you say to the aspiring female directors out there? Jamie Babbit: Women are so afraid of the technical aspects of directing but tell them, directing is easy, it's not brain surgery! You just have to learn your craft, learn how to shoot a film. You think of the many difficult things that women do, like social work or nursing and they never get decent pay. Next to social work or a lot of the other jobs women do, being a director is easy. But I'm A Cheerleader was released by Lion's Gate Films July 21st at a theater near you. |
Jamie Babbit: Yes. I find femininity so interesting yet so many lesbian-themed films
(Go Fish, Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girl In Love, Boys Don't
Cry) come from the perspective of the butch that I wanted to look at in
terms of what motivates the femme. Of course, Graham, the character Clea
[Duval] plays isn't a real butch, but Megan is so feminine yet the active
character who I thought would make an interesting story.
© 1997-2000 BEI