Lara Jean Gallagher’s debut feature has found a home. Oscilloscope Laboratories snagged U.S. rights to “Clementine,” a press release announced. The drama debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival earlier this year.
Penned by Gallagher, the pic tells the story of Karen (Otmara Marrero), a heartbroken woman recovering from a one-sided breakup. She flees LA “for her ex’s idyllic lake house in the Pacific Northwest. There, she becomes entangled with a mysterious, alluring younger woman (Sydney Sweeney), whom she cannot seem to resist,” the film’s synopsis hints.
Described as “equal parts psychological thriller and sexual coming-of-age story,” “Clementine” will hit theaters in 2020.
“I wanted to tell a coming-of-age story, but in a way that’s more mirror than growth. I guess I’m interested in people taking charge of their own coming-of-age stories, deciding how they want to be and how they want to grow,” Gallagher told us.
The writer-director explained, “I had a relationship with an older and more successful woman that ended in a breakup that completely floored me. As I got closer to the age that she was when we started dating, I found myself more interested than angry about the experience. Clementine is definitely working out a lot of tangled feelings about being dumped. She’s dealing with her sense of self-worth — or lack thereof — when dating someone older and more experienced, as well as the haunting and wily subject of age.”
O-Scope’s Dan Berger said, “We’re very excited to have the opportunity to bring ‘Clementine’ to a wide audience. Lara has created a beautiful, thoughtful film brimming with atmosphere and intimacy. The stellar performances, gorgeous cinematography, and dreamy music really bring her unique vision to life. ‘Clementine’ is a film that seeps off the screen.”
“I’m thrilled to be partnering with Oscilloscope, a company I’ve long admired that has been behind so many of my favorite films and filmmakers,” Gallagher added. “To count ‘Clementine’ among their slate of beautifully considered films is more than I could have hoped for when making this deeply personal story in the wilds of Oregon.”
Gallagher’s shorts and music videos have screened at SXSW, Palm Springs Shortfest, Mill Valley, Portland International, DC Shorts, as well as online via Pitchfork, Spin, Rolling Stone, and NPR, among others.
