Pollyanna McIntosh is an actress, writer, and director. Her acting credits include “The Walking Dead” and “The Last Tycoon.” “Darlin’” is her directorial debut.
“Darlin’” premiered at the 2019 SXSW Film Festival on March 9.
W&H: Describe the film for us in your own words.
PM: “Darlin,’” to me, is a social issue horror with bite about the coming of age of a feral teenager under strict church “care.” It’s half gothic fairytale, half punk horror with a strong heart.
W&H: What drew you to this story?
PM: The idea of girls being “good” above all was what prompted me to write it, and so it’s Darlin’s rebellion—and probably my own—against hypocrisy and abuse, while expressing what hope there is in connection, community, and the raising of one’s voice.
I think I’ve always had a fascination with the obsession with “goodness” and “appealing-ness” that the female gender is saddled with very early on and long beyond. I find it limiting and manipulative, pervasive and grotesque, yet still affecting, even for a grown-ass feminist like me. I think that theme will be present throughout my work.
Religion was all around me as a child too and shaped my world view before I was grown. I was raised in Portugal and Colombia, which are both Catholic countries, but my parents did not raise us religiously, so I guess I’ve had experience with looking at religion from an outsider’s perspective.
I was researching feral children, and I found this story of a Western priest in India who claimed to have found feral girl sisters in the woods. It turned out that the girls had special needs and he was using them in a lie. I began to imagine why he would do that and figured it must have been for fame or for money for his church. This was the seed that led me to have Darlin’ “discovered” by The Bishop and thus discuss the hypocrisy of the church.
I also read a statistic that one in six Americans are treated in a Catholic Church run hospital without knowing it, which means they could be unaware that the hospital’s rules are different from other hospitals in their states.
I am all for separation of church and state, but it seems America is not truly built that way. The abuse of power of major religions in their treatment of children and their refusal to protect them is something that upsets me deeply, so I saw an opportunity to transpose that horrific trauma into a horror film.
W&H: What do you want people to think about when they are leaving the theater?
PM: The film, hopefully! I hope they’ll feel they’ve been experiencing life through different eyes for a while, and I hope they’ll want to talk about it. And I hope they’ll feel like being a little bit nicer — and wilder.
W&H: What was the biggest challenge in making the film?
PM: It’s always a challenge in indie filmmaking because amazing film crews keep being pushed to do the impossible, and they pull it off! I’d love to be able to say that everyone had the time and resources on this film, but they didn’t. Regardless, we still loved making it, and we’re very proud of what we achieved here.
I think one of the most appealing things about the process of filmmaking is that a group of talents come together and bust their asses to make a vision come to life. We were all in it together on “Darlin.’” A nicer cast and crew would be hard to find. Just stand out stand up respect and a sense of fun even on the late nights.
It’s an insane undertaking making an indie feature. I think the best way to conquer it is to come as prepared as possible and be able to adapt on the fly and be a solution-based leader, but you also have to be willing to fight for your crew to get what they need. I was pretty exacting about what I wanted, but I had a very smart DP, Halyna Hutchins, who I enjoyed my prep with, and we had references through many conversations and sharing of looks so it was always very clear what I was going for and her commitment to the beauty of it was moving.
A huge challenge of “Darlin’” was set dressing and building because the weather in Louisiana was messing with us plenty, so the locations would often change order leaving the art team under great pressure. Our art director Darryl Gariglio and his team were literally The Dream Team, and our production designer Jeff Subick was so inventive and talented and ran the department with incredible grace. They created miracles with their work on “Darlin.’” I think they knew how important their work was and, having led the art team for a while in pre-production, they felt very invested by the detail they understood from our conversations.
I think the key to helping the crew do their best is respect, and I hope I was able to show that to my crew. It was immensely moving to see what was in my head come to life through their painstaking commitment to the film.
W&H: How did you get your film funded? Share some insights into how you got the film made.
PM: My producer pitched my concept and the idea of a sequel to “The Woman” to MPI Media Group, who are producers and sales agents. They read the script and liked it, saw the appeal and readymade fan base from “The Woman,” knew that [producer] Andrew van den Houten delivers his films within budget, and probably thought it a wise investment. It was actually his first meeting about “Darlin,’” and it happened very quickly from there.
W&H: What inspired you to become a filmmaker?
PM: Much that inspires me as an actor: connection, storytelling, creative company that comes together for the same goal, a passing on of experience, emotional freedom, and truth. The engineer side of me—the problem solver and builder—loves filmmaking too.
As an actor I was no longer satisfied with always being a cog in a wheel, told when to begin turning. I wanted to drive the delivery truck, so I began writing scripts. I’d always written stories or poems or songs, and as I saw these scripts I wrote come to life in my head, it wasn’t long before I realized I had to direct them myself so they could come to life the way I saw them.
I had had experience directing and producing theater before, and I thrive on making things with others. Most of us have that side of us. I happen to have found that the most satisfying way to do that for me right now is as a filmmaker.
W&H: What’s the best and worst advice you’ve received?
PM: Best was probably from something I read that Alan Rickman said concerning directing yourself on film. It was something to the effect of “be aware that you’ll always want to give yourself less takes or space because you don’t want to waste any time with ‘just’ you.” He was right and combatting that natural inclination was easier because the brilliant Alan Rickman said it.
It’s harder to remember bad advice, as it’s best forgotten, but I’ve certainly been blessed with a few bullying or distracted or patronizing or distant directors who remind me how not to work with others.
W&H: What advice do you have for other female directors?
PM: Be clear, have fun, and don’t apologize for anything a man wouldn’t—except rudeness. Don’t apologize for anything a polite man wouldn’t. If you think you’re being treated differently because you’re a woman, then talk about it in simple terms by expressing what you need as a director and what the best way is for you to get it. I like to remind people they are welcome to treat me as if I were a man if it makes their job more effective.
W&H: Name your favorite woman-directed film and why.
PM: Probably Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud’s “Persepolis,” because it puts me square in the experience of the lead. It’s exciting, enlightening, moving, and has a punk heart. I felt stronger after watching that film.
W&H: It’s been a little over a year since the reckoning in Hollywood and the global film industry began. What differences have you noticed since the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements launched?
PM: I’ve noticed some great stuff. There is a more genuine attempt to become aware of great female crews in the business and hire them. And I’ve noticed that women feel they have more agency with their time and energy because they are not feeling [that it’s a requirement] to pander to men anymore in order to survive the business.
I’ve also noticed, unfortunately, that the backlash has been fostered by men feeling scared of repercussions themselves for the first time and can’t hack it. [This stuff] really does separate the men from the babies.
