Natalie Morales is an actor, director, writer, and activist. “Dead to Me,” “Battle of the Sexes,” and “Abby’s” are among her on-screen credits. Her directing credits include episodes of “Room 104” and “Mr. Student Body President.” She helmed the upcoming Hulu feature “Plan B,” slated for release later this year.
“Language Lessons” is screening at the 2021 SXSW Film Festival, which is taking place online March 16-20.
W&H: Describe the film for us in your own words.
NM: It’s a weird little movie made in a very weird time about finding friendship in strange places and accepting love even when you think you may not be worth it.
W&H: What drew you to this story?
NM: When Mark Duplass brought me the very initial seed of the idea, I knew there was something compelling there, and having already worked with him — as a director of two episodes of HBO’s “Room 104,” which he wrote — I knew it would be fun and interesting and that it would teach me something. We wrote the story together and I loved bringing it to life.
W&H: What do you want people to think about after they watch the film?
NM: I want them to think about the things we assume about other people and how that’s just the tip of the iceberg of what a person really is.
Everyone is their own universe and we often cut ties or write people off based on our own bias and skewed perceptions. This movie explores what happens when you get pushed beyond that point.
W&H: What was the biggest challenge in making the film?
NM: What wasn’t! We sort of had to invent a whole new way of doing this because of the nature of how we made the movie, which I don’t want to spoil.
W&H: What inspired you to become a filmmaker?
NM: All of the bad directors and writers I’ve worked with. And Buster Keaton.
W&H: What’s the best and worst advice you’ve received?
NM: Best advice: “Throw it away.”
Worst: “Take Fountain.” Fountain has too much traffic these days.
W&H: What advice do you have for other women directors?
NM: I have advice for all directors, regardless of gender or gender expression: Don’t listen to [your] impostor syndrome. Your voice and experiences and viewpoints are valid and needed.
W&H: Name your favorite woman-directed film and why.
NM: Amy Heckerling’s “Clueless.” It’s a perfect film from beginning to end — from casting, to music, visuals, production design, and the writing. Impeccable.
W&H: How are you adjusting to life during the COVID-19 pandemic? Are you keeping creative, and if so, how?
NM: I think personally I’m faring similarly to others — it’s been rough on my mental health. But I also somehow had one of the busiest work years of my life, which was both incredibly difficult and also incredibly rewarding.
This particular project was a godsend, and a way to pour my heart and brain into art and into connection and give myself a break from fear and anxiety.
W&H: The film industry has a long history of underrepresenting people of color onscreen and behind the scenes and reinforcing — and creating — negative stereotypes. What actions do you think need to be taken to make Hollywood and/or the doc world more inclusive?
NM: As I have said before and will continue to say and do: We need to tell stories about marginalized people that aren’t only about how they are marginalized. That only continues to otherize us. We have full lives and thoughts and loves and fears that have nothing to do with the people or things that have oppressed us, and those stories are worth telling because they are deeply necessary for us (others) to see.
