“Hysterical Girl,” a short documentary from Kate Novack (“The Gospel According to André”), didn’t get to premiere at SXSW this year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, thanks to The New York Times, the project will still be able to find an audience. The publication recently premiered “Hysterical Girl” online as part of its Op-Docs series.
Written and directed by Novack, the short depicts one of Sigmund Freud’s “five major psychological case histories — the only one he produced of a female patient.” “Dora: An Analysis of a Case of Hysteria” profiled a 17-year-old whose parents sent her to Freud when she accused a family friend of sexual assault.
“Hysterical Girl” also features a reimagined version of Dora — played by Tommy Vines — who shares her story as the film is intercut with Freud’s findings.
“During the 11-week treatment, Freud chipped away at the case,” the source details. “Why would you continue to see the man you say assaulted you? Are you out for revenge? Did you secretly want it? A century later, the questions women face in similar circumstances haven’t changed much.”
SXSW 2020 was supposed to take place March 13-22, but was cancelled to prevent further spreading of the coronavirus. Its competition lineup would’ve been 70 percent women-directed or co-directed. In spite of the cancellation, Women and Hollywood spotlighted some of the most buzzy films by and about women in its annual SXSW preview this year.
Novack received an Emmy nomination for exec producing “Page One: Inside the New York Times.” “Eat This New York” and “Le Cirque: A Table in Heaven” are among her other credits.
“If you feel a story matters, stick with it. I think the idea of which stories are worthy or viable is still very guided by a male idea of story and the classical hero’s journey, while stories about women are often said to lack stakes,” Novack said when we asked for her advice for women directors. “Don’t believe the B.S.” She added, “Find at least one or two people outside of your everyday work sphere who support your work. For me, it’s a small group of women I work with as screenwriting partners.”
Check out “Hysterical Girl” below or over at NYT’s website.
