Rebecca Rosén

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Image is from the film 'Always Shine' (2016). The film still shows Anna, now performing as Beth, in the middle of the frame. She’s looking right into the camera with her head tilted to one side, almost like she knows viewers are watching her performance. She’s biting on her thumb, reminiscent of an innocent child as she’s trying to mimic the body language of Beth. She looks nervous and timid. Anna is wearing Beth’s button-up romper suit with a flower pattern, with a light brown belt in the waist. In the background is a long desk visible – filled with miscellaneous objects including a globe and a cowboy hat all in a row – along with a big window showing the green nature of Big Sur.

Five Years Later: Sophia Takal’s ‘Always Shine’ (2016) and the Horror of Being Trapped in Performance

While film history contains many portrayals of backstabbing women on the verge of a breakdown, Always Shine offers the idea that the terrifying thing isn’t women themselves but rather the limiting roles society provides for them (along with the disastrous results they lead to).

Image of director Lynn Shelton, who is sat on a porch outside of a house.

Finding Beauty in Humanity: Remembering Lynn Shelton Through Her Work

Throughout her career, Lynn Shelton created a safe space for characters (and viewers alike) to feel like they belong – no matter how awkward, complex or messy they are.

The image is from the short film Miller and Son. The image shows the man character Ryan, dancing in a club which is shrouded by purple light.

PRIDE 2020: “It makes me feel free, or some shit” – Coming Out of Hiding as Portrayed in ‘Slap’ (2014) and ‘Miller & Son’ (2019)

Set within masculine environments, Slap and Miller & Son provides necessary criticism of societies’ narrow expectations of gender and how hurtful these expectations are for anyone transgressing them.