THE SNAKES
A short film written, directed, and produced by Michelle Beck
synopsis.
THE SNAKES is a short film set in an alternate future where Roe v. Wade has been overturned. Erica, a depressed Black woman, deals with the culture of fear and microaggressions that surround her by channeling her rage into violent fantasies. When she witnesses a an interaction before a sexual assault to a woman from her neighborhood, Erica guilty joins a neighborhood watch group. As gender and racial inequities press on her, she and her fantasies start to spiral out of control.
trailer.
history.
In 2013, I spent 3 months of the early winter in Toronto. Flyers warning about a series of recent sexual assaults littered my neighborhood. And I remember walking around, alone, in the cold, thinking, “I wish you would.” I wish you would try me, attack me, test me. I was so angry that I was the one that had to be aware, that I was the one that had to be on guard.
There is a deep, deep rage in many Black women. I believe most people are terrified to know that or to acknowledge it exists. This is a film about that rage. We see the characters bounce between internalized rhetoric of aggression and violence that fuel their fire.
When communities are continually oppressed and marginalized, there will be a breaking point. People will snap. That’s why the George Floyd protests started with people burning things to the ground. If the United States doesn’t deal with its legacy of systemic racism and patriarchy, it’s predictable and reasonable that these communities will rise up to take their share of the American Dream. How do we dismantle the values this world has been built upon before we tear ourselves apart?
Produced by The Coop, a theater-and-film production company committed to an intentionally inclusive, ethical work environment and a collaborative creative community.
Funded by The Brooklyn Arts Council. Sponsored by Abelcine and Brooklyn Lighting.
