Stalling

Los Angeles, California | Film Short

Romantic Comedy, LGBTQ

Ann Marie Wilding

1 Campaigns | California, United States

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This campaign raised $36,325 for production. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.

1,014 supporters | followers

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When two women decide to bond over a shared cheating ex, an unlikely love story unfolds as they connect year after year in the same bar bathroom.

About The Project

  • The Story
  • Wishlist
  • Updates
  • The Team
  • Community

Mission Statement

The intimacy shared between stall doors can take on a new quality for the queer woman in a way that is both confusing and delightful, messy and sexy. Our mission with this project is to break through heteronormative archetypes and celebrate the very real and complicated ways women love one another.

The Story

In a typical rom-com universe, the Homewrecking Mistress and the Vengeful Girlfriend archetypes are as old as time. Perhaps so old, it's time for them to retire. STALLING is a unique approach to a slow-burn rom-com that rewrites 'The Other Woman' story, reminding us why we love love. 



Note from the Writers:

Have you ever been eating lukewarm pasta on your couch on a Friday night when, out of nowhere, the girlfriend of the guy you've been sleeping with (he has a girlfriend?!) emails you asking you to allay her suspicions of his infidelity?


It definitely never happened to either one of us! (*cough, cough* Write what you know, they said!)


As writers, we believe strongly that we have two simultaneous responsibilities:

  1. To tell the truth
  2. To imagine, "What if?"



STALLING is a short film born of these two seemingly contradictory yet complementary principles. We were deeply inspired by our own experiences of love and heartbreak, as well as our desire to challenge tired female tropes.



Cinematically, the women’s restroom is often an arena for a male fantasy. It's frequently portrayed as a fighting ring for an overly sexualized catfight or as the backdrop for a horror flick that centers around the violence committed against women’s bodies. But in our experience, it’s a one-stop-shop for generosity, sage advice, and the occasional life-saving rogue tampon.


Behind the door with a triangle-clad stick figure, the scarcity mindset of our everyday lives transforms into a culture of abundance. It’s an ecosystem of mutual support, where break-up texts are crowd-sourced, shirts are swapped, and tags are thoughtfully tucked. Compliments are handed out like after-dinner mints, tokens of sweetness that expect nothing in return.



At times, the women's bar bathroom is akin to the wild west, where anything can happen. That shimmer of possibility takes on a new meaning for the queer woman: If she kissed me in the bathroom stall, does she want to kiss me at the farmer’s market? Does it mean the same once the lights come up and everyone goes home? Do the same rules apply to the outside world? The specific intimacy and grungy magic of this landscape highlight the attraction between our main characters in a way that only the women’s bar bathroom could.



The MacGyver of nightlife, Alex can get any DJ to play any song, and she hasn’t paid for a drink since election night, 2016. (The future was female.) A warm mix of swagger and chaos, Alex has never met a stranger. On the flip side, she dodges intimacy like it’s jury duty.



Julie’s got her therapist on speed dial and her next three promotions vision boarded, but infidelity was not on her Q2 projection report. In spite of her perfectionism, she wields an earnestness that is razor sharp. Julie defaults to the control of ‘just fine’ over the magic of chaos, and she doesn’t leave much room in her life for the unexpected.


SYNOPSIS


When Alex and Julie learn that they’ve been cheated on by the same man, they agree to do the mature thing: meet up and trauma bond. What begins as a bizarre support group in a women’s bar bathroom, snowballs into an unconventional meet-cute that leaves them both enamored with each other. Unable to state the obvious, they joke, “Same time, next year?”


Except it’s not a joke. Because one year later, both of them show up. And again, the year after that.



We follow them in the same bar bathroom, their chemistry reaching a climax between clusters of glitter-dusted friends and a clutter of graffiti, until a final moment of intimacy reveals that they can't stall any longer.


After four years, it’s time to face the elephant in the (bath)room -- can they see each other beyond the hurt that brought them together? Or is all of this just a really, really bad idea?




WHY THIS STORY?


First and foremost, we're telling this story because it’s queer, and the rom-com genre is starved for queer love stories. And secondly, because it’s a version of the trope-tired “other woman” story that isn’t all about him. Instead of positioning the two women on opposing sides of a heteronormative fighting ring, we’re making a rom-com that is as charming as favorites like, “What If?” and “Set It Up," but with a point of view that is fixed firmly on the messy intimacy of how women love each other.



In order to complete production and post production, we will need to raise $31,550 dollars. Because we are invested in sharing the storied, grungy details of a well-loved East LA bar, a lot of our budget will go towards location, camera equipment, and paying our hardworking cast and crew. While we plan to rent an authentic location for filming, should we reach our goal, our more expensive dream would be to build a perfect grungy bar bathroom set, allowing us freedom to remove stall doors and make this film look and feel even better. For this reason, our stretch goal is to raise an additional $9,500 that would go towards building an actual set.




Thank you so much for being a supporter of Stalling and our team. Your contribution, no matter the size, will play a critical role in bringing this funny and heartfelt story to life. We feel confident we can reach our goal with the support of our loyal community of friends, family, and followers. Audiences like us are craving authenticity and more queer stories on screen. This rockstar team we’ve assembled is ready to share this unique and stereotype-breaking story with a larger audience. We are so grateful for your support.


Wishlist

Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.

Cash Pledge

Costs $0

Meals

Costs $2,400

We will need to feed a cast and crew of approximately 20 people over the course of three shoot days. Nourish the team and buy us lunch!

Location Rental

Costs $4,500

Because our story takes place entirely in a dive bar bathroom we need to rent the perfect space that feels grungy and authentic.

Cast and Crew

Costs $9,174

Help us pay for our incredbile actors, cinematographer, camera assistant, sound team, hair and makeup, wardrobe, and production assistant.

Camera and Lighting Equipment

Costs $3,500

How our film looks and feels is so imporant to this story. We want to have the highest quality equipment to create the VIBE.

Production Costs

Costs $6,076

This includes, insurance, payroll fees, craft services, and various other expenses needed during filming.

Post Production

Costs $4,400

This will go towards editing our film, post laboratory, music licensing, and post sound fees.

Film Festival Fees

Costs $1,500

We are excited to share Stalling with a larger audience. Help us submit our film to some incredible festivals.

About This Team

CAROLINE KLIDONAS - writer // actor // producer

Caroline is known for her serialized parody videos that have garnered millions of views on social media. Her TV credits include MONSTER (Netflix) and the Showtime pilot, QUEEN FUR. She produced and starred in the dystopian rom-com, CARBON DATING, winner of the Audience Choice Award at the We Make Movies International Film Festival. Her work can be seen in the upcoming shorts, SUGGESTION and OVER A DEAD BODY. Theatrical: Rob D’Avola and Associates. Literary: The Blair Partnership. Management: The Machine





ANN MARIE WILDING - writer // actor // producer

Graduate from Azusa Pacific University with a BFA in Acting for the Stage and Screen. Recognized by Stage Scene LA for Outstanding Lead in a Drama for her portrayal of Henrietta Leavitt at Sierra Madre Playhouses' production of Silent Sky. The Bechdel Test Fest winner in the Short Play category. When Ann Marie is not working as an associate producer in television development and production, you will find her writing, acting, and producing film and theatre.










JASIA KA - director

Film/TV writer/director represented by Zero Gravity Management. Creative Director at Conde Nast Entertainment. Grant Recipient of New York Foundation of Arts, 2023 Women’s Fund for Media.  Emmy Award Winner in New York Program Special. Emmy Award Nomination in New York Arts Special. Silver Telly Award Winner in Web Series.








ELI ASH - executive producer

Scripted Development. Managing Director of INC Studio, Netflix’s internal global boutique studio arm. Previously: Head of Production and Executive Producer at Derby (dba Sound Lounge) and Mustache Agency












BROOKS MALBERG - producer

Freelance commercial line producer who has also been the backbone of several independent narrative films,  including a feature film that is anticipated to be theatrically released this fall. Highlights include filming a plane crash in the desert to bringing a crew of 50 out to Door County, Wisconsin to shoot on small farms for three weeks. Clients include ESPN, SiriusXM, eBay, Canada Goose and Nike. Brooks studied at Azusa Pacific University and graduated with a BFA in Cinematic Arts Production 

Current Team

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