After the isolation of a global pandemic, in a society where loneliness is considered an epidemic of its own, this film uses humor and horror to let solitary types know they don’t have to be alone. Simply put: while asking for help may be scary, NOT asking can be truly terrifying.

Artist Statement

For much of my life, I struggled with loneliness – feeling like I didn’t fit in and like everyone else was having fun and living life but me. During the pandemic, those feelings were magnified, and my mental health was, to put it lightly, not awesome. When I think of the things that kept me going they were simple gestures from friends: a phone call when I needed it most, a surprise bouquet of flowers when I was struggling (eternally thank you, Deanna), or an invitation to go for a walk after three weeks inside (thanks, Kat). Yoga Girl is my love letter to friendship and my reminder to myself (and to you) that when you reach out, someone else will always reach back.

-Alison (writer/star of Yoga Girl)

The Plot

When we open, our film’s protagonist, Amy, is sick of her life. A formerly social, vibrant young woman, she doesn’t get how she ended up watching life through the screen of her phone. She’ll do pretty much anything to make a change…so when wellness influencer Mya promises that her online program will change her life, Amy feels like she has nothing to lose.

As Amy wholeheartedly buys into Mya’s program, things start improving. She feels motivated, less anxious, and more in control. But moving in a new direction means leaving some things behind…and maybe Amy’s letting go of more than just her negative self-talk. When Mya breaks the boundary between URL and IRL, will Amy be able to stop her and get her true self back before her “higher self” consumes her?

Do you ever wonder when you’ll ever find your people? Have you ever tried so hard to solve your own problems you ended up making more? If you’ve spent time wondering where the support is in your world, we hope you’ll join OUR community of supporters. Let’s work together to make art, end the stigma of loneliness, and stop social media demons from preying on our FOMO.

Themes

• Loneliness
• Self-sabotage
• Fear
• Insecurity
• FOMO
• Toxic positivity
• Social media wellness culture

The World: Tone & Mood

Overall Feeling: Yoga Girl takes place in two color palettes:

• The drab, lifeless, monochromatic world of Amy’s lonely existence
• And the highly-saturated, social media filter world of Mya’s online wellness program, with all its double-edged promises of life-changing practices.

Setting: The film is set in Amy’s sad, crowded, poorly kept apartment, as well as in Mya’s perfect, blank all-white online studio – a place to project your dreams as much as a place to “find yourself.”

The Team

Alison Stolpa is a writer, actor, and musician who's fascinated by the parts of ourselves we try to keep in the shadows. Her work explores the dark side of human nature and is balanced by an equally dark sense of humor. Alison studied Creative Writing at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, and earned an MA in Music Business Management at the University of Westminster, London. She is based in Los Angeles, where she goes to too many shows, maintains an ever-growing stack of books on her nightstand, and changes the words to Eve's "Who's That Girl" to be about her cats. A member of The Doors once told her she was "a really good writer" and a woman on the street once yelled at her, "I know you're a witch."

Paula Crichton is a queer/latinx filmmaker with a strong focus in visual and poetic storytelling. Highly stylized metaphorical imagery combined with social statements creates a magical realism that encaptures her as a Director/Cinematographer. She attended Santa Fe University of Art and Design, and later transferred to Columbia College Hollywood where she acquired a BFA in Film Production with an emphasis in Cinematography. Currently based in Los Angeles, Paula spends her days off learning about history, drinking tea and playing with her two baby cats Balty and Binksy. Check out some of Paula's previous work HERE!

Join Our Community!

We’re currently in pre-production on Yoga Girl. Your contribution will go towards production, post-production, and film festival submissions. That means your dollars will go towards hiring our crew, renting locations, hiring a composer to write a creepy/cool musical score, and showcasing the film at a film festival (hopefully) near you.

Here's how you can be a part of Yoga Girl:

• Make a monetary contribution today!
• Share our campaign with your family and friends.
• Contribute any resources you may have (apartment location, catering, crew skills, etc).

Our team is excited to take this film from a PDF living on Alison's MacBook and turn it into a pastel-toned, FOMO-induced nightmare you can see on the big screen! We hope you'll join our community and help us make it happen. Your involvement is essential to our success and we are so very grateful for every one of you. (Not a blanket statement, I, Alison, am for real thinking of individual pals here.) Let's do this!