Words by Emily Steer.
This Monday, we were lucky enough to wrangle 30 minutes of conversation with rising star and first time film director Alexandra McGuinness, whose soon-to-be-released film ‘Lotus Eaters’ features at this month’s Tribeca film festival, and focuses on a group of bright young things trapped in a repetitive cycle of booze, parties, and the grating sobriety in between. Despite McGuinness’ quietly spoken manners and delicate femininity, after conversing with her there is no doubt that she is an incredibly intelligent, head-strong and ambitious character. Opting for film school over university, and becoming versed not only in the visual and creative side of things, but also the technical, she directed the film and also wrote the majority of the script - in addition, she had a massive input into the wardrobe and music, both of which are major passions of hers. The fashion in the film is something to look out for, incidentally, featuring vintage Chanel and a host of new designers, and headpieces verging on costume as the action heightens throughout the film.
Alexandra has been script-writing since her early teens as well as taking on ‘all singing all dancing roles’ with an acting agency since her childhood – she admits that some of the inspiration for the film came from her move from Ireland and encountering the culture shock that is the London party scene, but one would imagine she is far too driven and together to have unravelled as far as her characters do. Despite her characters’ often frustratingly obnoxious antics, it was of great importance to keep elements of likability and humour. Comedy comes to her more easily than drama, and she likes to write from scene to scene, not fully knowing what the fate of her characters will be as she goes. Her favourite film directors are Woody Allen and Neil Jordan – Jordan especially, she clarifies, for his similar roots, and his ability to span through genres and subject matter, always retaining the same kooky humour and sense of the surreal. It is Jordan’s career as much as his films that inspire her, another sign of how attuned she is to the profession that she in undertaking, and asked whether she wants to continue working with similar subject matter she says she is open minded, planning a thriller in Paris for her next project, and taking inspiration from all over the place (the only thing she can’t stand is horror). Her list of favourite films is constantly changing, but right now, Shampoo, Manhattan and The End of an Affair sit highly; her passion for film started with her childhood viewing of TV channels that showed feature films constantly throughout the night, which inspired her until she found herself thinking over them all day at school.
It was, in fact, incredibly difficult to move the conversation away from film, a testament to how immersed Mcguinness is in her chosen medium. Asked what three things she would take to a desert island, she laughs and gives the very practical answer of sun block and a blanket. And maybe, she adds, an amazon Kindle e-book. Though we can’t imagine her ever flying off the handle, we ask her what gets her hackles up, and we’re unsurprised to hear that virtually nothing does, ever since she’s poured her energy into filmmaking. Any residual anger, she says, is released in the form of road rage, with the volume turned right up. Though we can’t imagine her angelic nature ever becoming as intimidating as, say, Nick Cage in ‘Drive Angry 3D’, we’ve no doubt that this quietly determined starlet will have no problems in getting exactly where she wants to go.
Lotus Eaters (click here)
Main picture above taken by Mihaal Danziger
Lotus Eaters