The filmmaker talks to DIVA about her feature directorial debut, Washed Up, ahead of its screening at this year’s BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival
BY NIC CROSARA, IMAGE BY CARYS GLYNNE
If you’re an anxious lover, you may well have asked a partner the age-old question: “Would you still love me if I was…?” In her feature directorial debut, Washed Up, Isabel Daly asks: “Would you still love your crush if she was a seal?”
Washed Up takes audiences to a sublime seaside village in Cornwall. There we meet wannabe artist Morwenna (Anna Ivankovic), who is better known as “Scummy” (love a Cornish language pun). From recovering from a breakup to trying to sell her late grandfather’s house, there’s a lot on Scummy’s plate. In walks (or swims) the mysterious, quirky and alluring Inga (Carys Glynne). What follows is quite possibly the most awkward sapphic one night stand I’ve ever seen on screen. Eventually, these two women find their spark and Scummy discovers that Inga is actually a Selkie. Not familiar with Celtic mythology? A Selkie is a creature that shapeshifts between a seal and a person. This isn’t a dealbreaker for Scummy, and so ensues a complicated situationship.
Going into this one, I was expecting a film full of fantasy and comedy. It delivered on both counts. But what took me by surprise was how grounded it was by very human experiences, such as abandonment issues and fear of change. It also tackled big topics like capitalism and gentrification.
Speaking to Isabel, I’m eager to find out how she managed to get the balance just right. “The tone was something we were really worried about,” Isabel admits. “We all went in with the belief that some of the funniest moments in your life happen during the saddest. We knew where we could keep an eye out for moments of unexpected humour, and moments of things to balance out the sadder tone.”
Isabel’s passion for storytelling and filmmaking oozes through the screen. When we talk about ideas for future projects, the creative gets excited. She’s interested in exploring coming-of-age stories and working with an ensemble cast (and bigger budget). Her eyes shine as she adds, “I would love to do a movie with some Latina actors in it. I’m Peruvian-American, so I’d love that.”
With BFI Flare turning 40 this year, I’m interested in her hopes for what the film industry could be like in 40 years. “I hope DVDs have a comeback. Carys and I like to joke that we never went to film school, but we did have The Lord Of The Rings DVDs with all the behind-the-scenes footage, which acted as film school for us,” Isabel beams. “I want queer cinema to be so big and thriving that it almost defies categorisation. I want it to be everywhere.”
Before our time comes to an end, I ask Isabel for her advice for LGBTQIA+ filmmakers. “We are pressured to hold representation as the ultimate goal. To represent queer people in a certain way that straight people are perhaps more comfortable with,” she tells me. “Don’t make the movie you think you should make. Make the movie you want to make. Don’t let heteronormativity bog down your creative process. If you want a messy queer protagonist, go for it. If you want a horror movie where gay people are the villains, go for it. You want to make this movie for a reason, and you don’t have to justify that to the rest of the world.”
This interview was originally published in the February/March edition of our magazine. Also known as The U-Haul Issue, it’s jam-packed with queer love stories, interviews and must-read features. Get your copy at divadirect.info.
The 40th BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival takes place 18 – 29 March at BFI Southbank. Washed Up will be screening at this year’s festival. You can find out more about BFI Flare here: whatson.bfi.org.uk/flare
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