Interviews

Interview: Alex Thompson & Kelly O’Sullivan – Saint Frances

Corey Stein

Interview: Alex Thompson & Kelly O’Sullivan – Saint Frances

Published on February 27, 2020

Ostensibly the story of a relationship between a nanny and the 6-yr-old girl she’s looking after, Alex Thompson’s Saint Frances mixes drama and comedy around themes of pregnancy, loss, and parenthood. Exploding with empathy and emotional openness, the script was written by Kelly O’Sullivan who also stars as Bridget, a Chicago girl in her early thirties who hasn’t yet figured herself out. What Saint Frances does with its conventional set-up is a testament to how original normality can feel, and the film doesn’t shy away from a simultaneously direct and idealized depiction of bodies, vulnerability and cluelessness.

I sat down with both the director and the writer/star at the American Film Festival in Wroclaw, exploring the importance of representation and how to do storytelling differently and still be true to the emotions of everyday life.

Related Topics:2019 American Film Festival in Wroclaw, Alex Babbitt, Alex Thompson, American Film Festival in Wroclaw, Andy Salmen, Bob Rubin, Bob Ryan, Charin Alvarez, Diane Beckway, Eddie Linker, Eric Ashworth, Eric Thompson, Francis Guinan, Fred LeVine, Greg Beckway, Haroula Rose Spyropoulos, Ian Keiser, James Choi, Jim True-Frost, Kelly O’Sullivan, Lily Mojekwu, Lynne Ryan, Maggie O’Brien, Mary Beth Fisher, Max Lipchitz, Nancy Shields, Nate Hurtsellers, Paul Reiger, Pierce Cravens, Quinn Tsan, Ramona Edith-Williams, Raphael Nash, Rebecca Spence, Rebekah Ward, Roger Welp, Saint Frances, Sarah Martin, top-stories, U.S. Indie Film Interview, Walter Gallwas

Tommaso Tocci

A freelance film critic and programmer, Tommaso Tocci is based between Paris and Rome. He covers the European festival circuit and he's a member of FIPRESCI and the International Cinephile Society. His Top 3 for 2021: After Blue (Bertrand Mandico), Titane (Julia Ducournau), What Do We See When We Look at the Sky? (Alexandre Koberidze).