Tori Lancaster’s debut feature film, Mother Future Self, recently premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, and with it, Lancaster has announced herself with her powerful approach to visual storytelling and the depth of emotion she is able to access within this film. It follows two old friends, Sofi (Imani Jade Powers) and Jordan (Betsey Brown), who unexpectedly reunite after years apart. But what sets this film apart from your average reunion or reconciliation film is its setting: an experimental dance camp deep in the woods of Maine.
The specific details of Sofi and Jordan’s friendship and eventual falling out are danced around, intentionally keeping the audience guessing at the nature of their relationship. This is also because the pair themselves can’t seem to find the words to communicate their hurt. So how do they express themselves? Through dance.
The choreography and physicality of this film feel effortless, and it displays the power of dance in that we understand exactly what Sofi and Jordan are thinking and expressing just through their bodies. Powers and Brown give fantastic performances, both through their dialogue and their physical movement, aided by cinematographers Isaac Banks and Tyler Harmon-Townsend’s understanding of all the different ways to capture the human body on camera.
The tension of the girls’ relationship is also offset by the stunning beauty of their surroundings. The gorgeous natural landscapes, as well as the ecstasy and release that their fellow dancers are experiencing, very intentionally clash against Sofi and Jordan’s inability to move forward. Both have clearly come to the camp to move past difficulties in their own personal lives, which we learn about as the film progresses, but the unresolved pain of their former friendship prevents them from doing so.
The supporting characters all have their own struggles they bring to this experience, too, and the campers connect through dance, then use that connection to share their stories. It’s a beautiful testament to the connective power of art and the relationship between physical and emotional intimacy. As the film goes on, Sofi opens up to Jordan about how much she has been hurt by her, as well as some of the difficulties she has faced in her own life since they last saw each other. But Lancaster smartly understands that that kind of vulnerability doesn’t come easily or instantly, and the audience feels just how hard it is for Sofi to let Jordan in little by little. It makes the characters and the narrative feel more realistic and relatable.
Also worth mentioning is Jesse Scheinin’s score, which completes the film’s sensory experience and helps fully immerse the audience. You’ll become totally transfixed by scenes of just simple sound and movement that still manage to convey so much emotion without a single word being spoken. It’s an impressive collaboration between all parties involved. With Lancaster both writing and directing the film, she is able to sustain a cohesive vision from start to finish, and her clear command of visual storytelling is what makes this film so successful.
Lancaster doesn’t offer a neat ending, either, and Mother Future Self is an acknowledgement that whatever healing or processing might’ve happened throughout a week is only the start of something that both girls will have to carry with them back to their lives.
Review Courtesy of Claire May Lewis
Feature Image Courtesy of Tribeca Film Festival