In Depth with the Director - Andrew Theodore Balasia

How did Souvenirs first come together as a project?

I had read an article in The Atlantic years ago about a business in Japan that offers services as a friend-for-hire. The story stuck with me - the types of characters and environments the protagonist could interact with seemed boundless and vibrant. I decided to make this short to test out some ideas for a feature length version I adapted from the article. 

Despite the short run-time, you create such distinct characters through visuals and dialogue. What was the process of building out how your characters looked and acted?

Thank you. I really wanted the entire film to feel like a psychedelic experience. If your life and career are pre-meditated simulations I feel like that would have a trippy impact on your perspective. So from there I started with the visual language before moving into dialogue. I thought of settings and environments and what it would like if I dropped in certain characters I had ideas for. It was almost like The Sims. I knew I wanted someone to smoke DMT and talk about angels. I knew I wanted a loner VR developer creating architectural cities in his bedroom - a more literal metaphor for the theme of hyperreality and virtual spaces I suppose. And to anchor them all I wanted to create a character whose arrangement with the protagonist would span a lifetime: sharing a child.

The protagonist's profession could be viewed as either dystopian or therapeutic in equal measure. Did you make the film with a particular framing or judgement of his profession in mind?

That’s interesting. I had a few viewers tell me his job felt like some future dystopian medical profession that tends to patients’ mental health. If you look at it that way the character that Sandy Honig plays could very well not be pregnant and they are just performing a scene or re-enacting a traumatic event in her life. Maybe there is no actual child it’s just practice for one day having one. And then maybe the rehearsal of having one extends throughout your life and outlives the actual act of raising a child. I’ve also had a friend remark that the protagonist is symbolic of the plight of the freelancer - pulled in many directions by others other than your own. 

For me personally, I tried to look past the transactional aspect of him being a business owner and put him under a spotlight of empathy. I wanted him to transcend business. It was an active decision to not use any verbiage about money or exchange. He’s almost alien in how much he cares for others. In our escalating environment of artificial interaction and virtual spaces I was thinking about pure devotion to the human. 

What was the biggest challenge in making this film?

I find the short film format quite challenging in itself. With a feature length you have the time and patience to develop characters and their trajectories. You typically have around 10-12 minutes for a short to be effective, so every line of dialogue and every moment has to matter. That creates a certain pressure when writing, albeit a good one. 

What projects are coming next for you in the future?
I have some little projects I’m directing and editing right now. But mainly focusing on several feature length screenplays I’m currently writing/finishing.

Any message to our Melbourne audience?

Thank you so much for your support with this film. I wish I was there in person to cheers you all!