Private Project

Caro in 10 Minutes

Caro is sick. Well, she thinks she might be, but everyone around her, including her doctor, believes that her pain is all in her head. Left unsatisfied by her traditional outlets of support, Caro meets a mysterious woman who not only listens to her, but sees her as well. Shot on Super 16mm film, CARO IN 10 MINUTES evokes the restless, meandering energy of the New Wave, but it is very much a snapshot of a woman today: anxious and alienated by conventional structures of support, and yet undeterred in her search for the meaning behind her pain.

  • Caroline Johnson
    Director
  • Caroline Johnson
    Writer
  • Spencer Slishman
    Cinematographer
  • Mohab Abou-Elalla
    Editor
  • Massimo Sammi
    Composer
  • Hayley Segraves
    Producer
  • Kate Sheffield
    Art Director
  • Caroline Johnson
    Key Cast
    "Caro"
    The Tenth Year, Breakup Box
  • Nikita Chaudhry
    Key Cast
    "Elaine"
    You're the Worst, Spinsterhood
  • David Alan Madrick
    Key Cast
    "George"
    Black-ish
  • Alexandra Hensley
    Key Cast
    "Veronica "
    American Horror Story
  • Candace Elder
    Key Cast
    "The Psychic"
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Drama, Comedy
  • Runtime:
    13 minutes 20 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    August 16, 2019
  • Production Budget:
    6,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Super 16mm
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Caroline Johnson

Caroline Crawford Johnson is a Los Angeles based filmmaker. She directed, wrote, and starred in her first short film, Caro in 10 Minutes, which will premiere at the Greenwich International Film Festival in 2020. After graduating from NYU Tisch with a degree in Drama and History, she appeared onstage and onscreen, while working in international film sales and domestic distribution before joining the Black List, where she now works. At the Black List, she assists in feature and TV development, as well as community outreach, with specific attention to, and emphasis on expanding diversity and representation opportunities in the film industry. Outside of film, she is a volunteer with Nithya Raman’s City Council Campaign, a community organizer with Ground Game Los Angeles, and is a mentor with Young Storytellers, where she teaches screenwriting to students in LA.

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Director Statement

It is an all-too common occurrence for women: visiting a doctor, nervously, unsure if our pain justifies a potentially expensive doctor’s visit, gaining the courage to go, sitting in a cold office, explaining our vulnerabilities and ultimately being told… that we’re totally fine. It’s all in our heads.

Inspired by a real event, CARO IN 10 MINUTES explores the real world effects of the way women are treated when they ask for help. The world of women's health can be a confusing, trivializing, and alienating place.

As Caro reaches out for help, she finds that support is not there. Not in friends, doctors, or other traditional support systems. After a similar doctor visit to the one Caro experiences, I asked myself, “What would I have wanted the most in this situation?” This film attempts to answer this question.

In a nod to new wave filmmakers of the 60s and 70s, specifically Agnes Varda and Barbara Loden, CARO IN 10 MINUTES captures a woman in a brief, restless period of her life, as she looks to the world for clues as to how she should feel. As women, we are constantly being watched, observed. But as Caro discovers, what she’s really looking for is for someone to see her.