Private Project

F*ckboy Manifesto

When Alex, a young woman in college, is dissed in love for the nth time, she retraces her not-so-casual hookups, one fuckboy at a time. She takes the audience on a journey as she meets the dark, sexy senior (who looks like a vampire), the goofy freshman who skates, and finally – the golden-boy-next-door. As she wades through cigarette smoke, tiny hats, Carhartt jackets, and false promises, Alex turns to you, her audience, to help her understand how to navigate this tricky landscape.

  • Graciela García
    Director
  • Graciela García
    Writer
  • Campbell Silverstein
    Producer
  • Willa Schwarz
    Producer
  • Alex O'Shea
    Key Cast
    "Alex"
  • Collin Kelly-Sordelet
    Key Cast
    "Caleb"
    The Ferryman (Broadway), Wildling, The Path
  • Gordon Winarick
    Key Cast
    "Hot Senior Vampire"
    The Goldfinch, Gotham
  • Keizo Fish
    Key Cast
    "Max the Knife"
  • Meg West
    Cinematorapher
  • Project Type:
    Student
  • Genres:
    Romance, Comedy, Coming of Age, Rom-com, Drama
  • Runtime:
    13 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    August 22, 2019
  • Production Budget:
    6,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes
Director Biography - Graciela García

Graciela García recently graduated as a film major from Wesleyan University, receiving Honors for her Thesis film. She has a keen interest in both film and theater as an actor, writer, and director. She has studied theater and film in Greece and Prague, respectively. Gracie is currently moving to New York City, after participating in the student symposium at Telluride Film Festival.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

I’ve been closely observing “fuckboys” since my freshman year of college. I’ve discovered that they are fascinating creatures: their influence is impressive and their appeal not completely understandable. This is a very personal film; a story I have wanted to tell for a long time. It’s centered on Alex, a young woman in college, who retraces her not-so-casual hookups, one fuckboy at a time. In confessional dialogues with the audience and poignant, awkward vignettes, Alex grapples with intimacy, deep feelings and her own vulnerability while she tries to navigate the world of casual sex. It's inspired by my own experiences as well as those of my friends and fellow co-eds. As Greta Gerwig said, “none of it happened, but it's all true.”

Although this film takes place on a college campus, it deals with issues everyone has faced. Ultimately, it's about love and heartache, the universal quest for intimacy, and figuring out what you really want.

The college hook up scene is something sociologists and journalists love to discuss, as they peer down on college kids – like rats in their mazes. I’m interested in telling this story from the inside, as someone in the trenches who understands how ridiculous and funny and ostracizing college hook ups can be. It’s an experience we haven’t had a chance to get inside of yet – to poke around and ask questions: is this sustainable? Is there a better way?

As a female filmmaker, I valued having a set of female, non-binary and POC creators – including all my department heads. Having a female cinematographer to help me tell this female-driven story was crucial in shaping the visual language of the piece. This film is timely: at a moment when women’s sexual experiences are being discarded, ignored, and diminished, this story values a young woman’s voice by putting her point of view at the forefront.

Writing a film so close to home was difficult: how can my character resolve her love-life trials when I haven’t done it myself? So I decided to pour my heart out – I wanted Alex to talk directly to camera (a la “Fleabag” and “Annie Hall”) to convey her own keen self-awareness and the messy, heightened emotions that come with the territory. I’m still searching, and my favorite thing about Alex, is that so is she. And what more can a girl do living in a world full of fuckboys?