Private Project

Great Minds

Three neighbors each navigate a day of rituals and ruminations—until a tense encounter with a suspected car thief outside their apartment building brings their inner worlds together.

  • Alice Marks
    Writer
  • Alice Marks
    Director
  • Lauren Guglielmello
    Co-Creator
    Phases of the Moon
  • Alice Marks
    Co-Creator
  • Kara Overlien
    Co-Creator
    Revenge of the Cyst, Cutoffs
  • Manon Blackman
    Producer
    Madoff: The Monster of Wall Street, Who Killed Malcolm X, ALL IN: The Fight For Democracy
  • Mario Riquelme
    Co-Producer
    Flowerbox Films
  • Jenny Alice Watts
    Director of Photography
  • Kat Kearney
    Assistant Director
  • Adam Matthew Chin
    Editor
  • Matthew K Addison
    Key Cast
    "Hugo"
    And Just Like That, Shelter, Power Book III: Raising Kanan, FBI: Most Wanted, Blue Bloods, The Last O.G., High Maintenance,
  • Manon Blackman
    Key Cast
    "Manager"
  • Sasha Dominy
    Key Cast
    "Therapist"
    Aloha Heart, Inventing Anna
  • Lauren Guglielmello
    Key Cast
    "Laine"
    The Sea Gull, how would you like me to atone?, The Pool, The Den, Crow Play
  • Alice Marks
    Key Cast
    "Ava"
    Through and Through and Through, Blank Space, Brick Wall, My Megan
  • Sam Nix
    Key Cast
    "Car Thief"
    Paradise Lost, Animal Farm
  • Gail Shalan
    Key Cast
    "Gigi"
    Coyote Girl
  • Daphne Zelle
    Key Cast
    "Olivia"
    And Just Like That, It Ends With Us, Smile 2, Inventing Anna, Your Face
  • Monica Barker
    Background
    Laundromat Patron
  • Conor Herbert
    Background
    Commuter
  • Kat Kearney
    Background
    Commuter
  • Ezra Ouellette
    Background
    Laundromat Patron
  • Maxwell Zikakis
    Background
    Laundromat Patron
  • Adam Matthew Chin
    Colorist
  • Adam Matthew Chin
    Assistant Camera
  • Mario Riquelme
    Gaffer
  • Luis Chavez
    Key Grip
  • Brayden Baird
    Location Sound Mixer
  • Sasha Dominy
    Costume Designer
  • Zoë Barley
    Script Supervisor
  • Jessie Klueter
    Script Supervisor
    Gold Rush
  • Zoë Barley
    Production Assistant
  • Conor Herbert
    Production Assistant
  • Jessie Klueter
    Production Assistant
  • Gail Shalan
    Production Assistant
  • Nathania ten Wolde
    Production Assistant
  • Conor Herbert
    Stills Photographer
  • Katie Kutchmire
    Stills Photographer
  • Nathania ten Wolde
    Script Consultant
  • Max Solomon
    Sound Design
  • Max Solomon
    Sound Mixing
  • Max Solomon
    Sound Mastering
  • Brayden Baird
    Score Composer
  • Klovis Gaynor
    Score Composer
  • Brayden Baird
    Musician
  • Klovis Gaynor
    Musician
  • Larah Helayne
    Musician
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Comedy, Drama
  • Runtime:
    11 minutes 20 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    January 16, 2025
  • Production Budget:
    10,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States, United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States, United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Alice Marks

Alice is a performer, filmmaker, and creator based in New York City. Great Minds marks her debut as a director.

Born in Boston, Massachusetts, and raised in Melbourne, Australia, Alice returned to the US in 2017 to begin her professional acting career. Shortly after arriving in New York, Alice was selected as one of 13 students worldwide for the MFA Class of 2018 at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, then part of the UK Conservatoire for Dance and Drama. She graduated in 2018 as the sole recipient of the prestigious Bonnie Hurren Prize, awarded for excellence in performance and acting technique.

Upon graduating, Alice immediately returned to New York, signed with representation, and performed in The Curtain’s (formerly Shakespeare@) critically acclaimed off-Broadway production of Hamlet. She has also starred in leading roles at New York’s Theater for the New City and the Wickham Theatre (UK).

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Alice pivoted to Melbourne to establish a career in publishing. She earned a second Masters degree in Publishing and Communications from the University of Melbourne, where she was named to the Dean’s Honor List. Since then, she has overseen the production and publication of numerous titles for Thames & Hudson Australia, served as a contributing editor for Good Sport magazine, and worked as an editorial and marketing associate for Aeon Media Group.

Alice returned to New York in 2023 and re-entered the entertainment industry with vigor. Her recent film projects include Through and Through and Through (dir. Anna Mikami), The Blink (dir. Ridley Randolph), and Blank Space (dir. Adam Matthew Chin).

Alice is proudly represented by a talented and supportive team:

Theatrical: Resolute Artists Agency – Paige Chambers Rutsche
Commercial: Stewart Talent – Phil Cassese and Ali Quartin (On-Camera) and Jason Sasportas (Voiceover)
Management: Kanner Entertainment – Cathy Kanner

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Director Statement

Ok, get this: my co-creators and I have each received an Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) diagnosis at different times in our lives. We were sitting in the Drama Bookstore––New York’s literary shrine to brilliant ideas and where we feverishly assembled to think up our own––when it came up in conversation. Great Minds emerged from candid observations about our struggles and triumphs with the disorder, and our growing curiosity to explore the inner worlds of characters experiencing psychological conditions like OCD.

Through a vignette-style narrative, Great Minds highlights how rituals and ruminations subtly yet distinctly impact the everyday lives of three women. Ava, Kennedy, and Laine each experience OCD differently, yet their shared residence in the apartment building symbolizes a collective struggle, despite the isolation conditions like OCD may elicit. The film’s title, half of the adage “great minds think alike,” plays on this duality of shared plights and personal solitude.

Great Minds blends nonverbal storytelling and magical realism to portray the three characters’ experiences with OCD. In particular, Dutch camera angles, dramatic lighting shifts, and foreboding music seek to amplify disorienting and distressing moments.

This was my first time directing a film so, naturally, I quaked in my sweaty sneakers as we lined up our first shot. But the whole experience was so rewarding. I had an incredible women-led team to support me and think creatively throughout the process. I hope that Great Minds resonates with viewers, fosters deeper conversations, and challenges stigma.