Hail Mary

A closeted queer woman risks losing the new "perfect" life she's created when the woman she loves returns from conversion therapy.

When Mary's former lover, Alex, returns to town, Mary finds herself tempted once again by the lust she thought she'd buried away forever. Now engaged to a domineering man named Luke, Mary must carefully navigate between losing love and losing everyone she loves.

  • Madison Hebert
    Writer
  • Madison Hebert
    Director
  • Alexia Johnson
    Producer
  • Chloe Soltys
    Producer
  • Grace Lawell
    Key Cast
    "Mary"
  • Shayna Benardo
    Key Cast
    "Alex"
  • Chris Heeder
    Key Cast
    "Luke"
  • Project Type:
    Short, Student
  • Genres:
    Psychological, Horror, Romance
  • Runtime:
    11 minutes 39 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    June 1, 2023
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    RED
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Savannah College of Art and Design
Director Biography - Madison Hebert

Madison Hebert is a senior at SCAD Atlanta pursuing her B.F.A. in Film and Television. She is a two-time Student Emmy award-winning filmmaker and has played various festivals across the country. While she typically works in the camera department, Madison is so proud to have directed this film and can’t wait to share this story with audiences. Hail Mary is very close to her heart as it’s a fictionalized account of what her life could have become if she had been confined to the small town she was born in. 

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Director Statement

Queer stories are widely underrepresented, particularly queer stories about women. Hail Mary is a psychological thriller that maneuvers through the heart-shattering reality of leading the life that’s expected of you because living your truth would mean being abandoned and betrayed by the people you love most. That lurking fear is one I know personally as this film is an amalgamation of not only my own traumas, but also the traumas of those closest to me. Hail Mary examines the concept of conditional love and its ties which can so easily fray.

Like Mary, the film’s lead role, I was born in a tiny farm town where the most eventful thing that happens is the weekly obituary. It’s a town of less than one hundred people and it’s rapidly disappearing. As the population grows older and passes on, so will the town itself. My parents and I moved away when I was very young, but I often imagine what it would have been like to grow up there. Frankly, I don’t think I would’ve lasted long.

My immediate family is supportive of my sexuality but my extended family, who I equally love, is not. When I speak to them, it often feels like I’m waiting for a pin to drop and their love for me to dissolve entirely. Mary, too, faces being loved in spite of who she is, not because of who she is.

I created this film with the knowledge that when my family finds out, our relationship will be forever changed, but my goal is to inspire audiences to lead their most authentic lives, no matter the cost.