In Hot Water

Hello, I’m Christie, and…

IN HOT WATER is a comedic ode to my experience of living with and through postpartum depression during the pandemic. It is a comedy where I embody my powerhouse alter-ego, Jane Fonda, whom I called upon when I was incapable of seeing my way out of a deeply disabling depression.

Look, I get it – PPD is not funny, and it’s probably annoying for you to even read about, but, it’s out there and it impacts at minimum 15% of mothers. The screening process for PPD is comedic itself -- at your six week checkup, you answer a questionnaire, add up your answers, and if your sum reaches above a certain number you are advised to “contact your healthcare professional.” Six weeks after creating a new human being – growing two kidneys, a heart, a brain, eyeballs(!!!), you’re asked to do math? Nah. And, if I’m mentally unhealthy you’re telling me to ‘eh...just go contact someone…’

I created IN HOT WATER as a way for audiences to playfully encounter something we’ve been taught to ignore. If PPD is discussed in film and TV it’s a heavy drama, a tragedy, something we don’t want to encounter for fear it’ll ‘bum us out.’

So, why do an impression of Jane Fonda?
Well -- it started years ago, when I was riddled with recurrent panic attacks and clinical depression, and found myself stuck in traffic driving my grandparents Oldsmobile with nothing but a tape of Jane Fonda’s audiobook “My Life So Far.” Jane’s voice and character – authoritative, certain, savvy -- took on a new meaning for me and became the alter ego I would call on when my anxiety got out of control. Years after the audio book discovery, I was scheduled to host a stand up show while in the depths of a clinical depression, and when I felt I couldn’t perform as myself, I grabbed a cheap wig and performed as Jane. I found that as Jane I could be brazen, loose, fluid, sexy, unapologetically out there about everything. Jane could talk about depression, Jane could talk about trauma, Jane could talk about horse testicles – absolutely anything was available to her. What freedom!

Thus, when my second child was born six weeks into the pandemic and I developed PPD, I called on Jane. She answered when I was asked to perform on a Zoom show. This brief buoy inspired me to write a special Jane Fonda project I could shoot when I was fully recovered from PPD, and it would be an ode to the people and things I interacted with during the pandemic – a parking enforcement officer, a pest control technician, and of course the meat slicer that inspired Jane’s home workout (a wedding present I finally put to use during the pandemic).

In terms of the aesthetics of IHW, my co-director Ed Ballart and myself wanted to create bright and dream-like spaces; playing to a 1990s-like business/commercial-feel and its emphasis on productivity. Both Ed and myself work in commercial/branded content, hence it was a true delight to tamper with the ‘aspirational domestic space.’ I mean – Jane Fonda shreds a ham using her foot and serves it in a tranquil suburban setting, whilst soaking in a hot tub.

An additional tampering we had fun creating, takes place at the end of Jane’s work out video, where the screen cuts frantically between an idealized Jane and a ravenous Jane. As I recovered from PPD I began to understand the pressure of this split – between what was true for me (“unstable and desperate”) and how I ought to present (“stable and content”).

Regarding acting style, I wanted grounded “tonics” to support Jane’s fire. During the pandemic, the only in-person conversations I had with non-family members were the parking enforcement officer and the pest control technician. The parking enforcement officer was serious, efficient, and unbelievably patient (this was captured brilliantly by actor Charlz Williams). The pest control technician really did take the time to answer my questions about ‘whacking mice’ – he was warm, and he humored me even if he was truly baffled. These same qualities so effortlessly belong to James Anthony Chiong. We wanted to capture the intimacy between two strangers in a hot tub, and the way we rely on patience in times of recuperation (be it from pandemic-induced anxiety, or from PPD).

It was important to me and Ed that we work with a DP (director of photography) who could create ethereal and beautiful tableaus to juxtapose with Jane’s crudeness. Emmy-nominated Valentina Vee knows how to get glamor shots of honey baked ham AND light a beatnik sex slam in a noir style – she is a true genius. Fun Fact: Valentina also designed and painted the IN HOT WATER sign.

In summation, I made IHW for three reasons:

1) So that someone who hadn’t thought much about postpartum depression will feel they connect to it in some way, that they can remember a time when their own pain necessitated silliness. Maybe they'll check in on their sister, maybe they'll speak out on the cause.

2) For those suffering from clinical depression, anxiety, and suicide ideation – I want to share Jane with them – this unwavering voice, assuring them: ‘I’ve been there. You will be okay. We will be okay.’

3) I really want people to laugh, get silly themselves, and access their ‘inner Janes’.

Finally (and you thought I was done after 'summation'!) I’ll say: tragedy and comedy are only separated by time – with enough time we can tease out the humor in our pain, and we can celebrate our uniquely human ability to get really weird, have a lot fun, and mostly to heal. What a gift!

Thank you for taking the time to read this and for watching IN HOT WATER. It means a lot to me and Jane ;)

Assuming this project would be a great fit for your festival, you should know that I will happily attend as Jane Fonda (and do a talkback as Jane), or myself, whatever floats your boat.