Experiencing Interruptions?

Sorry, Not Sorry

A couple's oneupmanship reaches unbelievable heights after a man eats his wife's plums.

  • Monique Sorgen
    Director
  • Monique Sorgen
    Writer
  • Darryl Pugh Jr.
    Producer
  • Monique Sorgen
    Producer
  • Wallace Langham
    Key Cast
    "Harry"
    CSI, Veronica's Closet, The Larry Sanders Show, Battle of the Sexes
  • Jessica Oyelowo
    Key Cast
    "Abby"
    A United Kingdom, Sleepy Hollow, Mayo, Churchill: The Hollywood Years
  • M. Emmet Walsh
    Key Cast
    "Harry's Father"
    Blood Simple, Blade Runner, Serpico, The Jerk
  • Troy Smith
    Cinematographer
  • Miriam Mayer
    Composer
  • Project Type:
    Short, Web / New Media
  • Runtime:
    7 minutes 31 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    August 1, 2018
  • Production Budget:
    5,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Arri Alexa mini 2k
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
Director Biography - Monique Sorgen

After graduating from UCLA’s School of Theater, Film, and Television, Monique Sorgen worked as a director’s assistant in television dramas and comedies, including Star Trek among many others. Her first short film, “Pants on Fire,” garnered international distribution and played on television around the world. This led to writing for television and film. Her first music video was distributed on the Disney channel. She made several more videos for the same band, which were picked up by Cambio.com (a collaboration between aol and the Jonas brothers). She then made a short web series pilot based on her novel, “How Long You Should Wait to Have Sex,” which was in development at Lisa Kudrow’s company Is or Isn’t as part of their deal with New Form Digital. Most recently she wrote for a popular Brazilian television series, and a new Indian series set in Mumbai, and directed a trio of reality-based shows for Fashion One, which she shot in the Philippines. Just last week, she completed a new short film inspired by the famous poem, “This is Just to Say” by William Carlos Williams. Her shadowing experience in television includes apprenticeships with Lesli Linka Glatter and Pamela Fryman.

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Director Statement

This story was inspired by my favorite poem, "This is Just to Say," by William Carlos Williams (1934). Over the last Christmas Holiday, I decided to re-read my college diary, and in it I had written the poem, (which I had just discovered in English Lit class) and next to the poem I had written, "This would make a great short film." I hadn’t forgotten the poem, in fact, I have since spent my life recounting it to people and telling them it was my favorite poem. What I had forgotten though, was that I’d thought it would make a great short. The instant I read the idea in my journal, the story for the short came to me in flash! Within an hour I had a first draft of the script, within a week I had a finished script, and within a month I had the film in the can.

The character of the parent (played by M. Emmet Walsh) is not part of the poem, but I knew I had to add the character in order to create the dramatic escalation I desired. I decided to base that character on my grandmother (R.I.P), who was a hilarious ball-buster. She would drive us all nuts with her ridiculous requests for help, but she had a great sense of humor, and she made us laugh every time we talked about her behind her back. All that said, I didn't want to portray another "nagging woman" on screen, so in an act of counter-sexism that only a woman director would think to do, I ultimately decided to cast the role inspired by my grandmother with a man. I think my grandmother would be proud of M. Emmet Walsh's portrayal of her.

As a woman director and producer, I also made a point of filling my crew with women and people of color in many of the key positions, including my amazing composer, my production sound mixer and post-production sound mixer, my gaffer, first AD, first AC, and my producing partner. Then, in an effort to make my set a learning experience for future generations of filmmaker, I invited several international students from UCLA to come PA.

I hope that you enjoy the film and it's layered complexities as much as our team does. We would love the opportunity to entertain you at a screening this festival year.