Experiencing Interruptions?

The Botanists

In the middle of the woods in upstate New York, Bryan, a young botanist, tends to his farm land as his wife is away. He monitors his seedlings and crops, does pottery, and talks to his wife on the phone frequently, reminiscing on the good times when they were together. One day, while doing pottery, an old woman with dementia wanders on to his land, frightening Bryan. After managing to calm her down, other strange things start happening to him at his house. First, he finds the old woman rummaging through his basement, next he finds another woman, who he does not know, washing the windows of his house. Bryan starts seeing flashes of memories as more people show up at his house. While looking for answers, Bryan’s home and world slowly become unravelled.

  • Quinn Sheehan-Hipple
    Director
  • Quinn Sheehan-Hipple
    Writer
  • Rio Hito
    Producer
  • Cassandra Jensen
    Producer
  • Quinn Sheehan-Hipple
    Producer
  • Rio Hito
    Key Cast
    "Bryan"
  • Constance Cooper
    Key Cast
    "The Woman"
  • Isabelle Phillips
    Key Cast
    "Michelle"
  • Rita Rehn
    Key Cast
    "The Woman in the Window"
  • Kelly Kamm
    Key Cast
    "The Woman in the Field"
  • Ian Janco
    Music by
  • Griffin Fisher
    Sound Design by
  • Duncan Byrnes
    Colorist
  • Quinn Sheehan-Hipple
    Director of Photography
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Thriller, Romance, Drama
  • Runtime:
    19 minutes 49 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    July 25, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    3,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Quinn Sheehan-Hipple

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Quinn Sheehan-Hipple has had a passion for filmmaking since high school. After graduating from New York University, where he studied film and photography, Quinn has worked on a myriad of commercial movies, such as The Lost City, Knock At The Cabin, Ghosted, The Velvet Underground, and May December. Having worked in the art department, costume department, editorial department, and as an assistant to Todd Haynes on multiple films, Quinn has gained an array of experiences that have informed his vision as a writer/director. Personally, he has lived and worked around the world (New Orleans, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, Dominican Republic, London, and Madrid) and has had many experiences that color his world view. His first narrative, directorial debut is a short film entitled “The Botanists”. His second short film is entitled "Homecoming", which is in preproduction and to be shot by Christopher Blauvelt and produced by Stephen Fitzgibbon.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

[Director’s statement contains spoilers] Through my early childhood, my grandmother slowly lost her memory and life due to Alzheimer’s. From a young age, questions regarding memory, identity and how we make sense of our reality inspired me. As I grew up, and forgot certain things, I became curious about which memories stuck in my mind, which memories I tried to forget, and which memories I thought were foundational to my own identity.
I wanted to explore these questions through this film. Particularly, I wanted to play with the expectations of the viewer and put them in the perspective of our main character, Bryan, as he feels confusion, horror, anger, love and melancholy. We, along with Bryan, experience the piecing together of his reality through memory, while also his want to cling to the past, even though it is fading behind him. These ideas of memory are also expressed through the medium of the film. Quick cuts flash memories on screen, similar to how memories pop into our consciousness. Stable tripod shots are substituted for shaky camera work as Bryan’s condition worsens, and the color of the film feels faded and melancholy, like a memory on it’s way out.
I hope the viewer leaves the film with questions regarding how we create our own reality through memory and what memories are foundational to us and our identity as well as a sense of gratitude for the memories we do still hold.