Unlovable

Amor, a young woman caught in a cycle of abuse, examines what it means to be loved.

  • Carmen Corral
    Director
    Clave, BFFs, Our Lady of the Nerds
  • Carmen Corral
    Writer
    Clave, BFFs, Our Lady of the Nerds
  • Carmen Corral
    Producer
    Clave, BFFs, Our Lady of the Nerds
  • Liliana Gomez
    Producer
  • Idalia Valles
    Key Cast
    "Amor"
    Queen of the South
  • David Castañeda
    Key Cast
    "Hero"
    Umbrella Academy, Sicario-Day of the Soldado
  • Angelica Lopez
    Editor
    Lost in Space, Jack Ryan
  • David Telles
    Director of Photography
    Alien Hunter
  • Daniel Telles
    Director of Photography
    American Masters
  • Kaela Rae Jensen
    Colorist
  • Kayla Egan
    Sound Designer
  • Alex Meraz
    Assistant Director
    Bad Dad
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    5 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    March 27, 2020
  • Production Budget:
    3,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Canon 5D 1080P 24fps
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Official Latino Film Festival
    Online
    United States
    November 28, 2020
    Premiere
    Nominated for Exceptional Artistry Award
Director Biography - Carmen Corral

Carmen is a first-generation, Mexican-American, Writer/Director. Her coming-of-age series, Our Lady of the Nerds, is under option at AGC Studios with Emmy award-winning showrunner, Peter Murrieta (Wizards of Waverly Place, Mr. Iglesias), attached. The series is inspired by Carmen’s merdy adolescence (Merd: a Mexican Nerd) and growing up in inner-city Chicago. Her web series, BFFs, about Latinx, 20-something roomies, garnered a million views on YouTube and she won best directing at Miami Web Fest for that series. Carmen was also a 2018 ABC/Disney Writing Program Finalist, a 2018 NALIP Latino Media Market Fellow, and an NHMC Writers Program Fellow.

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Director Statement

In my 20s, I felt so UNLOVABLE.

UNLOVABLE is based on a stream-of-consciousness scene I wrote in my early 20s, a period of my life that was defined by chaotic relationships with men, including one that was abusive.

Now in my 30s, I decided to revisit these writings, the abuse, and that state of mind that pervaded my 20s.

Although I gave my actors parameters, the film is entirely improvised. As a former dancer, I asked them to tell the story with no dialogue just through movement.

Idalia, my lead, had experienced abuse from a partner and we drew on those experiences.

This piece is non-linear, so it was really important for me to find an editor that could take these moments on set and help me tell a linear emotional narrative.

I was lucky to find, Angelica, a gifted editor from the USC MFA Film Program. A confident Latina in her 20s, she also confided in me her past with an abusive partner which further shaped our narrative.

I am proud to say that me, Idalia and Angelica told our stories of abuse, but more than that, the moment we found our power.

My hope is that anyone who has experienced violence in the name of “love” might watch the film and ask the question, “What does it REALLY mean to be loved?”

More than half of my cast and crew are female, 75% are filmmakers of color, and my DPs and Assistant Director are also Native.