We (don't) Know How To Live

Roommates Betty and Darcy are getting ready to celebrate their friend Claire's 30th birthday. But when Claire's sad-excuse-for-a-boyfriend dumps her en route to the event, the party trajectory goes from 'it's lit' to 'dumpster fire'.

  • Hilary Wirachowsky
    Producer
  • Jayne McLendon
    Producer
  • Perrie Voss
    Director
  • Jayne McLendon
    Writer
  • Hilary Wirachowsky
    Writer
  • Perrie Voss
    Writer
  • Khadijah Roberts-Abdullah
    Writer
  • Hilary Wirachowsky
    Key Cast
    Double Date, See No Evil, Murder in Amish Country
  • Jayne McLendon
    Key Cast
    Don't Look Up, The Changeling, Hayseed
  • Khadijah Roberts-Abdullah
    Key Cast
    DEFUND, Nurses, Workin' Moms, Coroner
  • Gordon Harper
    Key Cast
    Station Eleven, The Boys, Murdoch Mysteries
  • J Stevens
    Cinematographer
    DEFUND, Adult Adoption, Astrid and Lilly Save the World
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    10 minutes 32 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    January 6, 2022
  • Production Budget:
    1,100 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Canada
  • Country of Filming:
    Canada
  • Language:
    English
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Perrie Voss

Perrie Voss is a screenwriter, picture editor, producer and Canadian Screen Awards nominated actor. Most notably, Perrie co-wrote, co-produced, co-starred and co-edited Avocado Toast the series, season 1 and is currently airing on OUTtv, Amazon Prime, and Apple TV+ across the globe (www.avocadotoasttheseries.com).

As a queer filmmaker Perrie champions stories with diverse stories with underrepresented narratives, especially women and LGBTQ+ stories. Currently, she is in post-production of Avocado Toast the series, season 2, (launching spring/summer 2022 on OUTtv). Perrie is continuing to develop the half our comedy series: Stories from my Gay Grandparents (recipient of the IPF/CMF Short Series Development Fund).

Most recently Perrie production managed a short film, Soap, and is currently editing a short film called Alex. Other acting credits include, Revenge of the Black Best Friend, The Boys, and Letters to Satan Claus.

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Director Statement

The pandemic has been a great time to reinvestigate what really matters. What initially felt like a full stop to everything we knew, the “we can’t” quickly turned into “how CAN we” with persistence and resilience. It also gave us the insight into what relationships are deeply important to us and which we could let fall away. When Hilary and Jayne approached me with this script idea I saw that we had the opportunity to explore these themes both in fiction and in reality.

Externally, the concept was to shoot a short film in the height of the pandemic, at our most isolated, with basically no budget and a miniscule bubbled group of people. Internally, the script provided a great opportunity to look at female relationships within societal pressures. We have three female characters with three different trajectories around their hopes and dreams and what they were hoping to accomplish before their 30s. Needless to say, that doesn’t always work out. Even when it does, with meticulous planning, it can sometimes feel like the wrong fit. I wanted to talk about these women continuing on out of the ashes and working together to lift themselves up while they try to figure out their lives. Connection and community can make us feel less alone, even at our lowest. This was the same with making this film. We all came together and said “let’s make something with nothing”. We all need people around us to help us move forward and celebrate our wins, even when they're small. At my 30th birthday I didn’t want to see the number “30” anywhere. My mom didn’t get the memo, and made a beautiful cake in the shape of a 30, my friends quickly turned that into an OM. Looking back,I have loved my 30s and I would gladly have a do-over of that birthday. But I think the weird shame that society creates for women particularly around turning 30 and what that means in a negative sense can be oddly isolating and worrisome. It becomes a do or die moment with each year gained. Especially around our relevance within the world and that our “clock is ticking” whether that pertains to fertility or career.

This film was a tremendous opportunity for female creators to come together, support one another and make something that was close to our hearts but also with a universal message. We acknowledged the existence of covid during this film for exactly that reason: the inmate isolation which in turn, reveals support. The defining of who and what matters. Who makes the rules and decides what is right and wrong in how we live our lives. We all get to chose that and who can be in our “bubble” while we figure out how to live life.