Experiencing Interruptions?

ADULTING

ADULTING is a short documentary that explores modern adulthood through the lives of three millennials, living in a society that questions their generation's capacity to grow up.

Daniel (29), a young seminarian, defies cultural norms and family expectations by answering a higher calling to Catholic priesthood.

Eleanor (28), is an urban gardening teacher who searches for a path to make a difference in the world, post-graduation from college.

Taylor (26), is an aspiring fashion designer who balances chasing his dreams and building his brand with the demands of raising his son.

Through the characters' searching, mistakes, and revelations, we remember the defining moments that made us into adults and find that adulthood is a continual journey rather than a destination.

  • Dominique Sheth
    Director
  • Eleanor T. Blake
    Producer
  • Nich R. L. Perez
    Producer
  • Eleanor Goodrich
    Key Cast
    "Herself"
  • Taylor Anthony King
    Key Cast
    "Himself "
  • Daniel Seo
    Key Cast
    "Himself "
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short, Student
  • Genres:
    Observational, Ethnography, Sociological, Coming of Age
  • Runtime:
    22 minutes 25 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    December 8, 2017
  • Production Budget:
    55,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Black & White and Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes
Director Biography - Dominique Sheth

Dominique Sheth is a director and production designer, who has worked on over a dozen short films across fiction and nonfiction. She received her MFA in Film & Television Production at the University of Southern California and a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the University of California, Davis. As a sociologist, her research focused primarily on gender, stratification, and popular culture. Dominique’s goal as a filmmaker is to tell stories that ask us to interrogate our most deeply held assumptions about society and our culture. Whether designing sets or interviewing a documentary subject, she believes that the power of film lies in the richness of our characters’ unique and interesting lives.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

When was the first time I felt like an adult? To quote a man I interviewed in Larchmont, “Damn, that’s a tricky question.”

I’ve asked this question to at least 100 people over the last year and the answer is rarely the same twice. For many, it’s an important milestone like paying your first bill, buying a house, or having a child. For others, it’s more of a feeling you get when you feel like your ideas are heard at work or in being a role model for younger people. But for me and a lot of my generation, for whom the more traditional markers of adulthood are coming later in life, the question of whether millennials even know how to adult, seems to plague our culture’s consciousness.

While I’ve struggled my way through my 20s, I’ve become increasingly aware of a growing disjuncture between the way that our society views young adults today (lazy, narcissistic, entitled) and the young people that I’ve known and encountered. While there are always exceptions, most young people are doing everything they can to grow up and juggle the new responsibilities and roles that come with maturity. What I’ve come to learn is that for my generation, the biggest challenge of adulting is not settling down but confronting the really big questions that come with leaving childhood behind. It’s about asking yourself who am I and what is my place in the world? These are the big questions that Daniel, Eleanor, and Taylor wrestle with in the film.

My intent is not to say that adulthood is radically different for millennials than it has been for previous generations nor than it will be for those to come. Rather, my hope is that everyone will be able to see a little piece of their own path to self-discovery in our characters’ stories.

Growing up is a journey we all share, my generation just gave it a name: Adulting.

-Dominique Sheth, Director of ADULTING