Aster and Sidney

Aster and Sidney is a story about the destructive power of patriarchal individualism. In a world focused only on day-to-day survival, these characters have no choice but to refuse to trust anyone but themselves and, ultimately, each other. As an example of speculative fiction, this film is a depiction of the negative potential outcome of our current society: one in which millions starve, despite adequate food production; oil and water are hoarded and sequestered; billions of dollars are spent denying climate change, and income and wealth inequality increases daily.

Growing up, I had direct experiences with the negative effects of American individualism. Socialized to believe unemployed people were lazy and uncaring, I secretly blamed my mother for our unstable family situation. In reality, my mother struggled every day to take care of me and my brother. I am passionate about presenting the struggle to survive in my films. The struggle, however, is far from hopeless - and this hope is what Aster and Sidney aims to convey.

It was also important to depict the decisions and relationships that form between women in extreme circumstances. Looking at the vast majority of stories told on film, one finds a huge deficit in the number of stories told by women and about women. And focusing on the post-apocalyptic genre specifically, the majority of films not only put men at the center - they also structure the story around masculinized, individualistic hero-creation. Where do women go, to survive in these worlds? How would their choices look different from the choices we see so frequently?

As someone who deals with social anxiety disorder, I am also interested in representing the difficulty and importance of communication. There is a certain safety in closing oneself off from others; as a defense mechanism, keeping quiet about meaningful or tender thoughts and feelings provides a level of invulnerability. But that lack of vulnerability results in a lack of true connection. One secret puts Aster and Sidney’s relationship in danger; when their whole world is comprised of paranoia and risk and fear, their ability to connect and rely on each other is the one thing that might save them.

Sean Temple & Sarah Wisner