Experiencing Interruptions?

West of Her

Two young strangers travel the country, participating in a mysterious street art project, but when their contentious relationship deepens into romance, they must choose between their commitment to their work and the possibility of a future together. Filmed, guerilla-style and semi-improvised, across ten states in iconic American locations from the sweeping midwest plains to the majestic Rocky Mountains, the stark southwest desert to the busy streets of Memphis, 'West of Her' is a film for anyone who's ever longed for adventure, romance, and a life of meaning.

  • Ethan Warren
    Director
  • Ethan Warren
    Writer
  • Ethan Warren
    Producer
  • Cameron Bryson
    Producer
  • David Brustlin
    Producer
  • Ryan Caraway
    Key Cast
    By Jingo, A Meeting of the Minds
  • Kelsey Siepser
    Key Cast
    Public Hearing, The American Side
  • Mark Cira
    Editor
    Last Night’s Party, Her With Me
  • Ariel Marx
    Composer
    By Jingo
  • Project Type:
    Feature
  • Genres:
    Romance, travelogue
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 27 minutes 12 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    January 1, 2016
  • Production Budget:
    250,000 USD
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    RED
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.39
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Scruffy City Film and Music Festival
    Knoxville, TN
    United States
    April 30, 2016
    World Premiere
    Best Narrative Feature, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Original Song
  • Santa Cruz Film Festival
    Santa Cruz, CA
    United States
    June 4, 2016
    West Coast Premiere
    Best Narrative Feature
  • Film Festival of Columbus
    Columbus, OH
    United States
    June 8, 2016
  • Indy Film Fest
    Indianapolis, IN
    United States
    July 17, 2016
Director Biography - Ethan Warren

Ethan Warren was born in Boston and grew up in Milton, MA. He's a graduate of Bates College, and received his MFA in creative writing from the University of North Carolina in Wilmington. He studied film production at the Maine Media Workshops in Rockport, Maine, where he began his collaborations with DP/Producer Cameron Bryson. He has worked for the documentary production company Captured Time Productions, producers of 'Dislecksia: The Movie,' an official selection of the Breckenridge Festival of Film, and recipient of Best Feature Documentary at the Black Hills Film Festival. ‘West of Her’ is his first feature. He currently lives in Somerville, MA.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

In the summer of 2010, I was 24 years old, and struggling to feel fulfilled. I was fortunate by nearly any measure, yet I still felt a huge piece missing—a sense that I was part of something bigger than myself.

Around that time, I started to work on the story that would become 'West of Her'. As I wrote about Dan and Jane’s travels and their mysterious work, I found myself unconsciously channeling my fear of detachment into the characters, exploring my own feelings while also powering their inner lives and narrative.

In 2011, I began to consider shooting 'West of Her.' My only formal training as a filmmaker had been in 2006, when I attended a four-week course at the Maine Media Workshops. I had never seriously considered a career as a director, but I felt powerfully that West of Her needed to be made, and so I reached out to Cameron Bryson, a friend from that workshop who was now a Director of Photography. As Cameron and I discussed my script, we quickly realized that the story offered us a rare opportunity to make a film of big images and bigger emotions while working fully independently, with a minuscule budget and a skeleton crew.

It would be another two years of development before cameras rolled on 'West of Her,' years that required Cameron, myself, and my friend David Brustlin—who came on as a producer in early 2013—to organize casting, hiring, and equipment rentals, all while scheduling a shoot that would double as a truly epic cross-country road trip. These tasks were often challenging, but more than ever before, I was finding satisfaction and excitement in my work.

After production wrapped in July 2013, it would take over two more years to complete post-production, meaning I have now spent five and a half years living within the world of Dan, Jane, and the Tromsø tiles. Those years of work have left the confusion that fueled 'West of Her’s development—confusion that led to Dan telling Jane he feels, “like a jigsaw piece from the wrong puzzle”—finally in the rearview. I’ve been lucky enough to partner with and receive help from a network of unbelievably talented artists and technicians, forming relationships I know will last long into my career. Not only do I no longer dream of feeling part of something bigger, I now feel a part of something far bigger than I ever imagined, and the result is a film that I could not be more proud of, nor more excited to share with audiences.