|
 Laura Mulleavy, 38, and Kate Mulleavy, 37, took
the majestic and ethereal wooded landscapes near their hometown
of Aptos, California, to write and direct a dark poetic thriller
of a young woman's psychological descent after the death of her
mother.
"We were always very inspired by nature," Laura Mulleavy told
Reuters.
"In writing our first film, we definitely were really looking at
nature through a microscope, the idea that we're so connected to
the natural world and yet we have completely, as human beings.
In a lot of ways we've cut ourselves off from that connection."
"Woodshock," out in U.S. movie theaters on Friday, follows
Theresa (Kirsten Dunst), who works at a marijuana shop in a
rural coastal California town and drifts like a wood nymph in a
weed haze through the redwood trees that are slowly being cut
down.
Made for around $5 million, the Mulleavys brought their years of
running a successful independent fashion label to the business
of independent filmmaking.
"Having run (Rodarte) for 12 years, you really learn to be a
creative protector of the ideas and the vision behind what
you're doing and that is something we could very solidly bring
into film," Kate Mulleavy said.
The striking visuals of the eerie forests, misty tree tops and
vibrant flora of Humboldt County, California play a starring
role in Theresa's journey, as well as echoing the bohemian
California aesthetic that marks the Rodarte runway collections.
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Rodarte's most recent Spring/Summer 2018 collection featured models
in delicate lace dresses accented with baby's breath flowers draped
through their hair, detailed flower embroidery and vibrant flora
prints.
The film has received mixed reviews, with some praising the artistic
visuals and dream-like sequences, while others found the plot to be
slumberous.
"When you make anything that's not homogenous and not cookie-cutter
and understandable in the typical straightforward way, that will be
provocative and that's exciting," Kate Mulleavy said.
"We're two very intelligent women and that is not always taken in
the right way in terms of creativity ... a woman's work and a man's
work are very differently spoken of in the creative field," she
said.
(Reporting by Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
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