The birth of a mall goth
short film, post-production
Producer: Poppi Knight
Logline: May’s sister Gemma has become a goth overnight, causing May to explore the fantastical reasons for the sudden change, while also going on a journey of self-discovery. what causes someone to become a mall goth… Accidental septum piercing? Stained t-shirt? Hatched from an egg?
The Birth of a Mall Goth is a high paced surrealist comedy exploring alternative identity, teenagehood, and sibling connection in a silly but tasteful way.
Director's Vision:
The idea for this film came from recently visiting a shopping centre where I saw some goths, and it transported me back to being a kid in the early 00s in a similar setting, when I remembered seeing a group of people who looked exactly the same. This got me thinking: how do people get into this subculture and trend? This type of goth: mall goth, always tend to be around the same age (13-17) and dress the same today as they did back then. I wanted to have fun with this exploration and make it silly but still conceivable.
My own goth phase only lasted about 2 weeks and was greatly inspired by St Trinians, but I’ve always loved the strong look and feeling of individuality they have. I wanted to explore this different way of a teenager finding themselves and show a strong sisterly relationship with punchy saturated colours inspired by early 00s films. The humour and outlandishness is inspired by BIG BOYS and WE ARE LADY PARTS. By adding in a late 2010s tv trope of voiceover/presenting to camera - inspired by a mix of FLEABAG and LADHOOD I wanted to give May a cheekiness inspired by teenage me.
Visual references
Creating a dreamy but dark 00s look will be key, we want to feel immersed in May’s world and her relationship with her sister.
