Indie Film 'Death of the Author' on Terrifying Truth We Don't Want to Think About

RICHMOND, Va. - Aug. 28, 2024 - PRLog -- Fredericksburg local filmmakers Angelo and Catie Espiritu premiere their next feature film Death of the Author this September which tells the story of fictional writer Riley Johnson through the limited perspective of other people in her life. The film explores the idea that we may never know someone beyond our own perspective and questions whether or not people can ever truly understand each other. Death of the Author will premiere on Monday, September 9^th, at the Byrd Theatre in Richmond, Virginia (2908 W Cary St, Richmond, VA 23221). The doors open at 6:00pm and the show starts at 6:30pm.

Death of the Author is an anthology of five short films that follow an ensemble cast of characters through grief, loss, and healing. Despite having self-contained stories, the short films are connected by the enigmatic writer, Riley Johnson, whose presence and influence shape the world of each story. Details of her life are sprinkled and teased throughout the film until the truth of her reality is ultimately revealed. "When I think about the friends I used to have and people that I used to know," says director and co-writer Angelo Espiritu, "it somewhat kills me a little to think that the person I used to be is fossilized in their memories. That's not me anymore, but since we don't talk and we don't see each other, their perception of me may never change. It's that experience that we wanted to explore." Espiritu acknowledges that they didn't want to touch on technology's role in our disconnectedness, noting that "Black Mirror is already doing a great job of that. We went into Death of the Author to delve into the universal experience of being isolated by our very nature as humans. We can never be in someone else's shoes; we can never fully understand the lives they lead. Regardless of technology, those are things everyone experiences – the loneliness among peers, people's inaccurate perceptions of us, and the knowledge that an imperfect 'photocopy' of you exists in other people's minds." The film's theme's play on the eponymous literary theory by French philosopher Roland Barthes, which asserts that any interpretation of a given piece of media is valid, regardless of the author's original intent. In other words, what a creator intended is no more or less important than what the audience interprets. The film Death of the Author applies Barthe's theory to everyday social interactions wherein we are the authors of our lives and everyone around us is our audience.

TRAILER: https://youtu.be/3eDOHKNScOA?si=8tlmBVE44EFBHcdK


Tickets: https://chiralstudios.com/tickets
Tickets are $13 online, $15 at the door. Space is limited.