INTERVIEW: Finding new family with ‘Connie + Consuelo’

Photo: Connie + Consuelo stars Christina Pickles and Angélica María. Photo courtesy of the production / Provided by Rogers and Cowan with permission.

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Paul Becker’s new short film, Connie + Consuelo, finds two retirees receiving some unexpected news later in life. They have recently heard that Connie’s daughter has died and that Connie is actually a grandmother. Now it’s up to the two retirees, with the help of their orderly, to track down her granddaughter and say hello.

Becker’s film, which stars Christina Pickles and Angélica María, recently played the LA Shorts International Film Festival, and the director took some time to answer questions via email from Hollywood Soapbox. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.

What are the unique challenges of directing a short film?

Directing a short film is challenging because you have to express your story in the most economical yet efficient way possible. Visuals are the most powerful here. For me, this was the most challenging.

Do the time constraints make it easier or more difficult?

We had two-and-a-half days to make this film. It was so much to fit in. That being said, time constraints always suck, but I work well under pressure. And our team pulled it together.

What inspired this particular short film?

The stories within this short film were inspired by the relationships in my life. When my mother was a teenager, she was forced to give my brother up for adoption … later to be reunited, much like our story. At one point in my father’s life, he was a caretaker. I would visit him and help him at the home and see relationships much like Connie and Consuelo, where they are all each other have.

Do you have plans to make this short film into a feature length, or do you feel that the project is finished?

I feel like these characters belong in a series. There is so much more to explore with these women.

By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com

Connie + Consuelo, directed by Paul Becker, recently played the LA Shorts International Film Festival. Click here for more information.