Archer House - what's in a sorority?
By Jaymi Heimbuch
http://girlistic.com/blog/blogs/index.php?blog=2&p=1089&more=1&page=2

Archer house is a short 16-minute film that sticks with you like a 3 hour epic. The synopsis is: ?Eighteen-year-old future journalist Sam Archer has always been the black sheep in her traditional Southern family, but when she decides to go undercover during rush in the very sorority that her mother and sister have been pushing her to join, Sam finds herself in the middle of a strangely alluring world full of teacups, skits, and sisterhood.? While short, the film makes a serious impact and brings up many questions about femininity, conformity, and family. After viewing it, I absolutely had to talk to Writer/Director Dina Gachman about her project.




This is your MFA thesis project. What brought on this idea to explore a young woman and sorority life?


It was initially inspired by a painting I saw by Mark Ryden called ?The Debutante,? which is very dark, surreal and oddly girlie at the same time. From there, I started writing a script about a girl who is ostracized because she wears white shoes after Labor Day (which in Texas is nearly a sin), and that evolved into a story about a girl going through sorority rush in Texas. The more I talked to women about their sorority experiences (good and bad) the more fascinated and obsessed I became about that whole world ? specifically Southern sororities. Growing up in Texas, I always felt like an outcast in many ways, and the whole culture of fitting in, joining the drill team, being in the best sorority always confused me and angered me on some level. I just didn?t trust the level of exclusion that was involved, especially for girls.


You created a fictional sorority, but is ABD it based on any specific real sorority?
Not really. I wasn?t in a sorority, but two of my sisters were, and many of my friends, so I listened to their stories and tried to make ABD it?s own weird little world. I didn?t want it to be the stereotypical sorority you see in films all the time where the girls are all dumb and blonde. Most of the ABD girls have dark hair, and I always saw the president of ABD, Marnie, as a very intelligent, cool girl, rather than some bitchy bimbo. Although she does have a bitchy side, of course ? this is a comedy! I really wanted ABD to be a little offbeat, while still being considered the ?best? sorority on campus.


You leave viewers to make their own assumptions and decisions about what happens with Sam when she goes undercover to write about this sorority. Why do you feel that was important?


The film is about our potential to give up a little piece of ourselves for acceptance, whether that means compromising yourself to fit into a certain sorority or to get a particular job or to impress someone you?re attracted to ? we all do it, to different degrees. So I think it?s important that the audience isn?t spoon-fed the story, as far as what happens to Sam, and why she does what she does. I hope people leave the film thinking about these things, and really thinking about her decisions, rather than just saying, ?OK, I get it.?




Viewers can see why Sam sticks through some of the traumatic rush events, even though it goes against what seems like her better judgment. Yet her final decision is startling and even unsettling. Why did you want these elements of Sam?s personality to win out over some of her more black-sheep elements?


Some stories merit happing endings, and it?s great when the main character triumphs and shows strength, but ARCHER HOUSE isn?t that kind of story. My goal was to rattle people, to make them uncomfortable, and to show what can happen when someone decides to give in and join the majority, even if it means giving up who they are. It?s a little scary writing a story that you know is not going to make people feel warm and fuzzy. Right before I finished the last draft I asked my mentor on the film, Carroll Hodge, to basically slap me if I lost my nerve and made Sam triumph. She didn?t have to, which is good. I also wanted to lure people into the story by making them laugh, making them relax and enjoy this silly sorority comedy, and them basically punch them in the gut when things start to turn. That sounds horrible, but it?s true.


What statements about femininity did you want to make?


It?s funny because when we were shooting the hazing scene, I remember looking at Julie Sifuentes, the Art Director, and saying that feminists are either going to love the movie or hate it. That was a tough scene, and I really had a moment of, ?What am I doing?! What am I saying about women?? This certainly isn?t a depiction of women at their best, but I am just as fascinated by the ugly side of femininity as I am in the more positive sides. The ugly aspects often are produced by social pressure and insecurity, so I think it?s important to explore where that comes from, rather than just always telling stories about ?good? women or ?strong? women. I would hope girls would look at Sam and see what a cool chick she was, how much potential she had, until she gave into social pressure. Sam?s hero starts off being Christianne Amanpour, and turns into someone more like Ann Coulter. Scary.


How did feminism play a role in your project?


In the ways described above, and I pretty much just want to tell stories about women ? the good, the bad, and the ugly. That?s very important to me, to always find interesting female characters.


What is the meaning of the Thoreau quote: Beware of all enterprises that require new clothes?


Don?t lose who you are. Don?t sell yourself out.


Before creating your own films, you were critiquing films while living in San Francisco. How has that experience played out in your current script writing and directing?


Writing reviews was a great experience because you learn so much from great movies, and even more from horrible movies. It also forced me to finally apply to film school because after a few years I got sick of my own voice, as far as being a critic. I wanted to make films, and not write about other people?s films forever, so it was a great motivator. Then you actually make a film and realize film criticism is usually a bunch of crap! There?s a story I love about a critic who analyzed a shot in a Kurosawa film, and talked about how deep and meaningful that particular shot was, and Kurosawa said that he actually picked that shot because the film was a period piece, and if they shot it any other way there would be a big, modern skyscraper or something in the background. I love that. I love demystifying the process in some ways ? it?s hard work, and sometimes you plan the deep and meaningful shot, and sometimes there?s a skyscraper in your way.


You?re working on two more projects. Can you share a little about them?


I?ve written two feature scripts that I am working on putting together financing for. One is based on a book I optioned called I LOVE LORD BUDDHA by Hillary Raphael. It takes place in Tokyo and involves an all-female cult - it definitely looks at the darker aspects of femininity. The other is a very personal comedy about growing up Jewish in Texas, which is more along the lines of ARCHER HOUSE, but this one has a happy ending, believe it or not.