Synopsis
During an abortion, instead of aborting the fetus, a girl gives birth to a live jellyfish.
Layla Jian Luo
Layla Jian Luo is a filmmaker based between China and the US. She graduated with an MFA degree in Film Directing from NYU Tisch School of the Arts in 2018 and holds her BAs in Sociology from China Women's University, and Film/Video Studies from Purdue University. She has recently won the Ang Lee scholarship at NYU.
Director's statement
As an international director who was born and raised in China, I often find that there are vast differences in expectations and standards on being a woman between Chinese and American culture. But one thing that both societies share, is that women in both societies are a minority group within a patriarchal structure. When I was in China, I always felt lacking a sense of security for an anonymous reason, and the same feeling stayed with me when I moved to the US. I realized it’s the unspeakable fear that I had against no one, but the subconsciousness of the society. It’s a feeling that’s hard to express through words. That’s why in this film, I chose to use abortion as my subject. My intention is not to discuss abortion in a political manner. My intention dedicates to truthfully depict a feeling, the anonymous fear, and numbness that I hope my audiences can be connected to. Thank you for considering me and my film.
