How to Cry on Command
From the Archives
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Comedy, Short Films, 19-Sep-2023
At a dystopian grade school, a determined 11-year-old girl struggles during her final exams. Wylie Anderson directs “How to Cry on Command,” a hilarious satire looking at the requirements and consequences of pursuing stardom. At “Celebrity Preparatory for Girls,” there are classes on how to speak with talk show hosts, how to model, self-brand, and, of course, act. These lessons seem to come naturally for most of the young students, however, this isn’t the case for Mattie. Struggling to channel what's needed to naturally cry on command, Mattie has a secret meeting with her teacher, Miss H, that moves the film into darker territory. Anderson’s brilliant world building is grounded by the lead performance of Colyse Harger — one of the most notable elements in a film about performance is the performance itself. -Jinho Myung. Director/Writer/Executive Producer: Wylie Anderson. Cast: Colyse Harger, Lane Townsend, Wylie Anderson. Producer: Roxanne Griffith. Executive Producer & Casting: Caroline Pommert-Allegrante. DP: Rachel Bickert. Production Design: Ashley Kron. Editor: Lily Judge. Music: Peter Lam.
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