a short film
Written by Rae Binstock
Directed by Zoey Martinson
Produced by Rae Binstock and Maria Fernanda Diez
Starring Maria Fernanda Diez, Bianca Norwood, B. Bastian, and Ellen McLaughlin
DIVR is a short film about what happens after your dreams come true...but the catch is, they’re not just your dreams.
For those of us who are tired of living on the outside looking in, representation is one of the most powerful forces at our disposal. Every time we see someone who looks like us, talks like us, or loves like us acquiring even a hint of true power, our own success seems a little more possible. We want these icons of our communities to be perfect--not only because any little mistake reflects badly on the rest of us, but because if they’re perfect, then it means there’s hope that the rest of us could be too, one day.
But whether we like it or not, the truth is that nobody is perfect. DIVR is a timely and fearless portrait of that truth, and of the people who discover it the hard way.
Representation -- how becoming an Inspiration, aka the first to break through, or the role model who paves the way for others, is both a blessing and a curse. Forget the relentless Underdog/Victim narrative; in the modern Wild West of the tech world, there are queer and BIPOC women and non-binary folks who have achieved real power and clout. This is what the future, led by Gen Z, will look like--yet, as in DIVR, older generations who laid the foundation for today are still challenging modern “icons” to practice the high-minded rhetoric they preach.
Identity -- Identity politics are a vital part of modern progress, but they can also create an impossible standard of perfection. DIVR explores the tension between the individual and the identity--how to be yourself when a whole community wants you to be everything to everyone--and offers the hope that this is the flawed, imperfect, but unstoppable beginning of a new age of power for all us outsiders.
Secrets -- We keep secrets for many reasons, but it always comes at a cost: what we gain in safety, we pay in trust. DIVR asks why would we rather hide than admit we’re not the best version of ourselves? What are we really afraid of losing?
The three founders of an exclusive lesbian sex app may be shattering the start-up world’s glass ceilings, but the pressures of success have begun to threaten the integrity of their friendship – and worse, their brand.
