What’s significant—even powerful—about writer and director Emily Lerer’s film Punch Drunk is the way it shares its lead character Nora’s intertwined story of post-surgery cervical bleeding and the resurfacing of sexual trauma in a way that is, at once, gritty and vulnerable, fearless and darkly funny. Co-written by Cason Weiss and starring Danielle Argyros as Nora, Punch Drunk pushes the envelope, grabs hold of its viewers, and commands attention. Whether it’s at this year’s HollyShorts Film Festival (HSFF) or beyond, it’s not a film to be missed.
In our #MeToo world, Lerer is fully aware of her directorial voice in the chorus of others, and the power and access it provides. “As filmmakers, it’s our privilege to tell our untold stories, leaving audiences with the comfort they’re not alone,” she says in our email interview below. More importantly, she will “proudly go there” when it comes to telling stories of cervical cancer and sexual assault, both of which affect a striking percentage of women and people with internal reproductive organs. Indeed, Punch Drunk doesn’t shy away from displaying fully the bleeding and violence Nora experiences, definitively challenging the outdated notion of suffering in silence and secrecy.
“Nothing can prepare you for hearing pieces from your reproductive parts plopping into a metal bin as the sound of a buzzer akin to a tattoo needle works its way through your flesh,” Lerer says of her own LEEP (loop electrosurgical excision procedure) surgery, which fundamentally informed the film’s themes and narrative. “Dropping my audience into Nora’s point of view as she unabashedly navigates a night of trauma and ultimate survival was the only way to impactfully share this story.”
Before we jump into Punch Drunk, I wonder if you might tell us about your filmmaking journey? Where did it all start for you?
My journey began in a BFA theater program where as an actor, I found myself asking deeper thematic questions about big pictures instead of living truthfully in the moment. These questions propelled me toward directing, culminating in a senior thesis exploring the rise and fall of dictators throughout recent history care of Billy Shakes, and later sending me from Ohio to New York’s experimental scene where new works and fresh takes on classics off broadway (and off-off broadway) were my jam.
After migrating west in pursuit of directing film and tv, my theater background left me blind spots in post production. Knowledge is power when it comes to running a department and creating a vision, so I climbed the ranks in post and made it my strength. Aside from developing people management and technological skills, I discovered opportunities to explore how color, sound and pacing take audience on a powerfully emotional ride – elements paramount to directing and finishing indie film projects.
Gritty explorations of the human condition draw me in every single time, and by portraying untold stories of the feminine experience, Punch Drunk is no exception. Possibly the most vulnerable piece I’ve told.
What I loved most about your film was how it doesn’t shy away, visually and thematically speaking, from the reality of what it’s like to be a woman and a person with internal reproductive organs. How important was it for you to capture Nora’s experience in its totality onscreen?
Thank you! Striking the fine line between exposing Nora’s stark, unkempt reality without excessively emphasizing the sex, blood and violence in her situation was our goal, though all three have their place in her story. Until we normalize talking about what it’s like inside the body half our population possesses, I’m going to proudly keep making films that “go there.”
Every woman, trans man and nonbinary individual with a cervix knows what enduring an annual Pap smear is like. Weeks after mine, I received a call informing me precancerous cells were found in my cervical tissue, likely due to the effects of human papillomavirus (HPV) exposure. My doctor recommended undergoing a LEEP, a procedure where a wire loop cuts precancerous tissue from the insides of your cervix. For those shying away from their checkup, this is your sign to get thee to the OBG(YN) because had we not caught it, it would’ve developed into cancer.
Nothing can prepare you for hearing pieces from your reproductive parts plopping into a metal bin as the sound of a buzzer akin to a tattoo needle works its way through your flesh.
Vulnerability is a huge component of activism art. Dropping my audience into Nora’s point of view as she unabashedly navigates a night of trauma and ultimate survival was the only way to impactfully share this story.
You’ve mentioned that there’s been a seismic shift in filmmaking in a post-#MeToo world. Though there’s still so much work to be done, how has it changed or influenced or even challenged your approach to filmmaking? How do you imagine Punch Drunk would have looked like pre-#MeToo?
My biggest takeaway from our current, crucially important #MeToo movement is when one person steps up to share an experience, others follow. Period. One in three women not only experience sexual assault in their lifetime, but that pain perpetually echos long after it transpires. Talking about my experience during crew interviews revealed how prominent prior sexual traumas resurfacing after an invasive surgery really is.
I’ve never seen a movie exploring this subject matter before. As filmmakers, it’s our privilege to tell our untold stories, leaving audiences with the comfort they’re not alone. That’s powerful, and to me that was the moment this piece gained momentum.
Punch Drunk presents very poignant moments of tension between public and private, humorous and gritty, love and fear, which ultimately lends the film a level of verisimilitude. How did you approach trying to balance the lighter moments with the darker ones? More generally, what was the overall creative process like?
I cowrote Punch Drunk alongside my immeasurably funny and witty partner, Cason Weiss, who helped grant our protagonist the gift of laughter in the face of fear. My favorite aspect of collaboration were the rewrites; we went through so many drafts on airplanes, in dimly lit living rooms, and on sunny walks debating which parts to keep or loose with a fervor and openness that rarely comes naturally without speaking candidly and frankly.
Creatively and directionally-speaking, it was imperative to separate the bathroom where Nora is alone in her head from the bar where she holds the power until later that evening, when these lines start to blur.
I carefully surrounded myself with an incredibly empathetic team. We made sure to have a closed set of only female crew during the assault scenes. My lead actor Danielle Argyros is a champion. Her humanity in approaching Nora is vividly seen on screen, balanced by actors Mikey Nau, Joseph Miller, and Stephen Ellis who brought charm, warmth and a comedic undertone to the dive bar atmosphere. Our cinematographer Carrie Morgan shaped-shifted herself into the smallest of corners to capture my vision. The melding of Erika Gruner’s perfectly paced editing, emotionally charged soundscape brilliance of Paul Stoughton, and vibrant color by the amazing Jen Ruvalcova of Periscope Post & Audio immersed us in Nora’s world. Our producing team Joanna Fang and Ian Cooley championed this project from the beginning and stayed around to give creative notes that made our final edit.
A director is only as great as the strength of her vision and the team she surrounds herself with. Every person on set and in post made an impact on this project, and for that, I am one lucky lady.
HollyShorts is a phenomenal platform for indie filmmakers. What does it mean to you to have Punch Drunk play here, and how will you be celebrating?
We are thrilled and honored to play Hollyshorts at Los Angeles historic Chinese Theater for our premiere! After coming to the other side of a sweatpants and virtual film festivals year, there is something unique about the feeling of a shared experience with an audience. Screening an Oscar Qualifying festival was an early goal of this project, and I’m humbled to see it come to fruition.
What’s next for you? And where can viewers follow you and your work?
Cason and I are in early stages of fleshing out Nora’s experience into its own feature length film, which I’m proudly attached to direct. My feature film Other Half, a dramedy about the blurred lines of codependency in female friendships, is currently showcasing a teaser short film on the festival circuit nationwide. I recently penned For Helen, a feature family drama set in Nashville addressing the reality and humor of saying an unexpected goodbye to a loved one, which I am attached to direct. You can follow my work on my website: emilylerer.com insta @EmilyJLerer.
