Playing God

Open Access
- Author:
- Norton, Jodi
- Area of Honors:
- Telecommunications
- Degree:
- Bachelor of Arts
- Document Type:
- Thesis
- Thesis Supervisors:
- Catie Grant, Thesis Supervisor
Matthew Jackson, Thesis Honors Advisor - Keywords:
- Short film
telecommunications
production
feminism
pre-production - Abstract:
- Playing God asks how do we define women and how do we detach their definitions from their relationships to men. After catching her long-term boyfriend, Steven, cheating on her in an office romance, Maya sets out on a mission, bound and determined to make him regret his affair. She convinces her best friend, Jess, to go out with him, with the end goal of breaking his heart in exchange for breaking Maya’s. Though apprehensive, Jess agrees and finds herself conflicted once she realizes she also has been developing legitimate feelings for Steven. Stuck between a rock and a hard place, Jess is left to debate if she should allow herself to pursue this relationship and put herself first for once or follow through with the plan and stay loyal to her best friend. Jess doesn’t have to make much of a choice once Maya discovers the plan has gone askew. At first glance, Playing God does nothing more than feed into the love triangle trope fighting for the man, but upon further reflection it actually evaluates the relationship between the two women. It’s Maya’s obsession with Steven’s demise along with her attachment to him on one side, and Jess’s accidental attachment to him that disintegrates their friendship, leaving no relationship salvaged by the end. This ultimately bodes the question, was it worth it? Supplemental files located at:: https://pennstateoffice365-my.sharepoint.com/:f:/g/personal/jrp22_psu_edu/ElsUSjqmGGVDqFRpDSnbyYkB-t0CsyHPfjE_FNtUmvJOAw?e=W24TcB