A few years ago I was in a place in my life where I found myself questioning a lot – if not most – of the decisions that had gotten me where I was. I realized I had been treading water for a long time, keeping my head above the rising tide but never really moving anywhere, never progressing. I was stuck, and what was worse, I found myself expending more and more energy just to maintain, to avoid the changes happening around me. I knew I needed to choose a direction, but I simply didn't have any idea how to do it – or what that would look like, and to be honest I was afraid. 

 

When Josh and I sat down to write this movie, I was reminded of that difficult time in my life, and I wondered what might have happened if, instead of buckling down and figuring out [some of] my shit, I had redoubled my efforts and fought even harder against the changes. Josh and I both thought that this desire to resist change, if made active enough, could be a rather interesting re-imagining of the coming-of-age story, particularly if the character was complicated enough, someone you at times found yourself rooting for and at times – like when she makes the same mistakes you did – broke your heart.

 

Jessica is a film for anyone who can understand that feeling of confusion, that moment of uncertainty. It’s a story of an average 24 year old struggling to figure out what she wants to do with her life, and fighting to resist the changes happening around her no matter how inevitable they might be.