Manicure is a dark female body horror short film that explores body dysmorphia, mental illness, and the pressure the modern person (in this case a 30-year-old protagonist) puts on themselves through the lens of a manicure gone wrong when Eleanor’s anxiety and demand for perfection turns her perfect manicure session into a bloody mess.
Writer Jaylan Salah interviews Carlos Tejera (Carluccio), co-writer and director, as well as Jordan Sarf, writer and producer of Manicure.
Jaylan Salah: The first shot was spectacular, almost like a ritual. I didn’t know if it was a sushi bar or a manicure salon. How was the shot established?
Jordan Sarf: When you have that pressure on yourself, everything needs to be a certain way. Like you said, as if it’s a ritual. Having Eleanor –the character of the film- lying about all the tools in a specific way was a powerful thing to say. She’s just doing her nails, why is she going the extra length? There’s something different going on. So with the opening shot, it was as if we were saying: this is something people do every day but we’re gonna see it through a completely different light.
Carlos Tejera: The first shot mimics the evolution of the narrative – slowly pushing in, getting more intense until her flow is interrupted and we get the first edit. The angle sets the voyeuristic tone of the film; she’s being judged by her alter ego. I always loved the idea of introducing the character’s shaky, manicured hands before revealing her face. On a technical level, the camera was on a dolly, facing down 90 degrees while the two ACs pulled focus and zoomed in remotely.
JS: Jordan, how did you and Carlos get together and decide to start working on this film?
Jordan Sarf: I met Carlos 10 years ago by accident during a film program in LA. The following summer –I hadn’t talked to him, and we each went to another class- I coincidentally ran into him. I knew this was someone I wanted to work with. We each went to college, then started working on [separate] projects. This is a project [Manicure] I wrote probably 8 or 9 years ago. It was important for me to talk about how people have these internal pressures and how sometimes it could be so excessive that we’re taking them out on ourselves in a physical way. I knew it was something I wanted to tell and Carlos was the guy to bring it to life. I worked on the script, he polished it, and we worked together to make it happen.
JS: Carlos, How did you achieve the look of the film with your cinematographer? The coloring, the framing within framing? Blocking actors?
CT: Before pre-production began, I worked with visual artist Manny Rodriguez to storyboard every shot from beginning to end: this included the angles, the blocking, and the editing.
Then, the insanely talented Nona Catusanu came on board to shoot the film and she created several fascinating mood boards for each moment. We both wanted the camera to be as meticulous as the character and we referenced films like Phantom Thread, Spencer, Rear Window, The Shining, and most thematically obvious, Black Swan throughout the process.
Similar discussions took place with Violet Morrison, our fearless production designer, about the set design and colors – there was a friendly battle among the three of us (Violet, Nona, and I) on whether the room would be red, green, or the final blue. These conversations are always fun to have with passionate artists like them. Ultimately, the character’s room is inspired by Vincent Van Gogh’s “The Bedroom,” painting a parallel between the character’s mental health and the tragic life of Van Gogh. Violet did a phenomenal job!
JS: Jordan, I love that you picked a female body horror story to tell. This is one of my favorite genres. So why did you choose this feminine detail [manicure gone wrong] to flesh out your story?
Jordan Sarf: Now and then I get a manicure because I think it’s a soothing thing. My sister and my mom would get their nails done regularly and I would look at them and think, “Wow, their nails are nice,” but they would reply, “No, this is chipped.” Or “This nail got messed up.” So I wouldn’t know that part but women like my sister and my mother would know. When I noticed their behavior, I thought: wow this is something really small but what if it’s really important to someone that the slightest infraction could set them off and completely ruin the whole experience? At the end of the day, it’s a relaxing thing, not a massage but it’s nice. So I thought why don’t you take something so-called peaceful and show it in a completely different light?
JS: Carlos, How did you manage to capture awkwardness so perfectly on screen?
CT: On a technical level, most of the feeling is conveyed through sound design and music –I owe immense credit to Alex Wakim, our incredible composer for creating such an iconic atmosphere.
However, the real answer is Stef Dawson’s exhilarating performance; her behavior as the character sells it. If she had been relaxed in the space, the audience would’ve likely felt relaxed too. The film set was very cold the weekend of the shoot, so Stef took that and used it for the character. She is visibly shaking throughout the film and it added another layer to her character.
JS: Jordan, how did you use Eleanor’s tale [the manicure gone wrong] to comment on mental health or mental problems that people go through or how they could escalate beyond control?
Jordan Sarf: Like I said, I don’t get manicures too often. But seeing someone go through a routine every day, and showing how somebody not only puts too much pressure on themselves to be perfect in that situation, but takes it out on themselves when they aren’t could be relatable to anybody. And we used the manicure as the medium for that so that people would relate to it their feelings. We went to film festivals, most recently the Woodstock Film Festival, and an old woman came to me after the screening and said, “I connected with that film. I don’t get mad about my nails but I felt exactly the way she feels.” A lot of guys also came to me and said they feel those pressures. So it’s not about the act of a manicure itself but the feelings she feels towards herself and what is happening around her are universal to people now.
I also have to give Carlos a lot of credit. I have been writing this script for so long. Originally, I started writing it when I was in high school because using my high school self [for inspiration] was easier as I was going through more of the fitting-in pressures than when I went to college. It was originally going to be more of a student-style film where the main character would be a student working on homework. Then as I got older, it transitioned to a different story because the older version felt more specific and I wanted to be more universal. The manicure thing clicked with me immediately.
Carlos did a great job. I worked with him for about 6 months to a year. We talked about the idea and how we needed it to look. We got funding together and eventually landed Stef Dawson who stars as our lead actress. She fell in love with the project. Her background is The Hunger Games so it was cool working with someone of that caliber. She brought her personal collection to the film as well when we told her about the idea and why we were making it.
JS: Carlos, How do you guide your actors through these tense situations and how do you ensure a safe environment for your actors?
CT: I have extensive conversations with my actors before shooting. We explore what’s at stake, the weight of each moment, the relationship among characters and things (even details that are not explicitly referenced in the final product), and ultimately, we get to connect as people on a more philosophical level so that they feel safe with our team and so that there is no barrier or fear to communicate on set. These early conversations allow a flow while shooting, in which actors arrive with a solid idea of what they want to do. So my sets tend to be quiet and calm; everyone knows the game plan and focuses – I’m extremely grateful for this cast and crew!
JS: Jordan, do you ever consider directing or are you just interested in the writing process?
Jordan Sarf: I’d love to direct. I do it on the side for fun. I know my strengths are in the writing/producing sides of things. So after I wrote the script and handed it to Carlos, I said, “Alright, I’m gonna set up the Ferrari but I’m gonna give you the keys to drive the race.” He hit the ground running and did a great job. I love to direct, though. I just knew that with a film this serious, Carlos –a really strong filmmaker with very good visual ideas- was the guy to bring this to life. I didn’t mind handing it to him because he did a great job. There are other projects I’ll direct myself and we balance back and forth.
JS: Jordan, is it true that you don’t like horror movies? Do you envision Manicure as a horror short?
Jordan Sarf: Yes, I don’t like horror movies. When I watch a film like Paranormal Activity I love to research everything beforehand regarding how they made the film [etc.] That way when I watch the film, I’m not as scared. I still haven’t seen Hereditary and Midsommar, and I don’t plan to. But I’ve seen some old-school horror movies like Rosemary’s Baby, and one of my favorite movies of all time is John Carpenter’s The Thing.
We didn’t envision our film to be a horror, but more of a psychological drama. But it was so horrifying after watching it, that we fell in that genre. I embraced it. We went to a lot of horror film festivals and I was scared most of the time. I got over it and what helped me was talking to horror filmmakers afterwards about how they made their films which opened my eyes to the genre and how great it is.
JS: Finally, Jordan, are you planning on turning this film into a feature or are you working on an entirely different project?
Jordan Sarf: So we’re working with two streaming platforms right now to house the great film. Some people approached us about making it a feature. And I have written a couple of ideas. But it [Manicure] is meant to be a short.
We’re working on two new projects, one we’re shooting now in April and the other in June, the one that’s shooting in April is a sports-comedy while the June shoot is a drama that Carlos will direct.
