“Smolder” is a film about queer longing. As a queer filmmaker, I wanted to capture that feeling of wanting someone and the lack of acceptance within yourself to claim that emotion. The elation of being around that person, and the sorrow felt alone. I wanted to capture the pull and tug of those female friendships that toe the line of romance. Its a feeling most people can relate to of grieving romantic feelings that could have been. There’s a haunted feeling that comes with seduction and loss, and morning something that could have been. I decided what better setting to tell this story but through a western with ghosts. The music video is influenced by Blazing Saddled, Haunted Hill House, and Victor LaValle’s Lone Women.

The set dressing for this film is meant to echo theater like being in a blackbox, hearing female sorrow of a lost male love at war. As filmmaking opens and more queer women get to tell stories, we get to manipulate these expected tropes. Our main character is writing to her lost love that could have been, and is actively being haunted by what could have been. This was a very simple set, and very simple lighting. I wanted the lights to feel like a character in the story, signaling the hot and coldness of our protagonists emotions.

I decided the dance should be a phrase of choreography that keeps echoing as the film progresses. The camera movements and dance movements begin small and grow as the film does. There’s a sense of lure that develops when the protagonist grabs the make up case, the sense of seduction is hidden in her silhouette. The silhouette has the light poking out from behind her, creating a sense of mystery. This shot sets the tone for what is to come. It felt important to introduce our ghost through that same silhouetting, but with a sense of surprise. Having the ghost pop up, dancing in front of the light so our protagonist doesn’t see her at first. I wanted the feeling we get in horror of long dread, when the audience knows more than our protagonist. The ghost only gets to reveal herself later in a flash, as they try to embrace. The embrace from behind, is calling to the familiar feeling similar to Ghost, of being held but no one is there. The magnetic energy is felt, despite no one being there. As the song builds, the dance builds to a pull tug in chaotic sapphic love.

The production of Smolder was a meeting of perfect timing. This film was a micro-budget of $1,700. The location had tight time constraints on it, so the whole production needed to be wrapped in 5 hours. This meant scheduling rehearsals for the dance ahead of time, and using every moment when we were at the space. My entrance into film 15 years ago, was by way of being a modern dancer. This film really put to the test if I could still move like I had, turns out I can. I decided rather than giving the camera its own choreography, I wanted to try something a bit more haunting. I found if I did the choreography the actors were doing with the camera it created an intensity, and intimacy. So I danced with the camera. We all twirled together, forward folded together, and spun together. This really captures the spinning chaotic feelings that are so key to this story.

“Smolder” was nominated at Nitehawk Film Festival in the Music Driven category in April 2025.