IAN MACALLISTER MCDONALD
Ian MacAllister-McDonald is a playwright, filmmaker, and educator from Portland, Maine. He holds an MFA in Playwriting from Brown University, where he also taught. He is the recipient of two Edward Albee Foundation Fellowships, a MacDowell Colony Fellowship, the Visionary Playwrights Award from Theatre Masters, and a Playwriting Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, among others. He received a BA in English Literature from Loyola Marymount University, where he recently returned to teach.

Director’s statement
I was sitting on a park bench in Tribeca waiting for a friend, and I saw this young couple walk by. The guy was thin and gawky, and the girl was very curvy. They were hanging all over each other and clearly in love, and I thought they were the most beautiful, interesting-looking couple I'd ever seen, and a story started to form. That was the catalyst. As I started working on the script, I thought a lot about what it was like being young and in love. And for me, it was terrifying. I was kind of a weirdo in high school, and really insecure. The first time I found that person who I really fell for -- I mean, there were wonderful moments, of course, but I also remember being scared a lot of the time. Feeling like I'd somehow tricked them into dating me and that it was only a matter of time before they realized their mistake and took off. This, along with broader themes of identity and body image, were all really appealing things to explore. […] More than anything, I hope that some weirdos out there see the film and recognize their own experiences in it. Even if said experiences aren't entirely pleasant, I think there's something validating about seeing them reflected back at you. It's the beauty of art. It lets you know that although the world can be a tough place, you're not alone in it.