‘Radical Honesty’ (2022): Director Bianca Poletti Discusses SXSW Short

Radical Honesty (2022) is a new short from director Bianca Poletti which will have its world-premiere at SXSW on March 12, 2022. The short takes place in an L.A. diner at the end of Jack (John Hein) and Rachel’s (Allison Goldfarb) first date. All is going well until they make a move to leave, and suddenly, secrets are revealed. 

I had the chance to catch up with Poletti to discuss Radical Honesty, her creative process, and what she looks to for inspiration. The following is that conversation, edited lightly for length and clarity. 

Devin: Looking at some of your other work, I noticed that you and Allison Goldfarb, who co-stars in this short, had collaborated on a music video before. How did the two of you start collaborating? 

Bianca: Yeah! I cast her in the music video and we just got along so well. She was so talented. And actually, John [Hein], who is also in the short, I cast him in a music video and loved his vibe. It’s perfect because these music videos are a great way to see if you want to work with someone maybe in a longer format. So we met that way and then she reached out to me with this short that she had written and asked if I would direct it. She and I have a really similar sense of aesthetics and what we’re drawn to which is why she wanted to collaborate on Radical Honesty.

Then on set, we just worked so well together. It’s really, honestly so seamless. We’re so similar, which is great. We have a similar sense of humor, and some of the same themes that we want to explore. What we’re interested in for stories, so it’s been really nice. Really easy. 

Devin: That’s wonderful! We love when collaborations are actually easy.

Bianca: For real. I wish it was always the case!

Devin: Speaking of music videos, I know you have experience with them as well as some pretty major ad campaigns. I’m curious, how is your prep for a narrative short similar or different from your prep for other short-form media?

Bianca: It’s definitely different for sure. I love commercials. They’re amazing. They just have more people involved as far as the decisions and how things are told. Plus, there’s a very strict schedule. I did a Starbucks job and that we prepped for a month before we actually shot it, and the the shoot was five days. 

But with that, you know, you have your agency that you’re working with, and there’s probably like five different people from the agency that you’re working with daily. And then you have the client. And that could be like 20 people, 30 people, and they have voices and opinions, and then you have thoughts. I’ve been so lucky that everyone that I’ve worked with has been so fun and nice. We’ve gotten along and are on the same page. But it’s definitely a bigger kind of production, 

For film, especially for a short that’s funded, you know, through myself and collaborators, you

have more freedom to just kind of play and do what you want. We can have it end up how we want it to look and all those things. And Allison, again, was so trusting and just kind of let me explore and play with all the aesthetics and the visuals. That was awesome. 

Devin: Well a perfect transition because I wanted to move into talking about the aesthetics you and Allison came up with. Specifically, I fell in love with your opening sequence, that long take in a different aspect ratio with a killer needle drop. How did such a big creative swing at the top come about for y’all?

Bianca: You know, the script itself is just two people having a conversation. I feel like even though it’s a short film, it’s a long time for just dialogue. I didn’t want people to lose focus, you know? So I decided we needed something to kind of bring people into this world before we start the conversation.

I was obviously inspired by Goodfellas steadicam shot. Same with Boogie Nights, that steadicam shot where you get to go through the world. For us, you also get to experience the world a bit, and have some time with the waitress. You know, her taking a sip of the drink before she serves it to someone. I really liked playing with those little things because that kind of tells you at the top of it that this isn’t going to be just a conversation. There’s something a little playful or funny or humorous about it.

So yeah, those were two inspirations for sure for the camera move, and really just wanting to have something to hint at the mood at the top and bring up the energy before we land on the two of them talking for such a long period of time. 

Devin: Sticking with your two main actors, like you said there’s a lot of dialogue between them. Their chemistry and interplay is central to the film working. How did you coach them to make sure the performances clicked?

Bianca: I’m lucky that they’re both really talented. It was honestly very easy, which is great. They were natural because they’re friends. So there’s something already there between the two of them, a familiarity that bonds them. They were very comfortable playing in this world together.

The thing that I tried to heighten the most was just the awkwardness. I talked to them a lot about those pauses, wanting to spend time longer than you should really. When you want to just look away, but you can’t. This conversation gets more awkward and awkward, and you just can’t escape it. So we played more with the silences as far as me heavily directing them, but they were really naturally just amazing and had chemistry. Which was great. 

Devin: You can definitely feel that easy chemistry. It also strikes me that the diner you set it in aids that. It comes across as a perfect space for these two people to have this conversation. How did you end up with that location?

Bianca: Originally we were going to use this diner that I found. Mainly because we didn’t have a lot of time. And I was like, Okay, we’ll just use it. But it’s one that has been shot a lot, and it has a music video vibe, too. I was like, I don’t know. So, last minute, I think it was definitely like two weeks until we were shooting, I changed my mind. I canceled that first diner and then I just ended up driving in North Hollywood for like two weeks straight just trying to find a place. 

There are so many old buildings. Diners, vintage shops, or apartment buildings from the 70s. So I walked into a bunch of them to check them out, and finally stumbled into this one that was completely empty. Like, no one has been there probably for years. There’s like one person sitting,  having coffee in the corner. And it was perfect. I loved it. It had that old-school vibe and the texture like a grandma’s diner, really, that should be in the middle of nowhere, but is in LA. I talked to the owner and they cut me a deal, which was amazing. 

Devin: That’s wonderful, and really gets to the atmosphere you and your team pull off. Which also gets me to the exciting news that you and Allison love it so much you’re working on developing a version for TV.  Can you walk me through what you’re hoping to do there?

Bianca: Yeah! You know, we’re still developing it, but thematically, we want to stay within the realm of Gen Z and millennial relationships. Specifically in Los Angeles. We like playing with that, and playing with technology and what that means for dating. Also, of course, that kind of awkward humor. I just love the messiness of humans and life, and so that is the main theme that we want to focus on with this series. 

Devin: Honestly, sounds like a lot of fun.

Bianca: [laughter] Good!

Devin: Well, before I let you go, I have one more question that I always love to ask people. Of everything you’ve watched lately, whether it’s a first-time watch or a rewatch, what’s something that has blown your mind?

Bianca: Oh, man! Okay, so a couple of things. I’m a huge fan of PTA so obviously, Licorice Pizza was beautiful, amazing, and just observational. The story was okay, everything about the way he shoots is beautiful. Show wise, and this is just a popular one obviously, but you can’t escape Euphoria. The new season is ridiculous. It’s amazing and I’m loving it.

Devin McGrath-Conwell

Devin McGrath-Conwell holds a B.A. in Film / English from Middlebury College and is currently pursuing an MFA in Screenwriting from Emerson College. His obsessions include all things horror, David Lynch, the darkest of satires, and Billy Joel. Devin’s writing has also appeared in publications such as Filmhounds Magazine, Film Cred, Horror Homeroom, and Cinema Scholars.