Addiction carries a lot of social stigma for many people. There are a lot of struggles that come with managing the cravings that can present themselves at the worst of times. Rakefet Abergel's short story, Boo, is about one of those just so-uncomfortable situations.
I saw Boo at the 2019 FilmQuest film festival (website). It was nominated for Best Horror Short, Best Director (Rakefet Abergel), and Best Editing.
Rakefet Abergel was also honored with winning the Minerva Award. The Minerva is awarded to a woman who through their efforts in the film industry promote diversity and equality. The person has to have been an important role in the film presented at FilmQuest along with their activity in the industry. This is one of the top, and most cherished, Cthulhu Awards presented at the festival.
Boo is an acceptable film for everyone. There is some blood that is in comparison to television programs.
Synopsis: A traumatic event forces a recovering addict to face her demons, without her worried fiancé uncovering the truth. Over the course of a rough night, Devi, 7 years sober, must make a difficult choice between WHO she loves and WHAT she loves.
Along with have the chance of talking with Ms. Abergel at the festival she was kind enough to answer some questions about her film and herself.
What was the inspiration for Boo?
I wanted to tell the story of an addict, but in a new way. Addiction is something that has affected me and people I love, and I wanted to portray an addict struggling, but with a supernatural twist. My first film was more of a thriller, so I was hoping to do something a little more classically horror this time.
What project(s) do you have coming up you're excited about?
I'm working on writing my first feature film. It's called New Mom and it's a ghostly thriller about family, soul mates, and hurting the ones we love. I hope to have it ready to submit to fests next year and hopefully direct and star in it soon after that. I'm also working on another feature that has a Black Mirror-esque ending about love and suicide. I like to tackle the darkest of issues! I'm also developing my first film, Jax in Love, into a tv series.
What was your early inspiration for pursuing a career in film?
I've wanted to be an actress longer than I can remember. I took hundreds of classes, did plays, and yearned to be a working actor. After film school, I threw myself headfirst into my acting career. I had a lot of success, especially in the comedy arena, but found that I wasn't able to get the more dramatic roles. So, I decided it was time to start writing for myself and making films that I could act in to show off my dramatic abilities. While I've been able to do that, it definitely has shifted my priorities a bit towards writing and directing. But acting will always be my one and only true love and passion.
What would be your dream project?
My dream project would be an ongoing dramatic series that I could star in, along the lines of the Handmaid's Tale. Something that I could work on every day and develop a character over many years. If I got to direct a few episodes that would be even better! Ideally it would be a project that I wrote and/or developed because I plan on being a triple threat!
What are some of your favorite pastimes when not working on a movie?
It seems like I'm always working on something! I love to binge really great television series and I enjoy reading a lot as well. I can also be found at the local casino playing slots when I have a little extra cash. I love gambling and the excitement of the unknown, which is probably why I do this!
What is one of your favorite movies and why?
One of my favorite movies of all time is Back to the Future. It was one of the first films I saw in a theatre when I was like six years old and I was so blown away by the concept. I had never even considered time travel at that time and it's something that is so interesting to me! I also liked the idea of getting to know my parents as teenagers. That would have been so cool. Now I'll definitely watch or read anything to do with time travel. The concept is just fascinating. Back to the Future and, then much later, Pulp Fiction made me want to make my own films. I had never seen anything like Pulp Fiction in structure and it made me realize that there is no one way to make a film. That really there are no rules and there are ways to present the material in exciting new ways. And The Sixth Sense ignited the desire to always have a twist in my films because I love the idea of taking the audience down one road and then flipping the script on them. It's exciting!
You can watch the trailer for Boo along with additional behind the scenes footage.
There is more information on IMDb (link).
Boo has a number of places on social media you can explore.
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