2017 Films: Mrs. Drake

Mrs. Drake by Caitlin FitzGerald
Colorado (Wisconsin Premiere)
Running Time: 15 minutes
Screening Time: Juried Saturday, September 9th 9PM
Drama 

Overworked and overstressed, Laura is a single mother struggling to maintain her own equilibrium while raising her frequently difficult son Jack. When Jack comes home from school one day with a story of his teacher, Mrs. Drake, locking him in a closet, Laura is thrown into a spiral of confusion and guilt—not knowing what to believe or where her responsibility lies. "Mrs. Drake" is a story about blame, uncertainty, and the complexities of a flawed mother as she wrestles with her responsibilities as a parent. In the face of so many myths and fantasies about what society tells us it means to be a perfect mother, this film is a meditation on the complexities of motherhood and the sense of failure that many women feel, but are afraid to articulate.

Press

Press

Website

Facebook


Director's Bio:

Caitlin FitzGerald is an actress, director and writer. As an actress her film credits include ‘It’s Complicated’, ‘Newlyweds’ and ‘The Fitzgerald Family Christmas’, ‘Taking Woodstock’, ‘Damsels in Distress’, ‘Manhattan Romance’, ‘Adult Beginners’, and the up-coming features ‘Always Shine’, ‘This is Your Death,’ and ‘A Little Something for Your Birthday.’ Her television credits include ‘New Girl,’ and the role of Libby Masters in Showtimes acclaimed series ‘Masters of Sex.’ Caitlin co-wrote and starred in the independent feature ‘Like the Water.’ She has directed two short films, ‘The Girl with the Jacket’, and ‘Mrs Drake.’ Caitlin’s training includes New York University’s Tisch School and The Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts.

Director's Statement:

"Mrs. Drake" is a story about blame and responsibility and the ways in which we often long to make someone else accountable for darknesses in ourselves that we are unwilling to address. In the end, it almost doesn’t matter whether Mrs Drake is her enemy or ally, Laura just wants the teacher to share the burden of parenthood that weighs so heavily upon her- to not feel so alone in her guilt and shame. This film beautifully illustrates how, when we project blame in this way, it is an inevitably failed project. As Laura painfully discovers, ultimately no one else is responsible for her feelings of helplessness, and relief will only come from a frank confrontation with herself.