“Liza Anonymous” is a short film that premiered as part of the Shorts: New York, New York program at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival. It’s one of five short films in this programme created in the New York area. In it, Danielle Beckmann plays Liza; introduced in a cyclical fashion showing that she adopts four different personas in four different support groups.
Beckmann really embodies each character, making each feel distinct. Since the film is 12 minutes long, only two of them truly get the focus. That’s why I think a feature length film would be so fun. First, the premise is so intriguing and funny. Second, it would be great to learn more about the personality with the Valley Girl accent in Overeater’s Anonymous. It would also be exciting to see where this team takes the general character of Liza.
There are so many options. For one, it’s interesting how they handle the character for these limited 12 minutes. We’re treated to a conflict with Milton (Daniel Fox), a self-proclaimed Sherlock looking to out Liza for her lying. This is where some of the film’s interesting emotion comes from, which would play so well as a feature.
These emotions are surprising; but at the film’s core, it’s about finding a sense of belonging. That’s what makes Liza an interesting character, and seeing where her well-defined arc goes by the end of the film. The film also has such a cool attention to detail.
This is especially true with all of Liza’s wardrobe changes as the different characters, as Beckmann sports different accents for each one. Director Aubrey Smyth brings these details to life so well, matching Leah McKendrick’s strong writing. For the eagle-eyed viewers, you’ll notice the amount of effort put into each room. It’s great to know that many of these outfits come from Smyth’s wardrobe or by raiding other closets.
The interview
That’s one of the many conversation topics in this interview with the team of “Liza Anonymous.” Danielle Beckmann (who also produces), director Aubrey Smyth (who also produces) and producer Katie Rosin (who line produces), were kind enough to speak to me about their project.
In the conversation, we chat about creating a female-centric team and its importance. We also talk introducing Liza, as well as developing the characters and the costumes. Danielle talks about preparing to play Liza and Aubrey loving a prepared actress. We also talk about some funny stories from the set and looking forward to audience reactions at Tribeca. There’s much more in between, and you can find the conversation directly above.
*Podcast music courtesy of Bensound.com
“Liza Anonymous” is available to watch online through June 23, and more information can be found here.
