WRITER INFLUENCE

“I met a French girl once at “Coco et Olive Cafe” on Main. The cafe still rests near her past vintage clothing shop, “The Lip Lounge.” This girl had come for a past audition and decided she could not commit her personal voice to a casted role. But I fell in love with this Montreal actress. I fell in love with her blue/green eyes, and I still see the acting potential inside her. She appeared very vivid to me, and exhibited a confidence I did not have myself. She stood there, in Coco et Olive, stirring perhaps sugar in her latte and foam. She told me, during our first meeting, that she did not buy this latte. She had to use her boyfriend's money to purchase her own coffee. I felt hurt hearing this. Because I know she is a smart, bright girl, with heavy knowledge of the human spirit. But, beneath the make-up, the fresh hair cut, and wealthy fashion attire, she was poor, and will eventually go broke.

Her name was Corine Corriveau. She escaped Montreal, and came to Vancouver. She had bulimia nervosa for eleven years or so. I immediately felt attracted to her sickness, because I always wanted to write a story about my past anorexic experience as a Chinese.”

“The Gap Between Her Legs” is dedicated to all the females who have lost theirs lives to the eating disorders anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. During the story of "The Gap Between Her Legs," Montreal born entrepreneur Bella moves to Vancouver. In Vancouver, Bella falls in love with an aspiring Vancouver Lawyer, named Ivanka. Such acts consequently force Bella to leave her rich male fiancé, Louis. The two young business women then move in together. While Bella tries to run her expensive clothing store on Main Street, Ivanka seeks employment in the legal field. As the two women try to make ends meet, Bella and Ivanka also develop the eating disorders bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa.

The film expresses the difficulty for some young women to start a life while living in one of the most expensive cities in the world; and to make their own careers. It also depicts how females can come together and form growing, unshakable, and memorable respect and admiration for one another. Ultimately, the story will use cinema as a tool to honour those who live and fight such mental illnesses in future females. At the same time, it celebrates the lives of the past women who are missed.

I wish to undertake this project at this time because there are many young women who finish their education and are left jobless, sometimes for very long extended periods of time. They may have a masters degree but they may end up working at a coffee shop, and with a load of debt to pay off. There are many talented and educated young people in life. But their potentials are not always being recognized or respected. This can lead to depression and influence the development of mental illnesses such as bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa. Furthermore, I also want to celebrate and explore how two women can come together in times of crisis, how they can form a friendship in times of crisis. Though such talent may be ignored and may not set a proper functioning foot in society, through friendship and having a coming together, women can recognize each other as valuable and smart.

My own inspiration is my own past anorexia, and how my body became a rebellion towards the ignorance and lack of attention that was given to me when I was a teenager. I was very much caught up in the idea that having 'a gap between my legs' was necessary to fit into society. I felt left out and shut out of my own shell. It was not until I saw the empathy and tears of the doctors and loved ones around me that I knew I was loved, and I gained the courage and motive to get better again. But I was lucky, and therefore avoided death.

The key artists leading the project include Polish Canadian Actress/dancer Loriel Medynski (Bella), and Colombian Canadian Actress Juana Samper (Ivanka). Loriel’s Credits include performing dual roles on the London stage in the UK premier of ‘It’s All True, which garnered five star reviews and Critic’s Choice awards, 'Emma' a feature film that partnered with the Toronto Make-A-Wish foundation, short film ‘Breakfast with Pete’ which screened at the Cannes Film Festival and recently starred in experimental short film ‘A Night In’ with Sonder Films. Juana’s has starred in many theatre plays, including Miss Julie by August Strindberg and A Tragic Role by Anton Chekhov. From there she moved onto starring in network television shows and TV movies such as Covert Affairs and Little Girl Lost. Her short films have appeared in TIFF and World Montreal.

I have directed actors Loriel Medynski and Juana Samper. We have, at Carousel Theatre For Young People, been rehearsing part-time for about a year, portions of the script.”

-BETTY JIANG