Alice-Heart

Statement from director, Mike Macera:For college, I moved to Philadelphia and majored in film at Temple University. Coming from suburban South Jersey, I was always fascinated with city life, but once I got there, I found myself alone and aimless. I settled on wanting to be a writer, but I had no idea how to put myself out there. My education at Temple often frustrated me, especially during COVID when my classes went online. I felt as though my mom was pouring money into a half-assed education, and I hated my classes. I threatened to drop out more than once and almost did until I couldn't find a job, and fear set in. This is how most of my college experience was shaped—teetering on the edge of dropping out while being pulled back in by financial support and guilt to obtain a degree.Our deal was that my mom would pay for my student housing as long as I was still in college. Alice-Heart emerged from this personal place. Stuck in a middle ground between feeling like an adult but not financing myself as one. In many ways, I wrote Alice-Heart to be me. But a much more headstrong version of myself— someone who could talk back to ridiculous teachers and openly complain about capitalism with no self-awareness of my privileges. Alice-Heart is meant to reflect this period of young adulthood for many liberal college students who move to cities. On the cusp of independence, recognizing talents, and learning how to cultivate them without the resources that have always been handed to you.