An asexual woman looks back upon her memories of her past relationships and how those experiences shaped her now.

‘The Albatross’ follows Shan, a young asexual woman, as she experiences the memories of three previous relationships that she has had. One where her partner does not care about her wants. One where her needs are outwardly rejected and her partner threatens to force her into what her needs should be. And one where her wants simply clash too much with what her partner wants, ending with them parting ways. The film culminates in Shan visiting her mother and while watching a film, begins to take in the feelings that she has hidden away for so long. Maybe she can find what she is looking for soon.

The asexual experience is an experience that is not commonly found within the medium of film. It is a rather taboo topic due to the very lacking media and research into the sexuality therefore, the film wishes to provide a story that people of the asexual community can feel connected and seen by as the stories are based on the real experiences of many people. However, it can also serve as a story towards non-asexual people due to the universal themes of love and sex being flipped to mean something new and perhaps may act as a way for non-asexual people to understand a part of the LGBTQ+ community that otherwise is often left unexplored.

The style of the film is to feel like a hazy memory. The kinds of memories where you can smell something one day and get the smallest glimpse of a time where you felt something that you had never felt before, only for it to be gone a second later. The film takes place in a hotel room which is doused in fuchsia lights and magenta décor while the camera patiently sits still in a 1:1 square aspect ratio as we view Shan figure out the next steps in her relationship while somber acid jazz wafts through the air like cigarette smoke. The characters all have extremely expressive make-up, taking inspiration from plenty of styles of clowns throughout history from jesters to Pierrots. All culminating into a world that feels so different from our own, yet with a story that feels oh so familiar.

‘The Albatross’ is a third year graduation project written and directed by James Carmody. The funds raised will be used to support the production of this student film.