The Harshest Critic Film

The Harshest Critic is a Toronto Based short film that highlights the struggles of imposter syndrome in the fast paced and unapologetic society we live in today. An ode to those who are overworked, overtired, but not quite over it yet. 

My name is Cinthya Raygoza, and I'm the Producer of The Harshest Critic. Balancing my responsibilities as a part-time Marketing Assistant and a full-time student, I've danced with the flames of burnout. Throughout this journey, I have worked as a Line Producer, Location Manager, Sound Recordist, and Assistant Director, as well as directed and produced my own short films.

In a world where everyone is always watching others, it’s hard not to compare ourselves to those around us, and easy to overlook our own strength and skills.

The Harshest Critic is a reflection on how hard we are on ourselves. How even when we get praised for something, we walk away feeling like we failed. It’s a tribute to everyone who can accept criticism from others with ease but will stay up at night thinking about the one mistake they made three days ago. It’s a story so many can relate to, and it’s one that will have audiences re-assessing how hard they are on themselves.

Incentives

Donations of $250+ will receive an Associate Producer credit in the final film.

Donations of $500+ will receive an Executive Producer credit in the final film.

Synopsis

Lisa’s imposter syndrome wakes her early the morning of a big presentation. She drags herself out of bed and pushes herself as hard as she can through her workout, before attempting to wash her ever growing tension away. As she repetitively reheats her coffee, she prepares for her day, taking extra care to make sure she looks her best on the outside; like the person everyone expects to have it all together. 

After arriving to encouraging messages from her team at work, she fusses over every bit of her morning to distract her knot-filled stomach. When the presentation comes, she floats through it with ease; every joke is carefully timed, and every fact quadruple checked. It isn’t until Lisa arrives home to a dark house that she lets her façade drop and begins to pick apart the perfect composition she’s put together of herself. 

As the day progresses, we meet others affected by the stress of societies expectations. Her coworker, Bri, is beginning to struggle with societies expectations of her looks and pressure to grow faster in her career. Lisa’s boss, George, on the other hand, has resigned to what his life is, and counts down until he can retire and relax. George’s acceptance of his life leads to a late night email that interrupts Lisa’s self care routine and sends her imposter syndrome into overdrive. 

Director’s Notes

We all do it. We have to push ourselves in order to learn our potential. But we also need to know when to draw the line. When to accept when someone telling us we’re doing a good job really means we’re doing a good job. This is a dramatic retelling of the struggles so many face when it comes to their own perception of themselves, and how extreme they are willing to get in order to look successful. 

I’ve seen firsthand how easy it is to push ourselves past our own breaking points while on the ‘road to success’. We’ve created a world where on-time is late, outstanding is good, and a 40-hour work week really means putting in 60 hours.

As I was writing “The Harshest Critic” I had myself and my friends in mind. Every time we made a miniscule mistake and swore to each other we were going to get fired (spoiler: it never happened). Or every time we had to change plans with each other because one or more of us ended up working late. I thought of all the conversations I had where I would tell people they were doing incredible, only to watch them redo a task because it wasn’t to their own standards. I thought of the time my boss set up a meeting with us and titled it “GOOD MEETING: Responsibilities” because she knew we would all jump to the worst conclusions. All of those memories, feelings I had considered as ‘part of the job’, they all came out in this story, and I hope I can use them to guide others. To show them they aren’t alone in doubting themselves, to let them know it’s ok not to be too critical, and to remind them to be nicer to themselves.

We will always be our own harshest critics, but it’s time we also became our own biggest supporters and took time to recognize how strong we are in our own unique ways.

~ Kimberly Lee, Director

The Team

I spent 9 years in the corporate world, before switching to film, and I crossed paths with some truly incredible people over that time that inspired different aspects of this film.

- Kimberly Lee, writer/director

Now, I am thrilled to have a fantastic team that is here to help me share this story.

My producer, Cinthya Raygoza, who has firsthand experience in the pressures of the corporate world.

My Cinematographer, James Carter, who brings a fresh yet critical eye, to the film.

My 1st Assistant Director, Isalyne Hebert, who has fought her own self doubts to become an incredible influence to others.

And my Production Designer, Abi Bennett, who has such an eye for detail and individual style that will highlight each characters individual story. 

~ Kimberly Lee, Director