I had the opportunity to speak with filmmaker Lauren Loesberg and producer Imani Davis about their film “Year One,” which explores mental health challenges that college students face in their freshman year of college. This theme resonated with another film where I interviewed, director Alex Heller, about her film “The Year Between.” I could relate to both of these films based on my own similar experiences which I examine in my essay, “Not just Gilda, but Rita too.”
“Year One” is about Ruby’s freshman year. Even with her excitement it didn’t go as planned. Despite her best efforts, she struggles to make friends other than her complicated roommate, Selene, and experiences both academic and social rejection. But Selene bears problems of her own when her severe anxiety and inability to care for herself seep into Ruby’s everyday life. Soon, Ruby finds herself in a downward spiral, marked by dreams and the appearance of her glamorous alter ego, Ruby II, who begins to live the life that Ruby thinks she is expected to have.
Lauren, what was the inspiration for this film?
Lauren Loesberg (LL): I consider “Year One” to be semi-autobiographical. It’s based off my personal experiences with a difficult freshman year of college and mental health struggle, but the characters and story are fictional.
Imani, how did you get connected with this project?
Imani Davis (ID): I got connected to it through a mutual friend of Lauren’s when the team was looking for another producer to bring on, and I’m so grateful that happened! I hadn’t produced a feature yet and was excited for the challenge, especially when shooting entirely on Northwestern’s campus.
I along with many others I know dealt with mental health issues in college. Thank you for doing a film about this topic. Lauren, can you talk about why it was important for you to bring these stories that deal with mental health to the screen?
LL: I made this film, first and foremost, for myself. I had a lot that I needed to express about coming to terms with my own mental health struggle. I started writing the script while I was still in college, going through it, and the prospect of making this film really felt like the light at the end of the tunnel for me. It kept me going in so many ways. It was years before I even had the courage to start talking about this thing that I was working on and showing it to friends to get feedback on the script.
Once I started to do that, it became evident very quickly that so many people went through similar experiences and related to it very deeply. This was shocking to me in some ways because at the time, I really felt like I was the only one who was struggling. It’s literally SO common, and it’s become incredibly important for me to bring a story about mental health to the screen because I think it would’ve helped me to know that others were dealing with the same thing.
Imani, can you talk about your connection with the subject?
ID: When I read the script, I really resonated with this different portrayal of college on film, especially in your first year. It’s not always the nonstop party we usually see in college movies. It’s tough and nuanced and can come with a lot of internal struggle. I put a lot of pressure on myself to have the fun experience we see on screen because I thought that’s what everyone was supposed to do (the best four years of your life, right?), but it just isn’t reality, so I got disillusioned quickly. Getting involved with a project that was seeking to portray a different side of college felt very aligned.
Any behind the scenes crew members you’d like to give a shout-out to?
LL: SO many! Our whole cast and crew was unbelievable, and my favorite part of this whole process was the genuine friendships that have been built out of it. In particular, I definitely want to shout out my incredible producers Imani Davis, Dasha Gorin, and Julia Relova, who have put so much work into helping me bring this movie to life. I also want to shout out Jana McLain our cinematographer, who is uber talented and made the movie look gorgeous.
Imani what was the producing experience like for you?
ID: Producing “Year One” was incredibly rewarding and I learned so much. It was hard at times, but so worth it, especially when I got to watch it with an audience during its world premiere at the Bentonville Film Festival. There is so much finesse involved when it comes to indie production and community building. I feel like I’ll always carry that spirit with me into other projects.
What do you hope people see in your film?
LL: I really just want people who are experiencing mental health struggles to know that nothing is wrong with them and they are not the only ones going through it. I also want to raise more awareness about mental health in young people and college-age students so that more resources can be allocated towards support.
ID: Agreed! While the stereotypical college movies can be fun, there’s more to it than that, so I hope it makes people feel less alone in their experience.
“Year One” will be released and screen at select theaters later this year. You can follow and learn more about their film on Instagram @yearonefeature .
