Three young friends struggle to navigate the challenges of growing up in Hard Falls. Writer-director Alina Vita Kulesh discusses revisiting her childhood community and the inspiration for her new dramatic short.
Hard Falls offers a window into the lives of three childhood friends (played by Anastasiya Filimonova, Nika Del Mar and Taquana Walters) and the bonds they form amidst the complexities of growing up in a working-class Scarborough neighborhood.
Along the way, the film delves into themes around family dynamics, mental health and more. Toronto-based filmmaker Alina Vita Kulesh says the dramatic short also explores the process of self-discovery and how we develop personal connections.
“The film is an ode to girlhood, family and the friendships that we form, as well as the loneliness that we can feel when we’re growing up,” Kulesh says. “When you’re becoming your own person, you might feel you’re not understood, but then you start forming these friendships with others that can understand who you are and what you’re going through.”
While not autobiographical, Kulesh says the story was fueled by many of the emotions she felt when she immigrated to Canada from Ukraine as a child.
“I grew up in a very supportive family with a lot of people around me, but I have persistently felt this loneliness that comes from the desire to connect with others,” she says. “The three girls in the story are on a journey out of childhood and into adulthood. I kept pulling at that vision and following that thread.”
“The three girls in the story are on a journey out of childhood and into adulthood. I kept pulling at that vision and following that thread.”
To create even more authenticity, Kulesh filmed the short in the very Scarborough apartment block where she spent most of her childhood and teenage years. She adds that the opportunity to return to the community as a filmmaker was both “humbling and rewarding.”
“Because it was set and shot in the neighborhood where I grew up, I wanted to make sure that there was a diverse crew of people who not only understood the material, but could also speak to the cultural nuances in the script,” she says. “It was also my goal to make sure that the people who were cast were given an opportunity to shape the characters through their authentic lenses.”
When it came to casting Filimonova, Del Mar and Walters, Kulesh says she was impressed by how quickly the trio became friends and how natural it was for them to riff off of one another.
“What stood out the most about the three leading actresses was their professionalism and how seriously they took their roles,” Kulesh says. “We had a couple of rehearsals before we went to camera and every time they showed up and gave their all. They loved being on set and learning from each other. I felt so proud.”
“The challenge was to not let those thoughts make a home and to accept that fear and anxiety are part of the creative process, but they don’t have to stay.”
Reflecting on her own role as the creative force behind the film, she adds that it often takes athletic-like endurance to overcome the challenges of money, time and weather, as well as the mental game needed to keep going.
“I was self-funding the project and I did a lot of the prep-work myself. Carrying that torch is hard because something might go wrong and then your mind starts playing tricks on you like ‘You’ll never get this done’ or ‘This was all for nothing’,” Kulesh says. “The challenge was to not let those thoughts make a home and to accept that fear and anxiety are part of the creative process, but they don’t have to stay.”
Hard Falls recently premiered on CBC TV Canadian Reflections and is now streaming on CBC Gem. Looking back, Kulesh says she hopes the film also inspires others in her childhood community to follow a similar path.
“To be able to go back and bring people there to do something that they love was the most absolutely healing experience,” she says. “I hope seeing a project like this filmed in that environment helps kids there understand that there are people who are young and look like them that do cool things and that they can do it, too.”
She adds that, as important as the childhood-to-adulthood moment is in life, she believes it is one which is still largely under-represented on screen.
“We need to keep cherishing each other and the young people in our communities. As adults, we’re often so wrapped up in our lives and jobs and appointments and it’s the kids who are growing up who need that little bit of extra attention,” Kulesh says. “We need to make sure that we show up for people in our communities, but especially for young people.”
Watch Hard Falls on CBC Gem here. Connect with Alina Vita Kulesh on Instagram here (@alinakulesh).
