FRAUD came to me at a time when my identity as a queer person was evolving. I was questioning where I fit in the world, which is ironic, since that is the very point where we begin with Shira, the protagonist of the film.

 

It was in a recovery meeting that I met Dana, the writer and lead of FRAUD. We were untangling the knots of our pasts; slowly learning that we have a choice to be the narrator of our own story. So when Dana asked me to direct FRAUD, a story about a trans woman who has put on so many masks she lost sight of herself, it was a no brainer. 

 

In the queer community, many of us developed the skill of wearing multiple masks at once. For some, these masks broke off and underneath we found our own inner child. But for others, the infectious skill of adapting, hiding, and never being one thing, became a permissible form of trade. We trade for money, sex, nice things, toxic friends, all to avoid the deepest parts of ourselves. 

 

This is where we find Shira. But at our core, at Shira’s core, we just wanna be seen. I know that feeling, because for much of my life I was also in hiding. Behind the booze and drugs was a kid who wanted you to acknowledge them. It would all be so trite if it wasn’t so real. 

 

That’s what I’m drawn to; fractured characters who are trying to hold up the broken glass and make something of themselves despite it all. There is beauty in facing the dark contradictions in ourselves and still moving forward. I wanted to make something that embraces the contradictions that come with this story; making it energetic yet finding the soft and tender moments that pull at our heart strings. I wanted to explore and celebrate the nature of finding hope, even when morality is grey and so much is unknown.

 

To further expand on the contradictions of the film, we found ways to play with visuals; using deep blues to isolate our character, or harsh cuts to take us from a moment of stardom to standing in front of the very thing you want to escape. While this film has slick pacing at times and expansive visuals, it’s about love, change, and how powerful it can be to step into an adventure despite the risk.  

 

It is a specific story; dark, and often brutal. But I wanted to bring my midwestern big-heartedness to it for a contemporary audience that like Shira, wants to be seen.

 

Because if you keep your heart open long enough, there just might be people who can come in and change your life.