SHORTS...AND TO THE POINT

NASH EDGERTON (SPIDER)

For anyone who has been on the giving or receiving end of a practical joke that has gone too far or that has gone horribly, horribly wrong, Nash Edgerton's short film, SPIDER is for you. A lover's quarrel during a car ride leads to a surprising place for everyone concerned - the girl driving while mad at her boyfriend, the guy trying to work his way back into her good graces - and best of all, everyone in the audience.

What's your first priority as a director - the stunts or the comedy? The story.

Was it your own argument with a girlfriend or someone else's that inspired the film? It was inspired by the rubber spider I had as a kid, a spider incident in a car with my brother and my own compulsion to sometimes go too far.

What's scarier to you - spiders or needles? Spiders for sure. Everyone is scared of spiders -- just some people try not to show it.

What will happen in the feature-length sequel to SPIDER? 'Jack' will most likely be single as soon as 'Jill' can remember who he is.

In the interest of full disclosure, we have to admit that we thought director Esmir Filho was female before he alerted us as to his true gender. Much of this we have to attribute to the fact that the Brazilian's short film, SALIVA is such a thorough and knowing look into the mind and emotions of a young girl as she prepares and builds herself up for that dreaded rite of passage known as the first kiss, that it had to have been written and directed by a woman. As much as we were wrong, Esmir's take on that experience is poetic and right.

Seriously - How traumatic was your first kiss? My first kiss was just something that a guy needed to pass through. Here in Brazil, guys and girls are having their first kiss earlier and earlier. And this pressure is not so healthy, since we are never sure about this very intimate event. I think I was too young to kiss, about 10, and I didn't like the girl. It was just something to tell myself and my friends that I had done - I had kissed. A trophy, a triumph, a victory - that's what I thought it was.

Do you think it's generally tougher on girls than boys? I think girls are more sensitive than boys and they are looking for the perfect kiss with the perfect boy. That's why it the experience of the first kiss can be more frustrating for a girl. Boys are generally looking to kiss girls as much as they can. I believe I chose the universe of a girl, since she is more mature at that age and can understand more things about love, touch, and fluids, like SALIVA.

Are some colors more safe than others when a girl is doing the cellophane practice kiss with her girlfriend? Hahahaha. I'm not sure about that. But the pink cellophane is not just a simple cellophane to practice. It represents the childhood floating away. The protection of yourself, that you lose when you get in touch with the other. I do think a kiss is much more intimate than we think it is. It's almost a sexual event that happens during childhood. It's a very deep experience.

What will happen in the feature-length sequel to SALIVA? My first feature-length film doesn't talk about a first kiss, but it is about teenage angst. It's going to tell a story about the relationship between Brazilian teenagers and the internet, which is a window to the world.