Genre
Synopsis
After meeting in an audio chat room during the pandemic, a Black American textile artist living temporarily in Senegal finally reconnects in person with a British-Jamaican architect after years of conversations carried through screens, voice notes, and the fragile intimacy of distance. What begins as a digital friendship evolves into something more complicated as Bethany and Stirling move through Senegal, gatherings, long walks, and longer silences. Their relationship exists in an undefined space between friendship, romance, companionship, and possibility, forcing Bethany to confront difficult/existential questions about love, reciprocity, visibility, belonging, and what it means to be truly chosen in an era when connection has never been easier and commitment has felt more elusive. As Bethany navigates artistic ambition, family, faith, and her own journey back to herself, she finds that she is becoming increasingly visible in every area of her life except the relationship she most longs to understand. Through moments of tenderness, disappointment, humor, longing, and cultural exchange, she begins to examine the difference between intimacy and commitment, chemistry and compatibility, and being desired versus being chosen. Set against the backdrop of contemporary Senegal and rooted in the experiences of the Black diaspora, the film explores modern love in the digital age and asks what becomes of the relationships that transform us without ever becoming what we imagined they would be. In a world where technology allows intimacy to travel instantly across oceans while simultaneously eroding many of the rituals that once defined courtship, commitment, and belonging, Bethany must navigate the complicated space between emotional proximity and emotional availability. The film asks whether connection alone is enough, and what it means to
build a home within yourself when no one else can be one for you.
Bio
B. Monét is a distinguished writer and director who obtained her B.A. in English from Spelman College and an MFA in Film and Television with a concentration in writing and directing from New York University. She is a native of Maryland, and her films are known for their thought-provoking questions about identity, society, race, and culture. Her commitment to showcasing underrepresented people in film, media, and television is evident in her works. She’s received several awards, including the runner-up position in the First Time Female Filmmakers Contest with Women and Hollywood, the Horizon Award through Cassian Elwes, Christine Vachon, and Lynette Howell-Taylor at the Sundance Film Festival, and the Adrienne Shelly Foundation grant. She also participated in Film Independent's residency program Project Involve as a directing fellow. B. Monét is one of the winners of the #NewView Film Competition with Glamour and Girlgaze, which celebrates the voices of female filmmakers, and one of the filmmakers in the Tisch Other Showcase, which focuses on diverse artists whose voices are underrepresented in the television industry. Notably, B. Monét directed the award-winning short film Q.U.E.E.N., which premiered on Magic Johnson's channel ASPiRE and has been screened at over a dozen festivals, including Cannes Short Film Corner. She also directed a branded short film, ""She’s Revolutionary,” on the #MeToo founder Tarana Burke for Levi’s and Girlgaze.
Credits
Producer - Sue Ellen Chitunya
