Despite how much it is a part of our everyday lives, it’s rare to see pregnancy portrayed on film, and it’s even rarer to see it portrayed in such an intimate, nuanced and playful way as it is in filmmaker Kat Mills Martin’s Celeste in Spring, a short film which explores burgeoning motherhood from the perspective of a single mother exploring her sexuality. Using restrained cinematography and a warm colour palette, Martin is able to deconstruct notions of the single mother in a manner which is both uplifting and intelligent. It’s truly a really joyful film and we’re delighted to be premiering it online today alongside a chat with Martin where she talks through the carefully constructed shooting schedule of a pregnant actress, the non-judgemental lens she wanted to cast upon her protagonist, and the creative influence she drew from Chantal Akerman’s iconic feature Jeanne Dielman.
What’s the backstory behind Celeste in Spring? When and how did the idea for it first take shape?
The concept for Celeste In Spring started in a church in Florence a few years back where I sat before an altar that once displayed a ‘miracle-working’ image of the Virgin. I’m a spiritual-but-not-religious person, obsessed with feminine archetypes. On this pilgrimage throughout Tuscany, I visited many churches displaying versions of the Virgin Mary, Mary Magdalene, and the Black Madonna. Throughout my creative research, I grew to understand that what we’ve been told about Mary isn’t the whole story. I wondered how she would’ve told it.
This got me revisiting the story of the immaculate conception and how it was always really off-putting to me in the ways I’d heard it. Our cultural ideas of virginity have been coupled with purity and perfection, rather than earthly desire and the erotic. Yet the origin of the word “virgin” actually didn’t imply chastity, it refers to a woman who is free and untamed. I wanted to tell a story about a pregnant woman who doesn’t meet the criteria of an obedient mother, decentralize the father figure, and amplify her sexuality. Naturally, springtime is the horniest season, so that’s why it takes place in the spring.
I wanted to tell a story about a pregnant woman who doesn’t meet the criteria of an obedient mother.
How was it casting for a pregnant character? And, ultimately, deciding to go with Félixe de Becker for the role?
I ran into Félixe de Becker while she was pregnant and shared this idea with her. Already deep into her third trimester, Félixe was game to make this into a film! I quickly wrote a draft of Celeste in Spring with help from rehearsed improvisations between her and Diego de los Andes.
I’m guessing everything had to come together quickly to be able to shoot with Félixe.
From concept to shooting, everything came together within a matter of weeks since she was in the final stretch of her pregnancy. We shot the film when she was eight months pregnant. Celeste in Spring is about the threshold of transformation from maiden to mother, and it was really special to be able to witness Félixe going through this in real time.
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The camera is often locked off, with the frame feeling restrained and carefully thought-through. Was there a reason for you to shoot the film this way?
I wanted to create some restraint in the shooting style so that the camera was a non-judgmental witness to Celeste’s journey. My DP Nate Cuboi shot on a Sony FX6. We decided to use only a Canon V35 35mm prime lens and everything was done on a tripod. We filled the frame with lush, warm production design by Ian C.R. Martin to imbue Celeste’s world with sensuality and femininity.
That restraint also comes through in the edit. It’s a story that has a composure to it. Was that something you found during the post process?
I edited the film with patience in the pacing, Celeste is gestating, after all, and there are small moments before or after the action that are intentionally left in there. For that, I was subtly inspired by Chantal Akerman’s film Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles.
I wanted to create some restraint in the shooting style so that the camera was a non-judgmental witness to Celeste’s journey.
What did your rehearsed improvisations with Félixe and Diego look like?
Since our schedule was tight, we rehearsed only a couple times before the shoot. I specifically wanted the scene where Celeste takes Leo home to feel lived in, sensual, playful, and authentically awkward. With this scene, I asked them to improvise dialogue both in English and in their respective first languages of French and Spanish. I took cues from Félixe to lead the physicality of the scene so that it centered her authority as a pregnant woman.
We wanted to create a space that was slightly heightened, not totally natural, using saturated colors and playful patterns.
You mentioned creating a lived-in space for Celeste through your collaborator Ian Martin’s warm production design, could you speak about the conversations you had with him and what you were looking for from Celeste’s environment?
It felt important that Celeste is surrounded by beauty and knows how to take care of herself, so Ian focused on making her space as cozy and feminine as possible. At the same time, we wanted to create a space that was slightly heightened, not totally natural, using saturated colors and playful patterns. Ian has an eye for how light catches and refracts in a space and combined with Nate Cuboi’s lighting design, each shot sort of feels like a painting. We also incorporated some ICRM Studio sculptures as well as lighting and textiles from artist Mallory Lawson.
Given that everything was shot on sticks, how heavily did you storyboard prior to production?
I’m terrible at storyboarding, so often I’ll pull stills and do more of a ‘vibe board’ with notes next to each shot. My approach for this was focused on giving the camera a non-judgemental quality, like eyes watching from a painting on the wall, and economy of storytelling with as few set-ups as possible.
If you don’t mind me asking, how did you source funding for the film? Was it a challenge getting it off the ground?
The film was mostly privately financed and we did a small crowdfunding campaign as well. It all came together very quickly.
How’s your filmmaking looking going forward?
I’m writing two feature scripts and doing freelance directing work. I’m excited to continue exploring the topics of pregnancy, motherhood, and women misbehaving.
