A Short Film written & directed by Chad Hylton & Colin Henning
When Shelly is forced to connect with her old college friend, Maggie, she thinks they have nothing in common –but they could be exactly what the other is missing.
Inspired by the classic RomComs of Nora Ephron and Nancy Meyers, Maggie & Shelly embraces the sincerity and situations of the genre while looping it into a different kind of love story: friendship.
With Hayleigh Hart Franklin & Brooke Elizabeth
as Maggie & Shelly
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More coming soon…
Notes from the Directors – Chad Hylton & Colin Henning
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Why do we return to the rom-com? The often used odd-couple nature of the genre is emblematic of how this class of film speaks to the opposing reality of our own lives & own characters, as well as our own fantasies, & own aspirations. The delicate balance of ‘real’ and ‘fantasy’ is something every film must strive to illustrate to varying degrees, but the rom-com’s mass success and appeal lies, perhaps, at what’s at its heart: love.
How can we take the tropes, tokens, and Modus Operandi of this genre, and turn it on its head while staying true to the warmth, romance, and sincerity that are the hallmarks of this style?
Maggie & Shelly embraces the lush, colorful interiors; the timeless music; the talks of work, and talks of boys; the odd-couple pairing, but wraps it all into a new kind of love story: friendship.
Our Short cuts through some of the fat of the genre with a sharp knife: the beginning of Maggie & Shelly is characterized by editing choices that feel obverse to the nature of the rom-com. As the film progresses, and as we begin to embrace more aspects familiar to a romcom –“I’m ready to get back out there…”– we then strive to create conflict by choosing moments that feel more acutely absurd than the romcom may typically embrace –“I went to the bathroom!”– before ending the film closer to what the genre enjoys giving us –“He’s not important to me.” By deconstructing and reconstructing the romcom, Maggie & Shelly asks the question: Do we need romance to live a romantic life?
We don’t think so. You need love, in whatever form that takes.