Interview With Lauri Levenfeld on Trauma, Sisterhood, and Supernatural Empowerment in “Vespertine”
In her latest cinematic venture, Vespertine, director and writer Lauri Levenfeld immerses audiences in a haunting yet profoundly empowering exploration of trauma, female friendship, and mystical self-discovery.
Blurring the lines between supernatural thriller and psychological drama, Lauri Levenfeld crafts a narrative that emphasizes the power found in confronting darkness. At its core, the film serves as a poignant reminder that vulnerability can be the ultimate act of courage and that within every moment of pain or uncertainty lies the opportunity for profound transformation.
Lauri Levenfeld’s meticulous approach to storytelling is evident in the carefully orchestrated layers of time and reality in Vespertine. With evocative visuals, symbolic motifs like the enigmatic Vespertine flower, and a richly layered ensemble cast, the film masterfully weaves past traumas into the fabric of present-day struggles, creating a poignant and immersive narrative. As tensions steadily rise and boundaries between worlds blur, audiences are drawn into an intimate portrayal of four middle-aged women whose collective journey is as much a personal odyssey as it is a shared quest for truth and healing.
Beyond the narrative richness of the film, Lauri Levenfeld’s creative vision extends into real-world empowerment through her innovative community initiative, Village Queens. Translating the themes of sisterhood, authenticity, and mutual healing from screen to reality, Village Queens becomes a dynamic embodiment of the film’s message: that no woman must face her struggles alone.
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In this interview, Lauri Levenfeld shares how her distinctive female vision shapes every facet of her storytelling, revealing a profound commitment not only to artistic excellence but also to meaningful societal impact.
VESPERTINE delves into complex themes of trauma, female friendship, and mystical self-discovery. What specific aspects of these themes were you most passionate about exploring, and how did you ensure they resonated authentically within the supernatural thriller framework?
Vespertine sets up the themes, characters, and worlds for the series All We Need. It is a supernatural thriller about four middle-aged women who come back together after the main character, V, is assaulted. Their reunion is spent around a luxurious pool at her desert home. There, the women quickly digress to the days of their twenties together—drinking, smoking pot, and chatting about everything that has gone on in their lives, as women typically do. As stories unravel, we understand that it is not only V who has experienced trauma, currently, in the past, or generationally. Furthermore, the women have particular vices to distract them from their current situations, and the spiritual tools they all innately use to different degrees have been forgotten.
The pool scene, preceded by a chapter tarot card illustration of V hanging upside down in the water and titled “Everything’s Fine,” is over eight minutes and is the central point in the film. It is a scene grounded by the vulnerability of each character, where we see the arc of their storyline and the collision of real and supernatural worlds. It is also where V is most unhinged, yet foreshadows her ultimate moment of forgiveness, as we see glimmers of the light surface from the sisterhood that encircles her.
The film’s title, Vespertine, refers to the onset of the twilight hour—the moment between light and dark, day and night. This is a central theme of the film. The title symbolizes the idea that if we embrace our darkness (the challenges and trauma we face), this is where our power lies. Because there is light in our darkness, we have a flashlight to find our way, and when we trust that, we allow the universe to do its magic. This establishes community; we can alleviate shame, and no one has to face life’s challenges alone behind closed doors.
Vespertine intricately navigates the supernatural through nuanced sound and visuals that give a sense of overall wonder in universal gifts like the transformative power of nature and the waking dream as our new reality. This occurs when we tap into the self and the world around us. These ‘gifts’ are elements of the supernatural and metaphors for the character’s inner strength and resilience.
The pilot weaves together present-day struggles with a past, life-altering encounter. Can you discuss your approach to balancing these timelines and how you used them to build tension and reveal character?
Time is of the essence and nonexistent in the world of Vespertine and for our characters. They battle their inner life challenges and trauma because the struggle is only confirmed, and the surface cracks at the seam when they exist in the superficial, the surface of reality, and what they understand to be possible rather than what exists in between. The raven, the ancestral spirit or other, symbolizes the opportunity to straddle life on earth with other dimensional realms and also creates a prominent thread for each character’s plot, so we don’t have to be linear to understand their journey. The tension of the world is the underlying notion created with sound and original music of the truth lying underneath the surface, ready to reveal itself to each woman on their path to rediscovery.
The four female leads, each grappling with their own traumas, form the core of VESPERTINE. What was your process for developing their individual arcs and ensuring their relationships felt both complex and believable?
Our characters are successful middle-aged women looking back and forth in their lives—what they could have done better, what they can change, how to let things go, and where their lives will lead. Each woman, hailing from a unique circumstance, culture, and background, is a testament to trauma’s diverse nature. Vespertine, through its various storylines, becomes a personal odyssey, a lyrical road trip where every bump uncovers moments of horror and inspiration that prevail (or not) with the nuances of that particular character.
I based many of the particulars of each woman’s journey on my personal story and the stories shared by friends, cast, and our community, Village Queens—this is the reality of what women are dealing with in current and past societies.
You’ve emphasized the importance of the female gaze in your filmmaking. Can you elaborate on how this perspective shaped the narrative, character development, and visual language of VESPERTINE?
I see it now as the female vision versus gaze that I can convey due to my circumstances as a woman, in my career as a filmmaker, and in my mission, message, and advocacy as a human in how I contribute to the community and other women creatives. Being one of two women to graduate from my program in film at USC, I was immediately propelled to contribute mentorship and resources to other women artists. I have spent a lifetime building global platforms for girls and women (leaders, founders, and creatives) and a career hiring women to promote women’s stories like Vespertine, All We Need, and many more. My first job with Nelson Mandela as a documentary filmmaker showed me firsthand that compassion, art, and advocacy can go hand in hand.
The “die or awaken” offering from the Vespertine flower is a central plot device. What does this concept represent for you, and how does it drive the characters’ choices and transformations?
The Vespertine flower, a powerful symbol in our story, is the link between the worlds, blooming at the surface of what we think we know. It opens at the sight of twilight and dies at the first light of dawn. It promises to be transformative if you don’t first succumb to its poisonous nature. This is the irony in society’s desire for a ‘quick fix’ to recovery and healing. But life is where we learn about ourselves, and it is a process that is endured and enduring because it takes time and deep understanding, so no one thing will fix us. We must be open to love—for ourselves and others—therapeutic and spiritual tools that help us grow and evolve, and universal signs that align us and help us find our most authentic path.
VESPERTINE extends beyond the screen with the Village Queens community initiative. Can you discuss the connection between the series’ themes and the goals of this project?
Village Queens aims to take the sisterhood and messaging of Vespertine and bring it to life in the real world. It is more than just a community initiative; it is a safe haven designed to foster connections, facilitate healing, and promote self-care and mutual support among women.
Through engaging events that promote conversation, connection, education, and elevation, Village Queens aims to bring the transformative experiences featured in the series into the lives of real women.
In the Village Queens community, we believe in the power of collective action. Our events, held across multiple cities, have shown that women are eager to come together to discuss their challenges and uncover solutions. By embracing our true identities, being authentic in our journeys, and turning our traumas into strengths, we can ignite a shared passion and work towards common goals. Together, we are a formidable force for change.
The pilot features a strong ensemble cast. What qualities were you looking for in your actors, and how did you guide their performances to capture the emotional complexity of the characters?
The universe played a part in casting, along with the extraordinary talents of our casting director, Tal Fox. Many signs kept coming to me as we narrowed our choices, and I began to connect to various actresses who were favorites for the roles.
Because of the emphasis on the pool scene as central to the film’s plot, and because my co-director Grace Wethor and I knew that we needed to tackle the eight-minute scene successfully in the three hours, I spent time with each woman to address their roles, the conversations and challenges of their lives in correlation to their character’s, what they would personally and collectively bring. We were fortunate to have time before the shoot to spend the day together, during which we did less script reading and more work in terms of conversation around women, society, and spirit. We started the day led by Ariana Casanovas (one of our actors/a healer) in service to a unified circle and bridge to mysticism through guided meditation. We also spent much time actively playing with concepts and scenes and blocking until we felt each character and destination was distinct. We were fortunate that we were able to hire highly experienced and talented actresses—our four main actors included Brittany Ishibashi (Grace and Frankie), Kate French (Oppenheimer), Marquita Terry-Lanier (USA High), and Rena Sofer (General Hospital).
VESPERTINE is the beginning of the All We Need series. What are your plans for the future of this narrative, and how do you envision expanding the world and characters introduced in the pilot?
That is for the next article! The Vespertine flower becomes a crucial moment correlating to a past event the four friends experience in the desert- an event where the exact chemistry of their sisterhood prevails against a dangerous, threatening enemy. This significant circumstance propels a strength in their friendship that transcends time spent unraveling past and present stories by the pool to situate, accept the offerings of the flower, and, ultimately, navigate a series of plots to avenge the external forces who have harmed them in their day-to-day lives. A plot of revenge that could only be female.
Vespertine and All We Need celebrate women’s stories and the power of love, friendship, and community. Learning to enjoy our darkness and embrace our light will be the ride of a lifetime.
