Girlfriend Material
It's the near future in the Autonomous City of New York, and most black people have been forced out to "The Zone". Others are living progressive lives in the world where meat and plastic are banned.
Daniel takes care of his dog, Chester the best he can, yet Chester has trouble adjusting to the new vegan diet.
They meet Sasha, who is about to leave New York for a brighter future. When she unexpectedly returns, Daniel will have to choose between his feelings for Sasha and his commitment to his dog.
Moving from a rather homogenous Eastern European culture to New York City six years ago, I wasn't entirely aware of how deeply racism is embedded in the fabric of American society. Obviously, like my fellow liberal New Yorkers, I never considered myself racist—but at some point, I started thinking of how, willingly or not, I am benefitting from the racial inequalities.
Girlfriend Material is the result of taking this question to an extreme and deeply provocative conclusion. It's about how one white guy who considers himself very woke ends up taking advantage of a black woman, who, as a woman of color, is doubly vulnerable.
I wanted to present the power dynamics between a man and a woman—a white man and black woman—that they enter by default when interacting with each other. Even though the film takes place in the near future, it's not meant to be abstract; it's an exploration of the social justices we are dealing with right now, and a satirical yet grim take on where we might end up.
