Girls Can Kiss Now author Jill Gutowitz can now add filmmaker to her resume with the premiere of short film The Ladies. A love story with a twist, the film stars Alexis G. Zall and Lisa Ann Walter, drawing on memories Gutowitz herself has experienced in her life. 

What is the plot of The Ladies?

The plot of The Ladies centres on the story of Emma (Alexis G Zall) a twenty-something endeavouring to keep her affair with her grandmother’s best friend, Blanche (Lisa Ann Walter) a secret. This follows the death of her grandmother, with whom she was living alongside her cousin (Jaren Lewison) until her death. 

no thoughts, just THE LADIES official poster pic.twitter.com/EcK6jiaaPp

— Jill Gutowitz (@jillboard) July 29, 2022

The short film is paired-back, having only four characters and set in one location with a run time of less than 10 minutes. It is fast, funny and emotionally charged, drawing off of Gutowitz’s own memories. Inspired by a trip she herself took to Florida in 2016 to stay with her grandmother in the wake of her grandfather’s death, she says she was stagnating in her love and professional lives. 

Gutowitz cites the work of The Kids Are All Right director Lisa Cholodenko as an inspiration, and she combines frequent themes found in her literature. 

“Everything I’ve written in the past shares humor and heart," Gutowitz said. "And so I think The Ladies is kind of a funny but also emotional and horny short film, which is all of the things that I think I have been writing about.”

Who is Jill Gutowitz?

Gutowitz is an essayist based in Los Angeles, with her debut book Girls Can Kiss Now released in March of this year. The b book is a collection of pop culture musings and exploring the “mainstreaming of lesbian culture,” as per Simon and Schuster. 

Image: Twitter