gram girl
GRAM GIRL follows the late-night adventures of a young woman who has become obsessed with curating her Instagram persona. Created as part of a film residency at Welsh National Opera, GRAM GIRL is inspired by Tchaikovsky’s opera, Eugene Onegin.
“IF ONLY I COULD COME FACE-TO-FACE WITH MY FACE, I COULD MAKE THE MAGIC ADJUSTMENTS. REALLY WORK OUT MY BEST SIDE. NO MORE DUDS. EACH IMAGE PURE DYNAMITE. AREN'T WE GOING FOR PERFECTION HERE? NOTHING ELSE WILL DO. I'M NOT GETTING ANYWHERE IN LIFE IF I DON'T GET THIS RIGHT.”
Created as part of a film residency at Welsh National Opera, GRAM GIRL is inspired by Tchaikovsky’s opera, Eugene Onegin. The title character in the opera attempts to recreate himself in the image of men he has read about in novels. He pushes aside anyone and anything that does not fit this ideal, losing his great love as a result.
The film explores the way in which social media is changing our relationships with others and ourselves. The score is a mash-up of Tchaikovsky’s opera score with pop and electric sounds.
As the Filmmaker in Residence, Carys created and directed a trilogy of short narrative films, each influenced by themes highlighted in WNO’s Autumn 2017 Russian Revolution Season; Eugene Onegin, Khovanshchina and From the House of the Dead. The films are an artistic response to the operas and revisit these classic stories through a modern lens.