Student Film Goes Beyond the Unexpected

Photo by Johnny Clapham/The Choate News

Elle Rinaldi ’17 films Lily Kops ’18 and Kaitlyn Dutchin ’19 for her movie.

What do you get when you combine artistic vision with a college portfolio and a few students at Choate? You get a movie project like Elle Rinaldi’s ’17, the writer, director, and visionary of the her own film, which will premiere this winter. Rinaldi said, not long ago, “I’m really exploring myself as an artist this year. I’m gaining a new perspective on my art and that’s what this movie is about.”

The movie, titled Monsters of Beauty, follows Gwen, a Choate student portrayed by Lily Kops ’18. Gwen is a parochial senior girl struggling with college applications and grappling with the drama her ex-boyfriend creates. Throughout her life, she has “used escape, wasted time, and overestimated love.” One night, Gwen encounters these three themes that govern her life: Escape (Whitney Barrett ’17), Time (Kaitlyn Dutchin ’17), and Love (Angie Zhou ’19). Through these connections, Gwen reflects on her own life. Rinaldi said, “I hope that for any audience members watching, the film shatters the walls we put up between our emotions and close ourselves into.”

Other members of the cast include Graysen Airth ’18, who plays a friend of Gwen’s; Scott Romeyn ’18, who plays the guy Gwen has been struggling with; and Klaudia Horvath-Diano ’17, who is involved in the  main conflict with Romeyn’s character.

“I auditioned for this movie on a whim,” explained Kops. “Elle is super talented, and I really wanted to work with her. I have only done live theater in the past, and I have always wanted to try film acting,” she further added.

“I’ve never really worked in film before. I’ve done a lot of theater here and I wanted to try film because it has always interested me,” said Dutchin. “Having worked with Elle before in other plays, I know how dedicated and talented she is, and I wanted to be a part of something like that.” She added, “I think one of the most interesting things about this movie is the human embodiment of things that we all encounter in our daily lives.”

Rinaldi wrote the script, though got help from members of the Choate community in editing it. “I wrote the first draft, sent it to all my friends, sent it to my English teacher, and gained their feedback,” she explained.

Kops said, “When I first read the script I thought it was a normal high-school movie, but there was a twist to it that I did not expect at all. The story has a whimsical and surreal quality to it, which is right up my alley.”

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