EVE (2023) is a dark coming-of-age film about a young girl trying to break out of the oppressive grasp of her strict, religious father.

dir. Meron Ewnetou, prod. Ethan Bennett

Meron and I landed on the oppressive and apocalyptic look of EVE after trading stills from films like First Reformed, Hereditary, I’m Thinking of Ending Things, and The Nightingale. It’s the first time I’ve allowed myself to fully commit to such a dark style of cinematography. Most shots were lit by a single source, and I’m really happy with the mood the lighting creates; it sits uncomfortably between naturalism and surrealism which helps to encapsulate this weird in-between space Eve occupies in terms of her development as a teenager.

This film was made for Miguel Alvarez’s Advanced Narrative Production course at UT Austin. It is currently preparing to enter the festival circuit.