Even though she's moved on from her American Dreams and Parenthood days, Sarah Ramos is still very much around and proving to be a badass in the entertainment industry. Ramos' short film Fluffy (inspired by her friend Ingrid Nelson's short story, Fluffy the Cat) was released on Thursday, Sept. 28 and not only does she star, but she also wrote and directed the short, making it her solo directorial debut. Fluffy revolves around Grace (Ramos) taking care of her crush Mark Mason's (Max Minghella) cat, Fluffy (played by the famous cat Shrampton), while he's away for the weekend. Grace takes this time to obsesses over Mark a bit more and uses it as her chance to grow closer to him romantically. No spoilers on how it all ends, but what I can reveal is that Ramos and Fluffy are both inspiring to women. That's something Ramos herself touched upon while talking with Bustle about her film.
"I feel so lucky and grateful that BB Dakota wanted to include me in their roster of female artists that they’ve supported," she says about working with the fashion company who backed Fluffy and asked Ramos personally to create a short film herself. "I just feel really excited that they gave me the freedom to make something like this and that they’re proud of it, because I am too. You couldn’t be in a better situation than to have your financier and producer say, 'We believe in your creative vision and you’re tone and what you want to do.' It’s pretty amazing."
More often than not, women and men are not on equal playing fields, especially when it comes to the success of female filmmakers. Ramos is one of many women changing the filmmaking playing field, which is proven with Fluffy. First and foremost, she's a triple threat. To see 25-year-old Ramos writing, directing, and starring in a project is a a big deal in this industry. Ramos realizes the unfortunate disadvantage women are at when it comes to filmmaking. Even though she doesn't feel the need to prove those who are unsupportive or are unwilling to give women a chance wrong, she does have frustrations. She explains,
"Just yesterday I was telling someone from work about Fluffy and I was like, 'Oh yeah, my short film is coming out tomorrow.' He was like, 'OK.' He didn’t seem impressed enough for my taste. I was like, 'Yeah, also I co-directed a short film [2012’s The Arm] that won an award at Sundance,' and he was like, 'Oh, I want to see that one.' I don’t know if this is more so for women, but it’s annoying to feel like you need accolades or something like an award from Sundance to legitimize you when you’re like, 'If you just watched it, you’d probably see that it’s good.' That’s frustrating, but I think that people in general need to be told how to feel about something. Like, that’s kind of what you do, right? You tell people, 'This is good.'"
As Ramos points out, it does seem like women constantly need to prove themselves in some big way to show they truly are talented and a success, rather than someone just taking their word for it. It's about time their work speaks for itself. Well, you can take my word for it when I say Ramos shines in Fluffy as a writer, director, and a star. If that doesn't convince you to watch, then maybe this will: The short moves through both comedy and drama, with some relatable moments that speak to women, specifically.
In addition to Ramos and Minghella, Fluffy also stars Teen Wolf's Holland Roden. She plays Grace's friend, Leah. Despite Leah coming off as kind of the villain of the short film, there's a bigger message behind her character. She is full of confidence, independence, and embraces her sexuality. To see how open she is about sex sends a great message to women watching in the sense that they shouldn't be ashamed of who they are and what they enjoy. As Ramos says,
"I’m so happy that you felt that way about Holland’s character, Leah, because Leah is kind of like an antagonist for Grace. But, she’s not your typical antagonist, because she’s not really doing anything wrong. She’s just comfortable with her sexuality and she’s just acting on her desires, whereas Grace is keeping hers hidden. Leah’s freedom is making Grace upset, but by no fault of Leah’s own."
The fact that Ramos was able to create such a multi-dimensional character with Leah shows how well she knows women. She sends a message to anyone watching that just because a woman is confident and isn't afraid to talk about sex, it doesn't make them a bad person or your enemy. If she is able to this with a short, imagine what she'll accomplish through a feature-length film.
Thanks to Fluffy, Ramos is putting herself on the map and becoming an inspiration for others. For any young women who want to follow in her footsteps, she has some great advice:
"I would say that they should just start doing it on their own. If they want to write, they should write. Writing is the one thing you can pretty much do on your own. If you want to act or direct, you should collaborate with people you know, who inspire you and who you think are really talented in one way or another … You should work with whatever you have at your disposal and have fun. Don’t worry about getting glory, because that’s overrated and you should just follow what interests you. Don’t be afraid, even though it is scary, to put yourself out there ... You don't want to limit yourself ahead of time."
There's no doubt Ramos is someone to keep an eye on, so until her next project comes out (she is currently working on a feature film), be sure to check out Fluffy and see how empowering Ramos can be through her work.
Images: BB Dakota (3)
