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Catalogue of Noses is a new short film premiering at LA shorts on July 20th and premiering in Massachusetts on Tuesday July 29th. A dark, musical comedy directed by Josie Andrews and written, produced, and acted in by Lauren Schaffel, this short film highlights the Jewish experience within Hollywood and the existing pressures to get a nose job. Based on Schaffel's own experiences, this film portrays the reality of being Jewish in the acting industry, in a both comedic and gut-punching way. With "Fiddler on the Roof" parody songs, surreal set designs, and hilariously depressing humor, Catalogue of Noses makes you laugh, while also presenting the reality of this experience.
Catalogue of Noses originated as a play and was later developed by JewFace Theatre collective, an organization that aims to create media that takes a look at "controversial topics within Jewish culture". It features actors Jemma Handler as Emily, the teen girl who faces pressure from both her mother, Debbie (Lori Alan) and Doctor Pearlman (Michael Kostroff), to get a nose job.
When watching this film, there is a mixture of hilarious lines and ironic scenes that make every part entertaining. Musical numbers are filled with colorful lighting, and characters that burst into song spontaneously to lament their internal conflict over whether or not to get a nose job. However, between all the jokes and color and movement, there is a very real concern about the pressure being placed on Emily to go through with the procedure. When these elements are combined, there is a gut-wrenching, but strong, message that comes through, even with all the fun visual and auditory elements.
Lauren Schaffel noted that the film highlights "the consequences of assimilation; to what lengths do we go to change ourselves... to fit ourselves into this American or western standards of beauty."
And it's not just about noses. Schaffel explains that there's a long history of Jewish people needing to change their names, clothes, or even hair to assimilate, and this theme is strong throughout the short film.
This idea is applicable to different cultures and communities as well. I personally connected with this short film, relating to the pressures of getting a nose job. In Korean culture there is a similarly strong societal pressure to change ones features into a more westernized standard of beauty.
One of Lauren Schaffel's goals for this film is to "bring this film into schools," and to "build an educational program around it", in order to encourage discussion around topics of discrimination. Not only that, Schaffel also hopes to encourage conversation among young people about things they've felt they had to change, or on the other hand, things about them that they are proud of.
So, although this film was initially targeted towards Jewish communities and schools, through previous screenings Schaffel realized "we really should be taking this to everybody."
I was interested in what some of the biggest changes and struggles that Schaffel had while turning this play into a short film. As it turns out, avoiding lawsuits surrounding the music in the play was one of the film's largest hurdles. This was due to the original music having been a direct ripoff from "Fiddler on the Roof". "That's when Adam Mcdonald came in and helped orchestrated and write original songs," Schaffel explained.
She went on to say: "For the ten minute play version, I wanted to keep it simple and just keep everything in one location... for the film, I went, oh, now we have the opportunity to explore everybody else's world!"
In the film format, she was able to incorporate more settings and character interactions to overall broaden the worldview.
Because Catalogue of Noses was based on personal experience, I also had to know what it was like to have something like that screened publicly, and whether or not Schaffel had any advice for other filmmakers working to overcome that initial fear or hesitation.
Schaffel's advice? "Take the leap, and do it."
Her experience hearing live audience reactions at screenings, seeing the reception in real time, was daunting but positive. It’s not easy to sit in the audience and watch something you’ve experienced be displayed and judged. But Schaffel found that slowly showing the public your personal story can open up conversations with people who genuinely want to know more about your unique experience.
"Don't be afraid to be vulnerable," Schaffel says, "Sometimes being vulnerable opens up the space for others to share too."
The next upcoming screening for the film is July 29th at the Woods Hole Film Festival– I highly recommend watching this gut-wrenching, but humorous, short film.
