Local Director Megan Griffiths on Her New Film, Sadie: "I Wish Youth and Violence Was a Less Relevant Theme"

Sadie, the latest feature film from Seattle director, Megan Griffiths, debuted this past weekend at SXSW. It is a close-up look at the life of a 13-year-old girl (Sadie, played by Sophia Mitri Schloss) living with her mother (Rae, played by Melanie Lynskey) in a trailer park. Sadie’s father has been away serving in the military for years, and the two only communicate through the rare handwritten letters. Sadie, a smart but frustrated student, begins to test the bounds of her day-to-day life and, well, you have to watch the film to find out the rest. It features a very recognizable cast (including Danielle Brooks of Orange Is the New Black fame), is scored by Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready, and it's moving, well crafted, and honest. It’s also quite pertinent to today’s culture of hostility and violence. To get a sense of the film's genesis and themes, I chatted with Griffiths over the phone as she drove from San Antonio to Austin.