Director Statement

Comedy hinges on our complete belief in the premise of the world that the characters inhabit. You believe that Lucy Ricardo would do anything to be onstage alongside her husband Ricky, or that George Costanza would do anything to keep that private handicapped bathroom stall at his workplace.

The concept of Mother of The Week sort of stuck in my head. I was intrigued because from the very title, it was as if Stacey is in some sort of competition, desperate to prove to the world that she is some kind of super-heroine, who can expertly juggle career, kids, house, her love life with her husband, as well as all of her own needs — she has set some incredibly high standard for herself, one that doesn’t include mistakes. So when she falls, while others seem to hardly notice, the one person least accepting of her failures is Stacey herself. There is this perception Stacey has of herself, there’s the reality that she’s living and then there is the terrain between the two, and that’s where a lot of the humor comes from, Stacey’s desire to be flawless. This i think is captured best in a scene where Stacey and her best friend Dawn are sipping wine and lamenting this very thing, where her friend Dawn says, “nobody’s perfect,” and Stacey blurts out “I am!”

I have shot all over New York, my hometown, but this was a different type of New York shoot. We shot on location in upstate New York, tree-lined Sleepy Hollow surroundings, where narrow roads canopied by weeping willows open up to sprawling mansion estates. This was as suburban as it gets, perfectly suited for the tale of a suburban working mother suffering from identity crisis.

This was such a unique experience, a class reunion of sorts with Jennifer, Adrienne and myself, two decades removed from going to each other’s college plays and dance recitals, it was as if we picked right up and got to work together in a different medium, on film. There is a trust factor, knowing that we want the best for each other and from each other, and the results are there on the screen. It was a tremendously rewarding experience.

The cast was amazing. Mark, Lexi, Nicholas, Alessia, everyone was really into this little show, and we really had the sense of this family unit years in the making.

Lee Davis
leedavisfilms@aol.com