Psychologically Charged Romance to Premiere at Santa Barbara International Film Festival
SANTA BARBARA, Calif (KEYT) — Imbalance is set in academia during the #MeToo era.
The feature film explores power, ethics, and desire through a timely and provocative lens.
It stars Emmy-nominated actress Sharon Lawrence as a college professor caught in an intense struggle between her head and her heart as she’s drawn to one of her graduate students.
“Elizabeth Drew her sits on such an elevated — self elevated — moral pedestal in her own mind and her heart. So she is challenged by these feelings that she has for this man who represents so many of the things that that frighten her sense of self,” said Lawrence.
Nicholas Gonzalez played opposite Lawrence as the graduate student caught in a whirlwind romance.
“My character really kind of just keeps tearing down any kind of walls that she tries to put up, anything that she tries to put between them,” said Gonzalez.
The director Dale Griffiths Stamos says she intentionally reversed many long standing tropes.
“I reversed things in a number of ways, one of which is older woman, younger man. But the other way of which is the woman is the rationalist, the man is the romantic. I wrote the role for a Latino actor because I was really tired of seeing in the industry the typecasting that was happening,” said Stamos.
The film was largely shot in Santa Barbara and serves as a cinematic love letter to the city where the director lives, featuring local landmarks, and Central Coast talent.
“The tourism board of Santa Barbara should be very happy because it looks gorgeous on the film. It really does,” said Nicholas Gonzalez.
“It's not only a beautiful, naturally beautiful environment to shoot in, so you already have that going for you. But the community came out in ways that was incredibly generous. An expert professor from UCSB gave us her home for four shooting days. Black Sheep restaurant gave us their restaurant,” said Stamos.
Imbalance premieres Tuesday night at 8:30 pm at the SBIFF Film Center.
An additional screening is planned Thursday morning at 9:20 am in the same theater.
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