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Few modern subjects feel as deprived as reproductive rights in America. for the film director Ellen RodnianskyIn his feature debut, Overcoming this conversation in his debut feature American child There was never an answer. Instead, it was about creating space for questions, objections, and empathy.
The film came from an unlikely place: a Russian short film made years ago exploded into the center of American political discourse on the issue. “I had my intended first feature assembled and disassembled and was very eager to shoot my first feature. Rodnyansky explains. “This profession is so uneven. There is no clear ladder.”
This opportunity arose after the 2022 Roe v. Wade canceled. “I’m back growing painsMy short film, which I shot in Russia in 2019, was about teenage pregnancy. The topic has recently been hot in the US, so I thought there might be a way to keep it short and fit the US proof of concept. Which always helps in terms of funding.”
Although this feature developed from the short, he sees them as fundamentally different works. “growing pains Essentially, on a broad level, it was about the social apathy in Russia and the people who are the targets of that social apathy. Here it is a little different. Obviously, I was deeply immersed in the very polarized debate in the US about women’s rights and bodily autonomy.
What he was interested in was not taking a familiar position in this debate, but exploring a perspective that he felt cinema often shied away from.
“I thought I’d never seen a movie about someone who actually believed it was a sin,” he says. “It was really interesting to explore because, honestly, as a foreigner, I felt like I could explore it in a way that was less emotional for me. I could just explore these characters.”
A Russian-born director telling a deeply American story has come with its own set of challenges. Instead of relying on assumptions, he immersed himself in Texas culture through extensive research.
“I spent a lot of time in Texas. I traveled around Texas, went into Baptist churches and talked to pastors.”
These conversations informed not only the motivations of the characters, but also the specific language and rhythm of everyday life. “I was just asking them questions about certain themes that are presented in this film,” he says. “It was not just what people thought, but how they talked about it. The language of it all is very specific.” Even seemingly small details became necessary.
“Things like ‘bless your heart.’ It’s not something I’ve ever heard actually said, but it’s said a lot. This is a common proposition in the South, especially in small towns. “
The filmmaker jokingly describes his process as “on-site anthropological research,” but behind the humor was a genuine desire for authenticity.
“I think it highlighted the vulnerability of being a foreigner and wanting to do it right.”
why texas The choice of parameter was not arbitrary.
“I wanted a conservative state,” he explains. “And then I really wanted specifics and details, because ultimately the details matter. They make the whole.”
Texas offered both political significance and a distinct cultural identity.
“The clothes that the characters are wearing, the specific Texas patriotism on all those shirts, the belt buckles, the boots, the line dancing. It all comes together in the movie.”
Production eventually settled in Elgin, Texas, where the filmmakers fully embraced the local setting.
“We shot on location. We were really committed to the small town.”
Documentary eye
Rodniansky’s quest for authenticity extended beyond research and into the visual language of film. He wanted to be inspired by documentary photography and filmmakers like Andrea Arnold American child to feel less like a traditionally staged drama and more like an observation of a developed real life.
“I really wanted to substantiate its authenticity,” he says. “This feeling is enhanced by the documentary style of this hand.”
The approach reflected his broader interest in observation and human behavior. Instead of chasing perfectly composed images, Rodnyansky He often encouraged cinematographer David Torcivia to keep the camera steady, allowing unexpected moments to emerge naturally.
“Our visual style was so documentary-inspired that I was always telling David to basically keep the camera on.”
This observational mindset is felt throughout the film, especially in its attention to seemingly insignificant details. Repeated shots of insects, landscapes, and everyday moments create a sense of a world that exists independently of the characters’ conflicts.
“The mistakes and stuff were things that I obviously focused on because that’s life that you might not notice, but it’s there and it’s everywhere.”
Rodnyansky brings photographers Alessandra Sanguinetti and Justin Kurland As major influences, con SanguineA long-running series of two cousins living in rural Argentina, which is a particularly important reference point for the film’s visual language.
Finding Ollie
in the emotional center American child There is Ollie who plays Abigail Pniowski. Finding it proved exhausting.
“I’m not exaggerating when I say that I looked at probably 1,000 girls and none clicked. I was waiting stubbornly for this little magic.” Then he found her.
“He had an Eastern European last name and the character’s mother was Ukrainian, so it felt authentic to me. Turns out his father’s family is from Ukraine.” The young actor also arrived with impressive credits already on his resume.
“At the age of ten, she was an eight-year-old daughter Denis VilleneuveS arrival. What a way to start with a bang.”
Still, it was a simple Zoom conversation that sealed it.
He was equally deliberate in casting Toby, resisting the over-polished version of teenage boys often portrayed on screen. “I always wanted Toby to be your awkward teenage boy, because honestly, most of them are your awkward teenage guy.”
laughs at the repetition of familiar archetypes. “There’s only one category that’s overrepresented in film and television. It’s the same character every time.”
difficult conversations
One of the film’s strongest points is its refusal to reduce complex issues to easy talking points. The filmmaker admits that this balance was something he struggled with throughout development.
“To be honest, I was really worried about the sermon.” To avoid this trap, he focused on nuances. “I was trying to complicate the narrative a little bit. In terms of the pros and cons of ultra-religious communities, there are pros and cons. I really tried to balance it.”
This difficulty extends to Ollie’s mother, a woman whose faith really helped him survive his hardships. “She is a woman who has benefited from being connected to this religious community. They have helped her with an abusive ex. They have had a positive impact on her life.”
Instead of creating villains or heroes, the film examines how communities can simultaneously provide support and impose limitations.
“I wanted her to be a good mom who does it on her own and just gets it.”
Building bridges through storytelling
while American child Touching on abortion, religion and teenage pregnancy, the filmmaker believes his larger purpose is communication itself.
“I think the biggest problem of our time is just the inability to argue or disagree civilly.”
Growth in Eastern Europe shaped this perspective. “The debate and the arguments are very advanced, and I think that’s a little bit lacking. There’s a right way or there’s not. There’s too much in the culture right now.” For him, the story may offer something rarer. The nuance is very important.
He continues: “The conversation where people disagree civilly is fine. The fact that it doesn’t really happen anymore is a problem.”
Perhaps this commitment to uncertainty gives American child His strength, especially in his open end. “I like that open ending because it’s kind of like, did I answer the questions? Didn’t I? It’s all in the eye of the beholder.”
The ending finally took on another layer of meaning. The filmmaker names Larry Thurman, the producer graduate and the former head of USC’s Stark program as an unexpected influence. Thurman died during production at the age of 96.
“The ending felt like a tribute to him. It was kind of an accident that it happened that way. But I wonder if, on some subconscious level, I was graduate Has a great open ending. Maybe we will go in this direction. “
Listening to young people
Working with the teenage actors turned out to be one of the most rewarding parts of the process.
Instead of dictating performances, the filmmaker encouraged collaboration and developed unique methods to understand his characters. “I asked all the child actors to make a playlist for their character.”
The exercise revealed emotional dimensions that traditional rehearsals could not reach. “Teenagers dream. It reflects their inner life in a way that not many things can.”
The playlists were wildly different. “None of the characters in the song overlapped.”
He also prioritized coming-of-age authenticity, which is still incredibly rare in Hollywood. “It’s really important to me. We were looking at a lot of actors who were older, but they weren’t. We had to have a fifteen-year-old boy.”
This decision allows the turmoil of adolescence to emerge naturally. “He’s a kid in a lot of ways.”
After the festivals
Answer American child reinforced the filmmaker’s hope that audiences still crave nuanced conversations. The film cuts across political and geographic lines, winning audience awards in Austin and the Grand Jury Prize in Dallas.
“Dads were like, ‘I saw that with my teenager. That was great.’
Many encounters were deeply personal. “The people who come to me are mostly women with their own or someone else’s story.”
ultimately, American child Not interested in telling the audience what to think. He asks them to sit with uncertainty, explore perspectives they may disagree with, and remember that behind every political issue are people trying to navigate impossible situations. As he says, “My attempt was to build a bridge.”
In today’s cultural climate, this may be the most radical gesture of all.
We would like to thank Ellen Rodniansky for speaking with us.
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