Inspired by my father’s refusal to accept my daughter’s transition, Such A Pretty Girl is a story about how the expectations of our parents loom over us all, young and grown, and how loving people for who they are is the key to making all of us free.

There is no villain here. I loved my dad very much, and I’m so sad that he deprived himself of the utter and absolute joy of knowing his warm, kind, funny, amazing granddaughter. I offer this film in his memory, in the hope that it helps other folks open their hearts and minds while they still have the chance.

But even more, I offer it in honor of all the incredible Finns in the world — most especially my own — for their deep bravery and commitment to being truly themselves.

We open the film on a moment of pure, unselfconscious joy — Finn finding herself in that mirror, reminding us all of how good it feels to be fully free in ourselves — and we end it on hope. The ribbon Meg and Finn hold is not tied in a nice, neat bow. It’s just a first step, and there are no promises that it will be easy. But things that are worth it rarely are.

This short acts as a proof of concept for a feature version that expands the world to include Meg’s two grown sisters. The women gather along with their significant others and children at the home in which they were raised on the first anniversary of their beloved mother’s death. Everyone in the family has a secret they’re keeping, and over their week at the lakeside house, each will have to decide whether they will finally live an authentic version of themselves or keep living in the shadows of others’ expectations.