Molly

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A short film fiscally sponsored by From the Heart Productions, all donations are tax deductible.

It’s a wedding, a day people dream about their entire lives. For Molly, our bride, it’s a chance to fulfill a different dream, one that’s been in the works since high school: to take molly for the first time on the day she gets married so that it can be chemically and metaphorically the happiest day of her life. Little does she know, the journey into euphoria will take an unexpected turn when she stumbles upon her husband-to-be, Dick, hooking up with her best friend and maid of honor, Kristen. As the effects of the substance playfully amplify her emotions, Molly finds herself navigating a surreal carnival of chaos, complete with encounters with Dick’s hilariously cringe-worthy brother Charlie and culminating in a showdown with Kristen. “Molly” is a light-hearted exploration of the fragile dance of relationships, sprinkled with unexpected twists that add a touch of hilarity to the pursuit of happiness.

  • Sarah Kay

    “Molly”

  • Max Zavidow

    “Charlie”

  • Jordan Villegas

    “Kristen”

  • Malcolm Cills

    “Dick”

Jordan Villegas

“This proof of concept is an extremely condensed version of the feature we have written, which is inspired by my time at USC. The party culture at USC has been an issue for decades, we wanted to write a story inspired by this culture without creating something that would rip open emotional wounds for viewers. Ecstasy is the keystone of this piece because the body’s physiological response to taking Molly is so unique. In layman's terms, we all have a reserve of happy neurotransmitters that we’ve built up over the course of our lives. Molly burns through that reserve all at once. So, the first time you do Molly will be the happiest you’ll ever be – as you never build back a reserve as big as your initial stockpile – resulting in intense euphoria followed by severe depression."

Griffen Hamilton

"I was struck by the idea of being able to choose the happiest moment of your life. What if the chemically happiest day of your life was, in reality, the worst day of your life? How can you go on living knowing you’ll never be that happy again? We wrote “Molly” to explore what happens to someone who takes the pursuit of happiness too far – pleasure seeking in all the wrong directions. Although we can temporarily induce joy with drugs or money or adrenaline, true happiness is found in meaningful interpersonal relationships. An equally funny and sad meditation on what happens when you put your faith in the wrong people."

The story we created captures the tragedy of everyday life – how the people we love can be the ones to hurt us the most. It’s an exploration of female friendship and self-compassion.