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Director Pip Karmel
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Writer/Director Pip Karmel made a name for herself as editor of the 1996 hit Shine and has spent the past couple of years attracting the financing to make her debut film, Me Myself I. Her own issues helped form this tale about a thirtyish career woman (Rachel Griffiths) trapped in an alternative world as housewife and mother of an old boyfriend's three children.
It was important for the Sydney-based filmmaker to emphasize entertainment value over feminist themes. If Me Myself I is half as successful as Shine, Karmel's newfound status as a filmmaker is on solid ground.
Karmel on the "chick flick" label: "The reason I rail at that description is that I've heard women described as a minority group and being asked questions about women filmmaking. I don't feel like that's my identity. When people start talking about 'dick flicks,' then maybe we can start talking about it."
On the film's lessons: "What I was trying to get through to myself is that regret is futile. There are no right and wrong choices in life. It's a matter of committing to whichever choice you make and turning it into the right choice."
On men's reactions to the film: "A woman thanked me for presenting a strong female role, but I'm just as happy when men thank me. It's easier to take swipes at men in a film like this, and I haven't done that. In a film that has a strong female vibe to it, men are pleasantly surprised that it's not biased against them."
On letting the film go: "I love listening to an audience laughing and clearly being completely absorbed in the story. That's fantastic. But now I'm distant enough to not feel entirely responsible for it anymore. Now it's going to go out and have a life of its own and hopefully move on."
