Interview with Director/Writer Bomani J. Story (The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster)

 

Interview with Bomani J. Story (The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster)

 

 

Bomani J. Story makes his directorial debut with a reimagining of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, “The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster“, a classic literary horror story filmed through a modern lens. Having World Premiered at the 2023 SXSW Film Festival, Bomani J. Story undeniably pushes boundaries while breaking down barriers in the film industry. The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster is an essential piece of contemporary horror cinema that shows what happens when Black creators are given the space to tell their stories.   Previously, Story wrote the feature “Rock Steady Row” which World Premiered at the 2018 Slamdance Film Festival where it won the Grand Jury and Audience Award for Best Feature Film.

 

 

 

 

Bomani- Hi Janel, how are you doing?

Hi Bomani, it’s so great to talk with you. The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster was so incredible. It was so heartfelt. I watched this movie and my soul just melted. It was amazing to see a horror movie with so much heart. Horror has the ability to just interweave into so much. How did this idea manifest for you?

 

Bomani- It started with the original book. I loved it, and I wanted to adapt it because there was a lot of stuff there that was left on the floor. There were a lot of themes that I felt were resonant today, and on top of that I have two older sisters that I love, and adore so, they were my muse for this. You mix all of that together, and you get The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster.

 

 

This movie is fascinating. What can you tell us about the special effects in the script, and Vicaria building her monster. She wants to cure death. How did you decide what was going to happen?

 

Bomani- Its two parts… The first one is “death is a disease”, and it’s me paying homage to Darren Aronofsky’s The Fountain. That helped me contextualize the feeling, and it’s the approach to want to cure death. The emotion of it, and I wanted to ground Vicaria. When you look at these arca types, they are fun to watch but I don’t necessarily believe their human. I wanted to give her human motivation.

 

Vicaria did feel human. You felt compassion for her. I went back and watched certain films. I felt pain and empathy for her. There was so much heart and soul. It truly hits you hard but in an amazing way.

Bomani- I hope so, man. You never know if it’s going to connect with an audience or not. It means a lot that it moved you.

 

Did you have to do anything special to prepare the cast because they did an amazing job.

 

Bomani- The only thing I did was have one-on-one conversations with them. They were on the ball.

 

What are you working on next? Is there any chance you would do more with the movie? A prequel? A sequel?

 

Bomani- It depends. If people show up, and they have a thirst for it, the conversation can open up. If they show up at the theaters on June 9^th, we will see what happens. If I feel there is a story there, it always starts there. I’m sitting on a script and waiting out the writer’s strike. The best way I can describe it is Juice meets Lord of the Rings. I’m excited about that one.

 

Do you have any advice for writers, directors? Any words of wisdom?

 

Bomani- Persistence, stay persistent.

 

I thank you so much Bomani. This film was incredible. Thank you for making this beautiful film.

 

Bomani- Thank you.