“That Strange Mix of Grief and Absurdity” | Bri Klaproth, Such Good Friends
After reevaluating a toxic friendship, Emma tries to overcome her people-pleasing ways by cutting ties with a life-long friend. The next day, she learns that her decision has ended more than just a friendship. Emma finds herself falling into old patterns with her former best friend's family, while she struggles to keep a dark secret from them.
Such Good Friends screens Sunday, May 4, at the Music Box Theatre, as part of CFCA Shorts Program #2 (2:15 p.m.), during the Chicago Critics Film Festival; we are delighted that director and co-writer Bri Klaproth will be in attendance for a post-film Q&A.
Ahead of the screening, Klaproth graciously took the time to answer this year’s CCFF filmmaker questionnaire. Below, her individual responses.
How did you first become interested in filmmaking? What was your path toward directing your first film?
I always loved movies as a kid. I was lucky enough to go to a high school that had a video production class, where half of the year we produced a live TV broadcast for the school, and the other half we got to make short films. I never thought it was a real possibility for any of that to become a career, I just knew I was having a blast.
I continued taking film classes in junior college and ultimately ended up going to film school, where I majored in writing. After college, a small group of us continued to work together and make things. I spent several years supporting other filmmakers, gaining experience and building the confidence to tell my own stories. A few key projects pushed me creatively and ultimately led me to co-write and direct Such Good Friends.
What inspired you to make the film you're bringing to the festival?
Such Good Friends was inspired by my experience of outgrowing a friendship without a clear reason—just the quiet realization that the connection was gone. How do you tell someone, “I just don’t want to be friends anymore”?
At the same time, I was grappling with the unexpected death of my brother. It was a dark, disorienting period, and I became fascinated by how people process grief. At his funeral, one of his friends started trauma-dumping on me, and I remember thinking, Shouldn’t I be the one unloading? It was so inappropriate, it actually made me laugh (in retrospect). That strange mix of grief and absurdity stuck with me.
Making Such Good Friends became a way to process these emotions. I leaned into the awkwardness and humor because sometimes the only way to deal with life’s heaviness is to laugh at it.
Tell us about a film that you consider a guiding influence (whether it has informed your overarching vision as a filmmaker, directly informed the title you're bringing to the festival, or both).
One film I always go back to is Sofia Coppola’s Lost in Translation. What I love most is her ability to capture tone—her dialogue is so minimal and precise, yet the connection between the characters comes through so beautifully. I’ve always seen Sofia as the queen of tone and mood, and she inspires me to try to convey emotion and story on screen with as little dialogue as possible.
Tell us about a location that's held significance to the film you're bringing to the festival: a setting where filming took place, a geographic area that provided a source of inspiration, or another type of space that comes to mind for you in thinking about the film. What made this place so special?
One of my favorite locations in Such Good Friends was Gabby’s room. We actually shot it at our producer Rachel Rambaldi’s house—who also happened to play Gabby. Rachel is one of my closest friends and collaborators, so I knew she had this lavender-painted bedroom, and I immediately wanted it to be Gabby’s.
There was something I loved about the contrast: this chaotic, unhinged younger sister still living in her childhood room, complete with purple walls and a twin daybed. It made the whole vibe feel even more off-kilter. Plus, one of the most tense scenes in the short takes place there, and that soft, child-like backdrop added a weird kind of tension I really loved.
The theatrical experience brings us together to celebrate artistic experience and expand our horizons as human beings. Tell us about a memorable theatrical experience from your life.
Two years ago, around Christmas, I went with a group of friends to see Alfonso Cuarón’s Children of Men at the New Beverly Cinema. I’d seen it before, but never on the big screen. The theater was packed and you could feel how locked in the audience was. When it ended, we all just sat there, emotionally gutted and stunned by what they were able to achieve cinematically. My ears were ringing from the sounds of war and chaos, but it also felt like a strangely special experience. Children of Men isn’t exactly what you’d call a Christmas movie, yet so many people came out to see it together.
Such Good Friends screens Sunday, May 4, at the Music Box Theatre, as part of CFCA Shorts Program #2 (2:15 p.m.), during the Chicago Critics Film Festival.