FILMMAKER STATEMENT

Ligia María Storrs Rojas

 

The inspiration of this story came to the co-writer and producer Justin Storrs from two real couples. Their real life stories helped the producer and me understand that love is not a feeling but a choice that can exist even when emotions tell you love is gone. We were compelled to tell this story in which love is far more than instant gratification.

This story is about ever-present love that never fails. No one wants to be abandoned in a moment of difficulty nor after they have failed. We all wish to be loved at our best and our worst moments, both when we are good and when we are not. This is what “Our Rose Garden” is about.

A love like that is divine, but this film is also deeply human. It does not hide how difficult and painful love can be, nor does it trivialize heroic actions.

It is able to achieve this through its excellent cast. The producer Justin Storrs has said: “From over 500 candidates we found 7 very talented actors who walked this inner path with us, toward the deepest fears and needs of the characters. We are extremely proud of their incredibly human performances.”

The look of the film captured the beauty of natural light to accompany the poetry and realism of the film. The cinematographers Roberto Zazzara and Jessica Pantoja not only mastered this but were able to capture the subtleties of the story.

The composers and everyone in the audio department played an equally important role. They not only created the right environment to communicate the emotions that were hidden behind the actors’ faces, but the dialog that happened within their souls.

Films like The Tree of Life, which approaches the deepest questions and conflicts of humanity within a family setting all while reflecting the complexity of an entire universe, were very inspirational to us.

We believe that good stories have to be revelations. During the production people within the cast and crew experienced a revelation about what love really means and who makes it possible. We trust that this film will not only move hearts but move wills to choose love instead of selfishness because at the end of our lives it is only love that matters.