The bilingual dark comedy, “La Bruja,” directed by Eliza Cossio and Hayley Kosan, finds its young Mexican American protagonist enlisting the help of a witch after a breakup. We asked Cossie and Kosan how the project started, how they worked together as co-directors, and getting into the head of the lead character…

1) Can you talk briefly about your backgrounds, and how you first got interested in filmmaking?

ELIZA: I have an improv and stand up background, and only stumbled upon filmmaking because it was the best way for me to make something that was my own. It turns out, filmmaking is very hard and actually there would have been easier ways to do that. But the challenge of it made it this one of the most creatively fulfilling things I've ever done. 

HAYLEY: When I was in sixth grade I watched my VHS copy of Stephen Sommers “The Mummy” literally every Saturday morning for a year. I eventually went to film school. 

 2) What was the inspiration for this project - the first element that came to you, and how did you go about building up from there?

ELIZA: I went through one of those breakups that is terrible for you but like, fine for them. I was listening to a lot of Joni Mitchell’s Blue and Bob Dylan’s Blood on the Tracks and wanted a short film version of a breakup album, and thought it should be centered around a musician. I had really strongly in my mind the visual of the singing fantasy— I knew I wanted that scene. I also knew I wanted it to be in both English and Spanish, just because I think in both languages. Then it kind of evolved from those two elements. I eventually lost the musician element but not that scene. And having it in Spanish kind of opened it up to the element of magical realism and family. Then as drafts passed, I got to thinking about how, the breakup I went through only felt so bad for me because I was so depressed at the time for a lot of other reasons, and that a breakup is an easy proxy for being sad about harder stuff. People know you’re going to be sad at a breakup. But do people know you’re going to be sad because you can’t figure out what you want from your life? Because your job looks great on paper but is making you miserable? Because it’s Tuesday? And so adding that element of the dad’s death seemed like the strongest way to convey this phenomenon. 

HAYLEY: My inspiration was a little different than Eliza’s - my inspiration was her script! It was the best script I’ve ever been sent. All the characters were so well crafted. It was incredibly funny and deeply moving. I knew I had to direct and shoot it. 

 3) I love the mix of comedy and fantasy -- the fantasy sequences really get you into the head of the character. Can you talk a bit more about the writing process, in particular how you went about building your lead character? Do you think about it formally when you're developing, like: "this is what I want to say about this character," or is it just instinctual?

ELIZA: I think it is a fun device to get in to someone’s head, and worked nicely with the Latin American magical realism that I wanted to pay homage to. I wanted the fantasies, then, to have a Mexican American element in them. Like, this part of her is something that hides in her subconscious even if she tries to dismiss it in her everyday life. This film is about going home, and the home she was avoiding was not just on the other side of the phone but also inside of her. But again, this only became clear to me many drafts in to the script. I also personally have a lot of vivid daydreams, so these were all real fantasies I had post-breakup.

4) I’m curious how the 2 director process worked - how did you divvy up the responsibilities? Would you consider yourselves stronger / weaker in some aspects, or are you both involved in every decision?

HAYLEY: Eliza asked me to direct with her because she trusted my aesthetic and wanted some support since she was acting as well. Truly a lot of the direction came from Eliza’s strong writing and casting, and she trusted me to block the scenes how I wanted. On occasion I would give performance notes, but I mostly focused on the visual components of the film, since I was also the DP. 

ELIZA: Pre-production we worked really closely so that I would be really prepared on set. I conveyed my ideas to Hayley and she helped me put them in to storyboards, blocking, etc. Once we were on set, I felt (slightly) more in my element because I have a theatre background and love working with actors. Although, I could not tell you for sure because I feel like I blacked out since I was also acting. It helped a lot that I had a great producer, Lexi Tannenholtz, who I could also rely on. I’m actually glad I did it this way because I learned so much— but I wouldn’t necessarily be quick to recommend that your first time directing you also act. Although Bradley Cooper did it while also wearing a cowboy hat— so who can really say?

 5) What’s a film you’ve seen recently, new or old, that you really loved and why?

HAYLEY: I just got a subscription to Shudder, which rules, and finally was able to watch James Whale’s The Old Dark House (1932). All of Whale’s films are gothic and creepy but with perfect comic moments. 

ELIZA: I just watched The Last Black Man in San Francisco. I don’t want to ruin anything. But my favorite thing in a film is when you can’t tell what’s real and what’s not. Because the feeling is always real, but the reality might be upside down. And this film does that without fantasy in the traditional idea of the word.

 Bonus Question: What’s next for you?

HAYLEY: …writing! 

ELIZA: Writing and buying a cowboy hat.

Contact Info:

Film Website: http://labrujafilm.com

Eliza Cossio: IG: @elidelsol // Twitter: @elizacossio

Hayley Kosan: IG & Twitter: @wiseoldbitch