We all have souls. That sentiment sits at the heart of “Pretty Babies,” Tyler-Marie Evans‘ feature debut, which world premieres Friday in competition at the Edinburgh Intl. Film Festival. The project attracted Jordan Wagner from Wagner Entertainment and also independent film icon Christine Vachon‘s Killer Films, who alongside star Ashley Benson took on producer roles.
It follows Marie and Luna, played by Emily Alyn Lind and Sadie Stanley as best friends who set off to chase a dream and escape their trauma only to take paths into sex work and oblivion.
“There’s been a lot said on the topic of sex work, especially in cinema,” Evans told Variety. “I felt like I hadn’t seen this topic discussed in an interior way.”
“This is a film about what happens when you disassociate from your body, and you no longer are in touch with your body, and yet the world is placing questions upon you. ‘Are you the whore? Are you the virgin? Are you good? Are you bad?'”
For the director, those questions arrive long before women are able to answer them themselves. Sexuality and identity become intertwined, while the complexity of a person is reduced to categories that culture, including cinema, repeats.
