Directed by Emily Lerer, interiorem pueri (inner child) is a reverse coming-of-age short film. The story follows Beatrice on a haunting pilgrimage to share one last moment with her inner child before she leaves it behind.
Beatrice (Teresa Catherine) takes a solitary road trip through the mountains. She sings along to the radio, with a teddy bear on her dashboard and a key hanging from the rearview mirror. She parks in an empty lot surrounded by nature’s beauty and carries the bear and the key to a mysterious shed. Inside, bathed in magenta light, she finds a lone door standing in the middle of the shed. Unlocking it transports her into a lavish, pink bedroom where a young girl (Sloane Cherry) waits.
The reunion begins tensely but soon softens. The girl asks if Beatrice brought her anything, and Beatrice pulls an assortment of snacks from a shopping bag. Still, there is uneasiness in their conversation. The girl is angry that Beatrice left her behind, dismissing her as just a child, while Beatrice struggles with guilt. The tension softens as the two begin doing girly things—painting rainbow nails, playing dress-up, singing into soda bottles, and strumming a guitar.
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“Unlocking it transports her into a lavish, pink bedroom where a young girl waits.”
This magical room becomes the setting for Beatrice’s final ‘playdate’ with her inner child—a farewell before she abandons both her and the dreams they once shared. The encounter changes them both, blurring the line between memory and imagination, and leaves behind the haunting question of what is lost when we grow up and leave our inner child behind.
Written by Teresa Catherine and directed by Emily Lerer, the film paints a haunting moment in one’s life. That moment when we leave “childish things” behind and are forced to embrace adulthood without ever looking back. Beatrice is given that one final opportunity to be a child and then mourn her childhood.
interiorem pueri is a parable of sorts. Beautifully written and masterfully crafted, it captures the bittersweet farewell to innocence and dreams, reminding us of the cost of growing up and the fragile beauty of what we leave behind.
For screening information, visit the interiorem pueri (inner child) official web page.
"…A reverse coming-of-age short film."
