My Submission

I still cannot believe how engulfed I was while watching the captivating experimental indie film My Submission, written and directed by the prolific director Cody Clarke. The story follows Marissa Peterson (Allison Sonson), a struggling actress in Brooklyn who is sending in an audition video to an open call for a film. She gives her physical information while in close up. She needs to send another one right away because she didn’t see the part of the instructions that she was supposed to submit the video with her full body showing, so she turns around for the angles and submits that video.

My Submission star Allison Sonson as Marissa Peterson, deep into the self-tape spiral.

“…Marissa Peterson, a struggling actress in Brooklyn who is sending in an audition video to an open call for a film.”

Marissa then realizes she didn’t give her physical information on the full-body video and has to submit a third video. In this video, she is wearing a different top because she spilled tea all over her first top after making the second video. After that video is submitted, she has to submit a fourth because she missed the PDF with the monologue that is to be read aloud for the audition. Marissa reads for the part in the video, which is for a backwoods girl, who is the victim of incest, pleading a strange boy for friendship in exchange for comfort.

Marissa sends another video after that, saying how creeped out she was by the monologue and that in no way would she participate in an unseemly film like this one. Then she sends an apology video, as she didn’t look up the filmmaker’s previous work and didn’t realize he specialized in irreverent comedy. She officially withdraws her withdrawal from the project and declares her interest. Marissa keeps sending videos for the rest of the night to the e-mail address on the audition call. She reveals more about herself in order to get the part, while also openly questioning why she should have to kowtow to Hollywood for a break. She realizes she can submit enough videos to make a feature-length movie, which would definitely make her stand out.