SO IT HAS COME TO THIS
Short Film
Project Type: Short Film
Project Status: Pre-Production
Writer/Lead Actor: Selina Fillinger
Director: Cosmo Salovaara
Producers: Maddie Thomas and Sophie Neff
LOGLINE
Years before the careers and suicides that would cement their legacies in literary history, Sylvia Plath and Anne Sexton were classmates and rivals who spent long, gin-soaked afternoons debating sex, death, and poetry over cigarettes and dry liquor. Set in the spring of 1959, against the sumptuous decor of the Boston Ritz Carlton, So It Has Come To This is a morbid comedy about love and ambition in a world running out of time.
SYNOPSIS
In 1963, Sylvia Plath published The Bell Jar—a semi-autobiographical novel known for its unflinching descriptions of sexual assault, family trauma, suicide attempts, hospitalization, and uncertain recovery. The same year it was released, Plath sealed her kitchen, turned on her oven, and killed herself at the age of thirty.
In 1966, Anne Sexton published her Pulitzer Prize-winning collection of poems, Live or Die, about her troubled relationships with her mother and daughters, mental illness, and suicidal ideation. The collection includes the poem, Sylvia’s Death—an envious, heart-broken ode to her late friend. Eight years later, Anne donned her mother’s coat, sealed herself in her garage, turned on the engine of her convertible, and killed herself at the age of forty-five.
Much has been written of these artists’ torrid loves and tragic ends. But before they were canon, they were classmates, competitors, and friends. Told in three, rapid-fire acts over one boozy night, So It Has Come To This leans into anachronism and breaks the fourth wall, subverting the classic biopic genre to tell a character-driven story of two best friends testing the limits of their relationship before they part ways forever. Darkness looms over the evening—a clock running out, both on their evening and on their lives—but the tone of this short is stylized, sensual, fast, and funny. Sylvia and Anne are glamorous, young, and eager to burn away the shadows, especially tonight, which – unbeknownst to either—will be the last time they see each other alive.
MORE ABOUT THE PROJECT
So It Has Come To This is a long-in-the-making collaboration between Sophie Neff (actor, producer) and Selina Fillinger (playwright and television writer.) We have both long admired the works of Anne Sexton and Sylvia Plath, while grappling with their complicated legacies. We are interested in exploring the nuances of these women - their depression, addiction, perfectionism, fierce competition - while also bringing their humor, joy, and vivacity to the screen. We have also recognized similar struggles within ourselves - but have had the privilege of growing up in a time where we, as women, have been given the agency, resources, and community support to heal and recover. This feels particularly relevant in a political moment that many describe as "back to the 50's." Additionally, we are interested in exploring a story that challenges us to push the bounds of our empathy and creativity: from writer Selina Fillinger, "I have already experienced the ways in which young female artists are encouraged to silo ourselves into the realm of autofiction. Although I enjoy many artists who embrace that genre, I do not want to put that kind of ceiling on my own work."
Meet The Filmmakers
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Selina Fillinger
Writer/Lead Actor (Sylvia)
Selina Fillinger is an internationally produced writer and performer. Her feminist farce, POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive, garnered three Tony nominations and made Fillinger, at 28, one of the youngest female playwrights ever produced on Broadway. Other plays include Baby, Under the Sill, The Collapse, Something Clean, Faceless, and The Armor Plays: Cinched/Strapped. Her work has been developed at Roundabout Theatre, Manhattan Theatre Club, Williamstown Theatre, Old Globe Theatre, and Alley Theatre, among others. She is currently commissioned at Roundabout and South Coast Repertory. She has developed TV with AMC, Freeform, Hunting Lane, and Hulu. She wrote for the third season of Apple TV’s The Morning Show and is currently developing an original show with HBO. Fillinger was named to the 2024 Forbes 30 Under 30 list for Hollywood/Entertainment.
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Sophie Neff
Producer/Lead Actor (Anne)
Sophie Neff is an actor and filmmaker based in Los Angeles. Recent film credits include Make Me A Pizza, (SXSW, ‘Best Performance’ at Brooklyn Horror, Vimeo Staff Pick), One Of Those (Sidewalk Film Festival, Maryland Film Festival), Beach Logs Kill (SXSW), and Untitled Movie (Palm Springs ShortsFest). Stage credits include the world premieres of Sylvia Sylvia Sylvia (The Geffen Playhouse) and The Armor Plays: Cinched/Strapped (Theatre Three.) She is a founding member of the site-specific theatre company silencio and a published cartoonist. She holds a B.A. from Northwestern University.
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Cosmo Salovaara
Director
Cosmo Salovaara is a filmmaker from New York City, who is currently based in Los Angeles. His work is primarily concerned with the retooling of gender roles and genre tropes. His films have screened at Tribeca, AFI Fest, Maryland Film Festival, Sidewalk Film Festival, NewFest, and several festivals. His short film Enviar y Recibir, was acquired by MUBI and is available to stream on NOWNESS. His feature scripts have been Official Selections of Fantasia’s Frontières Market, and the Gotham’s US Features in Development. He was a 2024 Finalist for the Netflix New Voices Filmmaker Grant, and previously participated in the New York Film Festival’s Artist Academy. As an editor, his credits include Renaissance: A Film By Beyonce, Kehinde Wiley’s The Prelude, and Angal Field’s The Dalles (Sundance 2023). -
Maddie Thomas
Producer
Maddie Thomasis a producer based in Los Angeles. Her work has received selections from the Sundance Film Festival, Vimeo Staff Pick, NoBudge Best of the Year, and Palm Springs Shortfest, among others. She was previously a Development Executive at Amazon Studios, working across the TV Comedy and the First Look & Overall Deals teams. She graduated from Northwestern University with a degree in Radio, Television, and Film.
Your Help
SO IT HAS COME TO THIS is a fiscally sponsored project of Cinematography for Actors, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Your donation will be tax-deductible!