ABOUT THE PROJECT

LOGLINE
RAMONA AT MIDLIFE is a dark comedy about a single mother and former Literary It Girl who discovers that her unflattering current reality is the subject of a hot filmmaker’s newest project. As Ramona faces up to her disappointments and wrecked friendships, she finds true creative power and is finally ready to become her best self.

SYNOPSIS
Ramona At Midlife reimagines what happens to women over the age of 40. And begs the question: why is a woman’s story still most marketable when told by a man?

While stories by and about women over 40 (and 50) are finally starting to see the light of day, there is still so much work to do. How are we seen? In what light? And by whom? No empty-nester looking for meaning, Ramona is a working mom, raising a nine-year-old on her own, showing up every day at a mediocre job, too exhausted to ask for more. Until now. Forced to take a good hard look at herself, Ramona will emerge a woman in her prime, redefining what prime looks like.

But that’s not all it’s about. Recently there have been a wave of pieces about plagiarism and appropriation—who has the right to tell whose story? Tales like “Kristen Roupenian’s Cat Person” (The New Yorker) and the recent The New York Times feature “Who’s The Bad Art Friend?” have exposed dark and murky questions around creative territory.

When Ramona discovers that a male filmmaker, her peer in age if not accomplishment, is making a movie based almost entirely on her life, even titling his character Ramona, fury turns to self-assessment and then finally, a path of repair. From fixating on the past, wondering how to get back to a moment in which she felt heard, Ramona embraces her present—which includes motherhood and eventually a new way forward. Ramona chooses to reclaim her narrative not by picking up where she left off—or fighting over who she used to be—but embracing who she is now.

PROJECT TYPE Narrative Feature

DIRECTOR Brooke Berman
SCREENWRITER Brooke Berman
PRODUCER Kristen Vaganos
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER Sara McFarlane

WEBSITE ramonaatmidlife.com/