My Soul To Take

A Note from the Filmmakers

Sometimes it takes a flood, a cross country move, a loss, an established working relationship with talented Canadian crew, a lot of favours and a pandemic to finally propel you into doing the things you’ve always wanted to do. My directorial and writing debut, MY SOUL TO TAKE, was created during a dark time in my life, inspired by a sleepless night during quarantine and a free sleep app. Rather than helping me sleep, the character of ‘Quinn’ began swirling in my head. A dark path for this character was formed and her journey became clear. After working on our heroine’s story and writing for a week, I timidly shared the script with my partner in crime, Jessica Petelle. Jessica (whom directed our film AGE OF DYSPHORIA) has become the leading force and inspiration to getting me into the director’s chair. I was in awe of Jessica while working with her previously over the years and knew I wanted to make this film with her. Jessica jumped onboard as Executive Producer with enthusiasm and encouragement. Sometimes all you need is one person to believe in you, to believe in yourself. I was so humbled when crew I’d worked with previously over the years agreed to sign onto our project. Production companies such as ‘Brain Power,’ pitched in to support our vision. Kevin Eade guided me through the process, taking on more responsibilities than he needed to. Peter Mabrucoo helped man the ship and keep me accountable. Everyone went above and beyond to create one unified vision. The belief they had in the script and in me was incredible. I went after Kim Derko, an exceptional Director of Photography I’d worked with previously who also had no hesitation in joining our team. I had Jenny Raven in mind the entire time while writing the character and was thrilled that she was available and excited to be our ‘Quinn.’ It takes a very special and talented actor to silently portray this heart breaking journey. She was brilliant. From the beginning, Rainbow Sun Francks was onboard as our Sandman/Narrator and created such an ominous and layered boogeyman. On a whim, we reached out to Colm Feore about playing the role of ‘Fred.’ Having previously worked with Colm, he was gracious enough to accept and we were ecstatic. Colm’s performance is flawless. In short, the amount of hustle, heart, creativity and collaboration from our team was a beautiful thing to see. I am forever in their debt. At its core, MY SOUL TO TAKE is a story about the dark side of societal approval, online validation and addiction. The unravelling of a modern young woman living a life she hates in the digital era. Her desperation to be anyone else online and be praised for it. The toxic environment of comparison and never truly knowing what someone is struggling with quietly.