Tony winner Sarah Jones is such a talent that no less a figure than Meryl Streep is an admirer., a provocative film on the sex industry that is making its world premiere at the SXSW Film Festival in Austin.Jones somehow manages to bring an array of characters to life — think of performers like Tracey Ullman and Lily Tomlin combined — in service of exploring a taboo subject. And it’s a documentary. Sort of.is a hybrid documentary-narrative.
The film, written by Jones and David Goldblum, posed an enormous technical challenge because Jones’ characters frequently appear on screen at the same time, interacting with each other. “We have an amazing DP, Josh Weinstein, who really figured out how we could, on our little budget, make something that we thought would really entertain people and hopefully help them forget they’re even watching one person,” Jones said. “I even had one friend say, ‘Who played the guy?’ I was like, ‘How good is our friendship if you don’t know that was me?’ And I think the whole goal is to have a good time.
Watch the full conversation, and see Jones do many of her characters, including “Lorraine,” “Bella,” and “Nereida,” in the video above.