Pop-Culturalist.com

Known for her work in comedy, Marieve Herington takes a bold step into new creative territory with The Eye—a haunting, genre-blending short that’s as personal as it is unexpected. Co-written, directed, and starring Herington, the film was inspired by a challenging period in her life, turning the chaos of anxiety and the quiet overwhelm of motherhood into something raw and cinematic. The idea first took shape during a sleepless stretch of early motherhood, when she imagined what it might feel like to be constantly chased by something you can’t quite see—a feeling that became the emotional heartbeat of the story.

Premiering at Cinequest, The EyePC: You’re one of the creative forces behind The Eye, not only starring in it but also co-writing and directing. What inspired the short, and how did your work behind the scenes influence your performance on screen?
Marieve: The film was inspired by a very challenging period in both my life and Jeff’s (my husband and creative collaborator). We were each dealing with our own mental health crises—mine centered around anxiety and the overwhelm of motherhood. One particularly bleary-eyed day, after another night of insomnia, a thought popped into my head: “Gosh, I feel like I’m being chased by a wolf. Huh. That could be something.” From there, Jeff and I developed the story together. I play one of the emotionally regulated friends of the lead—a character who’s an amalgamation of all the friends who validated my feelings and helped me through that difficult time.

PC: As one of the co-writers, you have a deep understanding of these characters from the start. But when bringing in an ensemble, you also want them to bring their own interpretations to the roles. How did you create space for your cast to make the characters their own? Can you talk a bit about the collaboration with the cast?
Marieve: We were incredibly lucky with our core cast—each actress brought an honest and unique perspective to her character. The extremely talented Christine Woods infused the role with her own experiences in motherhood, offering a vulnerability beyond anything we could have asked for. Chivonne Michelle brought a completely different, yet equally authentic, interpretation of “mom” to her character. Leading up to our shoot days, we had many conversations and rehearsals to explore where each line or moment originated for us as writers. But we were never prescriptive—we wanted the actors to tell their version of the story.

PC: You’ve taken these timely themes and set them against the backdrop of a fantastical world. Why was this genre the right vehicle to tell this story, and how did the freedom it offered shape the narrative?
Marieve: It may sound strange, but the most important thing to us as filmmakers wasn’t necessarily telling a specific story—it was about evoking a very specific, very overwhelming feeling in the audience. Personally, I’ve never been a fan of horror, thriller, or sci-fi, and I never imagined I’d make a film in this genre. And yet, it ended up feeling like the most honest way to reflect our lived experiences. Anyone who’s gone through extreme anxious episodes knows how wildly your mind can spiral—and in this genre, we had the freedom to include all of it.

PC: Short films are often a proof of concept—do you see the potential for a feature-length version of this story in the future? What is it that you hope audiences take away from the premiere at Cinequest?
Marieve: We’ve actually just begun discussing the idea of building out a broader world for the feature and would love to see where these characters could take us. My personal goal with my art is to create work that gives people that aha moment—“Yes! I’m not alone. That’s exactly how it feels—right there on the big screen!” So with the premiere, my hope is that anyone who’s struggling feels seen and is encouraged to seek the help they need.

PC: You’ve worked on projects of all sizes. What is it about indie filmmaking that excites you as a storyteller, and how does it continue to fuel your artistic soul?
Marieve: Indie filmmaking is a wild ride. It’s overwhelming at times—you’re wearing so many hats at once—but it also means you’re involved in every single decision, which allows you to tell the exact story you want. You also get the unique opportunity to learn about nearly every position on set, which inevitably makes you better at your job on that next big studio production. The budgetary limitations of indie film can actually push you to be even more creative than if you had all the money in the world.

While the core of my career and passion has been in comedy, indie film gives me the freedom to explore all aspects of myself as an artist without limitation. There’s nothing more thrilling than seeing a project come together and knowing it reflects our vision from start to finish.

To any writers or directors waiting for permission to make your art and tell your story—don’t wait. Just do it. And in the meantime, come see The Eye this weekend at Cinequest!

To keep up with Marieve, follow her on X and Instagram. The Eye makes its world premiere at Cinequest on March 22nd. To get tickets, click here.