Hannah Barlow is an Australian actor and filmmaker. After graduating from the National Institute of Dramatic Art (2012), Hannah was nominated for Australians In Film’s ‘Heath Ledger Scholarship’. Hannah co-wrote, co-directed and starred in both ‘For Now’ (2019) and the award-winning ‘Sissy’ (2022), which opened the prestigious SXSW Midnighters program and was distributed worldwide by Shudder.

In 2022 Hannah was nominated for an Australian Academy Award (AACTA) for Best Direction for ‘Sissy’. 

Ella Valentine: Hi, Hannah – great to have you here! I have to say I really enjoyed “Sissy”. What is so great about it is how relatable the female relationships in it are. Tell us more about the inspiration behind it and how you worked through those female friendships and all of their complexities.

Hannah Barlow: Thank you Ella. It’s so cool when anyone shares that they’ve resonated with SISSY in some way, especially when I receive the feedback from women that they see themselves in Cecilia or that the female friendships are too close to home… because that was the point of this exercise for me. Female friendships are so complex and those primary experiences we have in our childhood forge the way we relate / attach to others, but most importantly… ourselves. 

I’m still learning to love & accept myself wholly; to embrace the light and dark within all of us with equal measure. We have been conditioned to only celebrate the light, so a Hens Weekend is a perfect playground to trigger such toxic positivity; an aftershock of girlhood.  SISSY might be a cynical take on sisterhood but Cecilia’s experience feels very real to me: social anxiety, paranoia, ostracization, mania and that ravenous desire to “fit in”. Rites of passage can be really beautiful but the way we approach them in the western world can be quite socially violent. 

Ella Valentine: How do you ensure the relatability or realness of a character? What is your process of character development?

Hannah Barlow: I’m not sure that I have ensured the realness / relatability of Cecilia, but she was crafted from my own trauma. As they say, write what you know and I really believe there is no other way. Every piece of literature is an admission. Cecilia poured out of me when I was trying to process a friendship breakup. In the earliest days I was othering Cecilia, just as we do when we’re in an angry stage of grief… villainizing the other in order to protect ourselves. The more time I spent with her, the more I realized she wasn’t my friend… she was a mirror of me.

Ella Valentine: The movie also shines light on the damages bullying can do, especially during adolescence when we are most sensitive as we struggle to find or accept ourselves. What do you think we can do more of as society to prevent it from happening?

Hannah Barlow: Like most people on the planet, I went through a tough experience with being bullied as a little person that I didn’t respond well to at the time. I’ve been feeling the shame of that phase ever since; it still has its claws in me (which I’m actually continuously grateful for). I don’t think there’s much we can actually do about bullying other than role-modelling kindness, grace and compassion to the generations beneath us. 

Bullying is one of the many manifestations of intergenerational trauma and has become a rite of passage for most people growing up. Being bullied or living with the shame of being a bully ironically teaches us how good, kind, loving and fair human beings are. You can’t experience  this truth without its dark opposite as a mentor. 

Social media is a monstrous enabler of preventable trauma and and I wish the kids today were growing up in the same sans SM environment that my generation did… but our addiction to technology is only going to get worse, as are the systems designed to keep us addicted so… it’ll come down to how values and boundaries are emulated in the nuclear home and on the playground… and hopefully some global legislative intervention.

Ella Valentine: Another important societal point you touch on is how fake social media can be. I think it’s crucial for young people to be aware of it. How can we make sure to enjoy the fun benefits of it without allowing it to give us a false sense of reality?

Hannah Barlow: The short answer is screen-time restrictions. I don’t think there’s any genuine benefit to social media, other than how it keeps you connected to the herd which obviously makes it inherently evil; a demon feasting upon our fear of abandonment. I use social media as a business tool/portfolio and to occasionally update my community about my life but I’ve never posted about my pain. No one wants to see it and I don’t want to share it and that is the fakest dynamic that exists. We’re advertising ourselves. It’s creepy. We’re all Patrick Bateman. And I don’t even think it’s for the consumption of others, it’s for our own perception of ourselves… which is plainly narcissistic. I try not to feed the beast, but I do. I doom-scroll (mostly TikTok) especially on my worst days. We all need animal videos and crochet tutorials to get us through the insanity. But we also gotta combat the insanity with time restrictions – even if that means locking our phones in a box… which I haven’t set up for myself. Ugh.

Ella Valentine: Ever since I saw the movie I’ve been wondering, without giving away any spoilers, did you have an alternative ending or did you always know this is how the story would end? Because it really kept me on my toes and I had no idea who’d survive at the end, which obviously made it even more entertaining to watch!

Hannah Barlow: Yeah we had that ending locked in pretty much straight way. Making those twists as delightful as possible was really important to us. And the ending is the whole tongue-in-cheek point of the film.

Ella Valentine: You’ve directed and starred in the past too, in your previous feature “For Now”. What are the challenges of taking on so many roles such as of a writer, director and an actress? And is there a place where you feel the most comfortable?

Hannah Barlow: I’m a classically trained actor, which was my entry point into film. I think I love and feel most comfortable with writing but directing is the most thrilling aspect of filmmaking and by far the most challenging but also rewarding role. I love all aspects uniquely and equally. I love working with actors even more than I love acting myself, so I think with our future projects I’ll be juggling less by acting less. Still figuring the balance out!

Ella Valentine: What should we expect to see next from you? Are you focusing on the horror genre? 

Hannah Barlow: We’re developing the next one & we’re still in that genre mashing space. 

Ella Valentine: What inspires you and are there any specific topics you’re looking to cover next?

Hannah Barlow: I’m always going to lean into stories about women and the next one is hyper feminine.

Ella Valentine: What are you watching these days? Any TV shows you’re obsessed with or filmmakers you’d love to collaborate with?

Hannah Barlow: I love The Bear – can’t get enough of the filmmaking & performances in that show. Like everyone in the world right now I’m obsessed with Coralie Fargeat (have been since Revenge – a major influence on SISSY) & Julia Ducournau. There’s something about this generation of french filmmakers. Their energy is wildly inspiring to me.

Ella Valentine: Do you have any advice for our audience of female horror filmmakers who are working on their first feature?
It’s cliched but write / make what you know. The more personal the more audiences will resonate with the story… which involves some level of courage. And work with people who genuinely support you & are excited about your voice… don’t rush into a process or an opportunity because it seems like it’s the only one available to you. Protect yourself just as much as your art.

Ella Valentine: Thank you so much for chatting with us! We look forward to your next projects! 

Hannah Barlow: THANK YOU!