As a director, I am interested in delicately walking the fine line between right and wrong. My favorite response to BIRD OF PARADISE is that it could easily be creepy in concept but is handled adeptly and with care. The grey areas of life have always been the most fascinating to me. With this film, I set out to convince audiences of a genuine but unconventional love. I always knew it would be challenging, but for me that was the point. That is the magic of film -- it's an opportunity to change minds.

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BIRD OF PARADISE posits that despite age and background, love can develop between anyone. Yet, rarely is everyone okay with unconventional love. This rings doubly true for Ruben and Cypress who are both queer and several decades apart in age. The film is not just a fictional representation of these societal strains placed on relationships that defy the norm, but also a direct critique of how society forces relationships for the sake of comfort. As a queer person, this is something that I've experienced first hand. What makes this film distinct is not simply the depiction of a queer relationship, but the willingness to show an unconventional couple in a realistic way. Often times in queer films sexuality wins out over sensuality and intimacy. However, not every relationship is physical and driven by sex. Some are defined by acts of love that transcend sexual desire. It is important to me to present a queer film driven by this subtle side of love that is often forgotten. The result is a film that is unapologetic in its queerness and its depiction of the subtler side of many relationships.