You can follow the film on Instagram and TikTok at @yearofthefoxfilm / Photo courtesy of Year of the Fox.
A new coming-of-age film directed and written by two women tells the story of a teen girl who enters the elite party scene where wealthy predators lie in wait. Year of the Fox, which opened in Los Angeles last week and starts streaming Aug. 19, draws on screenwriter Eliza Flug’s firsthand adolescent experiences and shares unmistakable similarities with the real-world Jeffrey Epstein scandal. We recently connected with director Megan Griffiths to learn more about the film.
What drew you to this project? I was excited for the opportunity to revisit the culture of the '90s through today's lens. Having lived through it, I know how misogynistic and predatory behavior was normalized in that era. This story focuses on themes of power, privilege, and the loss of innocence, all of which feel perennially relevant, but also specifically important in this moment.
What unique perspective(s), particularly as a woman filmmaker, did you bring to the film? I think this story absolutely required a woman behind the camera, and we also made it a priority to have women in leadership roles across the production: the producing team of Eliza Flug, Lacey Leavitt Gray, and Jennifer Roth, cinematographer Sevdije Kastrati, production designer Lauren Fitzsimmons, costume designer Rebecca Luke, editor Celia Beasley, our casting director Amey Rene, our hair and makeup team led by Luce Cousineau and Danyale Cook, and others down the line. We all approached the work with our own lifetimes of experience with male/female power dynamics and understanding of a young woman's point of view. Lining up that team was a vital part of centering Ivy's experience and giving the audience an empathetic view into her world. (Ivy is the lead character, a biracial teenager navigating the party scene in Aspen, Colorado).
Given the similarities between the Jeffrey Epstein saga and the film’s subject matter, what do you hope audiences come away with? It has been so interesting to release this film in this specific moment. Obviously, Epstein was front and center in our minds as we made the film, but at no point in this film's long journey was his name leading the headlines the way it is now. As I observe the news frenzy around the Epstein list and the men who may be implicated alongside him, I am grateful that our film offers an alternate point of entry into this cultural conversation. Instead of focusing on the men, Year of the Fox centers on one of the countless young women (often lumped together as nameless victims) who experienced this predation firsthand and allows audiences an avenue toward understanding a side of the story that has gone largely untold.
Why is this story important in this moment? Given Eliza's exposure to this world of extreme wealth and privilege, and her experiences interacting with now-notorious predators, I believe her perspective is incredibly valuable. This is a culture that is typically quite walled off and secretive, and I'm so grateful she was brave enough to share her story and trusting enough to bring me on board to direct the film.
— Story by Cambrie Juarez
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