It’s a fun show this week on BEHIND THE LENS as we’re talking comedy. Laugh-out-loud funny comedy, dark comedy, and screwball comedies, thanks to DELILAH NAPIER and LUCY POWERS and their film FLOATING CAROUSEL, and CLAIRE SCANLON who talks about her fabulously fun screwball comedy, THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS.
First up, are DELILAH NAPIER and LUCY POWERS and FLOATING CAROUSEL.
FLOATING CAROUSEL is a dark comedy that follows five characters in their 20s. We meet our core five – a Gender Studies masters student, a messy philanderer, an in-denial Sugar Baby, an aspiring cabaret artist, and a professional cuddler – in a web of dystopian dating scenarios in modern-day New York City. The film takes a surreal turn when two of the characters plot an elaborate revenge scheme that inadvertently unleashes an infestation across New York. A humorous and raunchy look at the transactional nature of our modern day relationships – in a time which has been called the “loneliest century.”
FLOATING CAROUSEL is written, directed, edited and stars Delilah and Lucy, featuring an additional cast of Glori Dei Filippone, Brittany Bradford, Jon Rudnitsky, Reg Rogers, Dylan T. Jackson, and Julian Cihi. The film’s cinematographer is Fletcher Wolfe and composer is Anna Dubrich.
In this interview, you’ll hear Delilah and Lucy discuss the creative process behind the film and explain that the storylines were inspired by real-life dating experiences, originally conceived as short films before evolving into a feature. They detail their multi-faceted roles in writing, directing, and editing on an ultra-low budget and also talk about intentional visual choices, such as using claustrophobic framing to contrast with a wide, cathartic third act. Finally, they highlight the importance of the element of surprise in storytelling and the use of waltz-like musical scores to reinforce the film’s carousel theme. And bedbugs. Let’s not forget bedbugs.
FLOATING CAROUSEL is currently in select theatres in New York City.
Switching gears, we’re going from dark comedy to balls out screwball comedy thanks to CLAIRE SCANLON and her latest film THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS.
Based on the New York Times best-selling novel by Ali Hazelwood, THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS follows Olive (Lili Reinhart), a brilliant Ph.D. candidate focused on her future in academia. But when she realizes her best friend Ahn (Rachel Marsh) has fallen for her crush Jeremy (Nicholas Duvernay), Olive impulsively kisses intimidating professor Adam Carlsen (Tom Bateman) to prove she’s moved on. What begins as a desperate act of friendship spirals into a fake relationship with rules, boundaries, and a mutually beneficial agreement. When their arrangement begins to blur the lines between performance and reality, Olive is forced to test her most daunting hypothesis yet: that love might actually be worth the risk.
Directed by Claire Scanlon and written by Sarah Rothschild based on Ali Hazelwood’s best selling novel, THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS stars Lili Reinhart and Tom Bateman, together with Rachel Marsh, Nicholas Duvernay, and Jaboukie Young-White. Cinematographer is the fabulous Matthew Clark, with editing done courtesy of Kim Boritz-Brehm and Tia Nolan, with a score by Laura Karpman. A very female centric POV made with a female centric gaze (but for Matthew Clark), and I love it.
It’s funny. It’s charming. It’s fun and frothy. And it makes you smile and laugh from beginning to end. The casting and chemistry on multiple levels is superb. Production values speak volumes. And I can’t get over the authenticity of these characters and this story.
In this exclusive interview, you’ll hear Claire breakdown and detail the project’s origins, while exploring the film’s visual language, explaining how cinematography and framing enhance character intimacy and emotional intensity. She also identifies the movie as a classic screwball comedy, emphasizing its physical humor and intelligent pacing. Additionally, she highlights the importance of the musical score and the nuanced performances of the cast. Finally, Claire reflects on her transition from episodic television to feature films, advocating for prioritizing directorial vision over people-pleasing.
THE LOVE HYPOTHESIS is currently streaming on Prime Video.
