grapefruit / Sophie Chevako

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grapefruit

When two estranged teenage boys take a road trip from West Virginia to California, their lifelong romantic feelings as well as fear of their parents' judgment become unavoidable.

Technical Specs

Runtime - 01:01:35

Aspect Ratio - 1.78:1

Production Format - Black Magic Pocket 4K Digital

Language - English

the directors

Sophie Chevako (she/her) graduated from Columbia College Chicago in 2024 with a BA in Film and Television. She grew up making short films with her large family and has since told her own deeply personal stories as a writer, producer, director, and cinematographer. Her first major project, “Boysenberry Night” was an independent 30-minute film about two high schoolers starring in Romeo and Juliet discovering their gender envy for each other. This was her personal experience which she wrote, produced, directed, and edited. She and the two leading actors, Evan Thompson and Theo Caballero, would go on to create "grapefruit" as co-directors and assistant director, with that shared understanding of queerness leading them into this feature film.

Evan Thompson (he/him) graduated from Columbia College Chicago in 2024 with a BA in Film and Television. He is a cinematographer, director, writer, and experimental filmmaker and through his role in “Boysenberry Night” discovered acting as a new wave of expression. “grapefruit” is a story personal to Evan that he trusted with his partner, Sophie, to co-create. Calling back many crew members from “Boysenberry Night” they shot this 60-minute road trip film along the coast of Illinois and Wisconsin, with a tiny budget using locations discovered in nature and friends and family’s houses. He took on the challenge of co-directing while acting in this cathartic and grounded piece to express the ambiguous emotions we all so often fear.

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Synopsis

Devin and Ezra are old family friends. At the end of their junior year, they plan to meet their parents in California to stay there for the summer. Before leaving, they spend an afternoon with two girls from high school. Devin and Ezra have become estranged and apathetic towards each other, all the while feelings from their childhood slowly rise to the surface.

As they begin the drive, the tension between them begins to reveal their suppressed feelings for each other. As they reflect on childhood memories and stray off track from their course, these feelings overcome them.

As they draw closer and closer to California, these young men coming to terms with their sexuality face the fear of their parent's judgment, but they both might not be ready.

Director Statement

We made "grapefruit" because it was a film that we both needed, in high school, college, and even now as we continue to learn about ourselves. Growing up in small midwestern towns, queerness might have been tolerated, but neither of us felt fully able to express ourselves, or even allow those thoughts to enter our minds. We made this film to reach out to kids who are afraid to accept their sexuality or share it with their parents. Many of us are familiar with a childhood friendship that always felt a bit different, somehow deeper, and that might have been tragically destroyed because of this instilled societal fear. This film is one that mourns those beautiful connections, and one that begs to save those that still have a chance.

This film was shot all on location over the course of four days. Written, directed, produced, and edited by Evan Thompson and Sophie Chevako, this coming-of-age story takes a slow and sensory approach to evoking suppressed emotions and discovering sexuality, belonging, relationships, and heartbreak.