Director's Statement

Honeymoon is a transformation tale. It tells the story of newlyweds Paul and Bea and how something beautiful can become monstrous.

I wanted to tell an intimate, grounded genre story. I was inspired by Polanski’s paranoid thrillers where the horror gnaws from within. Paul and Bea share an intimacy that only couples can. They know each other’s minds. They know each other’s bodies. Their emotional endurance is tested as the narrative explores how far love can be pushed when it’s tortured and under attack.

Rose Leslie and Harry Treadaway hadn’t met prior to being cast, but their talents created an on-screen relationship that reflects the nuance of a couple who has known each other for years. The chemistry they share as Bea and Paul is imbued with youthful energy and desperate fear.

Honeymoon is an exploration of how the familiar can become alien. There should be a sense of impending doom bubbling under everything—contamination creeping into every scene, a slow-rotting, spoiling sensation. When you’re walking home from the theatre with a friend, when you climb into bed next to your partner, hopefully there’s a nagging: Who is this person next to me?

– Leigh Janiak

About the Guest

LEIGH JANIAK (Director/Co-Writer)

Leigh Janiak’s first obsession with movies grew after becoming particularly enamored with THE GOONIES. Using her parents’ VHS camcorder, she spent her childhood in suburban Cleveland creating and filming sketches and then starring in and directing plays as the president of her high school theatre troupe. She attended undergraduate at NYU, where she focused on creative writing and comparative religion, studying abroad in Germany and Israel. She then attended graduate school at the University of Chicago, enrolled in a doctoral program in modern Jewish studies with an emphasis on violence and identity in post–World War II Hebrew literature. In Chicago, her passion for filmmaking was reignited by Fire Escape Films, a community of student filmmakers. After working on numerous short films and experimenting with Super 16 and old-school Moviola editing, she ultimately abandoned her PhD and moved to Los Angeles to pursue film full time.

In Los Angeles, Leigh worked at Leonardo DiCaprio’s production company, Appian Way, and at Misher Films in both development and production.

Leigh and her writing partner, Phil Graziadei, met as undergraduates at NYU. They’ve been friends for over a decade and writing partners since 2005. They’ve written numerous feature films together. Honeymoon is Leigh's feature film directing debut.

About Outside the Box [Office]

Outside the Box [Office] is a weekly showcase for upcoming releases highlighting world cinema, documentary and independent film titles. Recognizing a need for greater diversity on campus, the series will draw from around the globe to present movies that may challenge, inspire or simply entertain.

To view the calendar of screenings, click here.

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