Director Emma Seligman is still in her 20s and has already made two darkly funny, attention-grabbing films: 2020’s Shiva Baby and the new high school comedy Bottoms. Seligman tells The Treatment her influences for Bottoms drew from high school comedies like Fast Times at Ridgemont High, and more serious fare including American Graffiti and Heathers. She says that while she wanted to have flawed, queer female protagonists — historically underrepresented figures in film — she definitely didn’t want Bottoms to try to teach audiences a lesson. Dive in to hear her break down the tightrope-esque challenges to achieving this genre-mashing tone.
Read More: Weekend film reviews: ‘Gran Turismo,’ ‘Golda,’ ‘Bottoms’