Brushfires

When a shy girl, secretly in love with her rocker-grrl housemate, meets an unbalanced heiress on the run, anything could (and does) happen in BRUSHFIRES, the latest production from Chicago-based film group Split Pillow. As the three women negotiate the dangerous relationships among them, the seven women directors weave a sensual tale of suspense. Drawing inspiration from the poem by Jessica Wilbur and the surrealist parlour game, The Exquisite Corpse, each director selected a word or phrase on which to base her segment, and the seven chapters of the film bear their individual marks. This impressive experiment in filmmaking emerges as a sensitive tale of young desire, loss, and love's confusion.

Directed by Wendy Jo Carlton, Ai Lene Chor, Maria Gigante, Laura Lonigro, Amber Mohammad, Aprill Winney, Etta Worthington, Brushfires leans on a strong ensemble — Autumn Brooke Wilkins, Candace Thompson, F. David Roth — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about drama titles of 2004.