Written by Tanisha Cardozo || Team Allycaral
The press conference for This Tempting Madness at IFFI carried the same intensity and emotional weight as the film itself. Director Jennifer Montgomery, producer Andrew Davis, and actors Suraj Sharma and Zenobia Shroff came together to explore the responsibility of telling a story born from real pain. Jennifer began with a candid admission that the film is inspired by a true and deeply unfortunate event, a narrative so heavy that even speaking about it remains difficult.
She explained that cinema can often capture emotions and complexities that words alone cannot, offering audiences a space to understand experiences that are usually hidden from view. Andrew expanded on this, acknowledging the delicate balance required when adapting real-life trauma. The goal, he noted, is not simply to retell an incident but to search for meaning, context, and the lingering questions that haunt those affected.
Suraj Sharma spoke with quiet sincerity about how personal the project felt to him. Calling emotional and mental abuse “alarmingly common,” he shared that he had witnessed someone close to him endure abuse and had intervened to help her leave the situation. For him, the film stands as a tribute to those who have lived through such experiences.
Zenobia Shroff added depth with her reflection on portraying an Indian mother navigating cultural pressures and unspoken expectations. She described the familiar but often unexamined dynamic where silence is encouraged, a silence rooted in internalised misogyny. Her hope, she said, was to expose these patterns and shift the narrative toward empowering women and raising better men.
While the film features Indian characters, Jennifer emphasised that the story itself is universal, noting that Simone Ashley was cast simply because she was the best fit for the role. The rest of the cast helped her navigate cultural nuances she was less familiar with. Technically, the film uses intercut memories to mirror the protagonist Mia’s amnesia and confusion.
Jennifer explained that memory loss is inherently unreliable, so the visual language intentionally shifts between the present and fragmented recollections to reflect her disorientation. When asked about literary influences such as Virginia Woolf, Jennifer admitted she had not drawn from them but expressed curiosity to explore that connection now.
Ultimately, she summarised her artistic goal as finding the humanity in every character, acknowledging that everyone faces moments where they feel tempted by their own inner chaos. Andrew closed the conversation on a hopeful note, emphasising that though the story is rooted in real suffering, it is also a testament to strength—people can grow, change, and emerge more resilient.
With themes of trauma, love, confusion, and survival, This Tempting Madness left the IFFI audience with more than reflections on filmmaking; it offered a deeper invitation to consider the unseen battles people carry and the empathy required to understand them.
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