From the minute we enter the world of Grapefruit, we know we’re going to be in a whirlwind. The awkwardness and vulnerability shows within the film’s opening scene, as we are first introduced to Travis (played by writer/director Chase Joliet) coming back home to move in with his mother. After being let out of rehabilitation, Travis struggles between readjusting back into the world he has left to, with the help of his mother (played by Rosanna Arquette). During this journey, Travis befriends a young woman named Billie (played by Steph Barkley) who is ultimately going through some of the same things that Travis is going through.
During the 30th Austin Film Festival, Grapefruit was one of the films that stuck out to me the most in the lineup. Grapefruit is Joliet’s directorial debut, centering around three lost individuals who are all trying to make the best out of their situations. Grapefruit feels familiar, and almost feels intimate as we’re watching Travis and Billie navigate their recovery process. But, the highlight of Grapefruit is Travis and Billie’s friendship dynamic through their AA meetings, and how it evolves throughout the film.
It’s rare to find films which center around men and women who want to better themselves, and genuinely want better for one another. There is always a heavy “romance” underlying within films of this caliber, which oftentimes can be distracting to the viewers. As someone who watches films frequently, it’s hard to watch films and see our two leads have chemistry, only to understand and know that at the end of the film, these two will ultimately end up together. But with Grapefruit, Billie and Travis’s friendship, regardless of their faults, are still there for one another. It’s the film’s beating heart, and what really sells the story even further.
I spoke with writer/director Chase Joliet and actress Steph Barkley on the friendship between Travis and Billie, and why it is so important that we have films that highlight opposite sex friendships.
“I used to get notes on the script that said, ‘They need to kiss,’and that’s not what the film’s about. I think the film is about being open and honest, and vulnerable,” says Joliet about Grapefruit’s relationship dynamic. “Often in Hollywood, people immediately go to sex or physical touch to show intimacy, but I think the most intimate thing is listening and being present.”
“He [Joliet] said it the whole time: ‘I don’t want this to be a romance’ and stuck to it the whole time. That’s not the story we were telling,” says Barkley on Billie and Travis’s friendship.“There is chemistry [between the two] but in order to be in a relationship, you have to be good friends.”
“They just need to be there and support each other and accept one another.“ says Joliet about the overall relationship between the two main characters.
After seeing a film like Grapefruit, I hope that we get more films of men and women wanting not only better for themselves, but also from one another. The platonic relationship in Grapefruit makes the film have a beating heart, and it’s clear that you can’t help but root for Joliet and Barkley’s future in film.
Grapefruit premiered at the 30th annual Austin Film Festival. This article was written for AFF 30.