Portland Press Herald: Indie Film - Making coming-of-age story ‘Light Attaching to a Girl’ was a family affair

Vermont-based writer-director Laina Barakat employed her relatives and Millinocket-born producer Karlina Lyons to make the film, playing Friday in Portland.

BY DENNIS PERKINS | JUNE 19, 2023
This article appears in the Portland Press Herald.

Working with your entire family can be a challenge. Especially when you’re the boss. So says Vermont-based writer-director Laina Barakat, who, alongside Millinocket-born producer Karlina Lyons, will be presenting her debut feature “Light Attaching to a Girl” at PMA Films on Friday.

“The film is a family affair in more ways than one,” said Barakat. “The lead actor is my little sister, Clare, and most of my family make up the main actors.” Any first-time director knows that establishing authority on set is a major hurdle – but that’s usually with strangers, and not people who’ve known you your entire life. So how did “Light Attaching to a Girl’s” all-Barakat cast handle being directed by Laina?

“Any issues were mostly humorous ones,” said a relieved Barakat. “At one point, I did realize that one sister had not even read the script, so sometimes they were not necessarily taking me completely seriously. Luckily, I had Karlina as first (assistant director) to whip them into shape. So it was pleasant and enjoyable, but it was sometimes hard to get them to see me as more than a sister or daughter.”

Light Attaching to a Girl – Trailer from Wayward Ark Productions on Vimeo.

“Light Attaching to a Girl” is a coming-of-age story about a young woman whose desire to break out of her loving but stifling home life sees her embark on an impulsive, ultimately illuminating solo trip to Iceland. Based on Barakat’s own journey of self-discovery and bargain airfares (she took her walkabout in Australia), the film was shot half in New Hampshire and half in Iceland, with the director booking her small crew on a now-defunct discount airline.

“It was called Wow Air, of all things, and they were offering $100 round-trip tickets, so we brought everyone we could afford to bring.” Even with her skeleton crew of film professionals, Barakat was delighted upon arrival, mainly due to Iceland’s inimitably luminous natural light. “We had no gaffer, no lighting crew,” explained the director, “just a diffuser and a bounce, but if you just point a camera under that lighting, it looks like you spent ages lighting it just perfectly.”

Barakat also credits her cinematographer, Charles Francis Kinnane, for making “Light Attaching to a Girl” look so good. “We had Charles and his two brothers as our camera department. They’re this family out of Rhode Island, eight brothers, and they’re all lighting professionals. Again, it was a real family affair.” In addition, both Barakat and Lyons are exited for people to hear the film’s transfixing score from Jake Hull (“from the ‘other Portland,’ ” jokes Barakat), which employed the skills of in-demand movie musicians Budapest Scoring (“Parasite,” “Squid Game”).

The film’s trailer attests to the shimmering strange new world greeting its heroine, and Barakat and Lyons’ necessarily scrappy and resourceful methods have already been noticed in some prestigious places. “Light Attaching to a Girl” just won the first-place jury prize at this year’s AVIFF Cannes Art Film Festival, with Barakat and the film picking up various awards at fests from Greece to Australia to Orlando, Florida. And now, with a nod toward the Portland Museum of Art’s lasting influence on producer Lyons, the film is coming to Portland as part of a 10-city U.S. tour.

“I grew up in the Katahdin region,” said Lyons, whose stirring, Maine-made documentary “Routine Interrupted” was profiled in this column last year. “And it’s a place that’s like a time capsule where nothing ever changes. The first time I went to the PMA, I saw these paintings of orange squares on a wall and thought, ‘Wow, this is art, too?’ It was my first taste of awareness beyond the borders.” Echoed Barakat, “Portland is a city I love, and PMA does such a lovely program that I knew I had to reach out to them. They bring in so much prestige.”

For director Barakat, “Light Attaching to a Girl” is a deeply personal tale. “It’s a little of my own story, my sister’s story, and a little fiction. I was 19 when I went to Australia, young, naive, stupid, and full of wonder. Then there’s the family dynamic. I was one of seven and this was a coming of age story, but also about experimentation, being wild. Understanding my place in the world and my family, and finding my voice.” With younger sister Clare contemplating the same sort of international voyage of discovery, Barakat saw an opportunity. “My sister wanted to go by herself. My mom asked if I would go with her, so I said I’d go if I could film.”

For Laina Barakat and Karlina Lyons, the experience of making your way in the indie film world, especially as women, has informed how they’re presenting “Light Attaching to a Woman” on its 10-city tour. In each city they’ve gone to, the filmmakers have sought out short films by local women filmmakers to accompany their feature. At the PMA, that means the film will be preceded by shorts from two Maine filmmakers, “Fly Girls” by Phoebe Parker and “Solnin” by Maddie King, with both filmmakers joining Barakat and Lyons onstage for a Q&A after the movie.

“I believe in women holding each other up,” said Barakat. “Celebrating each other. Here we already have an audience, so we thought, ‘Let’s showcase some local female filmmakers and tie the screenings to the cities were showing in.’” Added Lyons, “This was Laina’s idea, that we have benefited from great generosity in our careers, and that must be paid back.”

Barakat concluded, “Karlina was one one of the first women to show me kindness and generosity. It was my first time on set with her, and she gave me opportunities.” Lyons responded, laughing, “It’s exciting. I’m not ancient, but Laina is young, and she brings that vibe back. I was feeling pretty crotchety, and it was amazing to be around these young, zesty people.”

“Light Attaching to a Girl” will screen at PMA Films, Portland Museum of Art, 7 Congress Square, Portland, at 6 p.m. Friday, accompanied by the Maine-made shorts “Fly Girls” and “Solnin,” with a Q&A with the filmmakers following. Tickets are $9, or $7 for students and PMA members, and can be purchased at portlandmuseum.org.

For more information about Barakat, Lyons and their film, check out waywardarkproductions.com.