Deep in the rural Virginia woods, a teenage long-distance runner grapples with an overwhelming crush on a teammate who is mysteriously tormenting her. A series of unexpected interactions leads her to test the terrifying and exhilarating limits of her power and identity.
Director’s Vision for ‘I Have Love in Me’
I grew up in a small community in rural Virginia, and elements of that place are deeply ingrained in my psyche and directing work: the haunting, surreal omnipresence of rural American faith and mythologies; the beauty and brutality of the natural world; a strong history of labor unions and political organizing; an ecstatic sense of transcendence that comes from singing and playing music together late into the night.
Through the lens of a young female protagonist, I HAVE LOVE IN ME explores the pain we hold in our bodies and minds: the violence we are capable of, the love we are capable of. Drawing heavily from my own experience of teenage obsession and confusion — and inspired by Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein — the film centers Noah as both hero and monster. As she negotiates a debilitating crush, and the overwhelming pressures of her world, she finds herself spiraling towards a moment of truth that leaves us wondering what is real, and what is imagined.
