Every day is a new series of performances for Trevor, because he believes that the only way to be valued is to be, at all times, the most perfect version of himself possible. It’s a gargantuan task. One that requires so much work, it’s as if he has stagehands to assist in building the facades in his apartment. Throughout the day, his world reorganizes as the people around him come and go. But the exhaustion of performing starts to erode at the perfect illusion he’s constructed.
Director’s Vision for ‘Veneers’
I make films because I love asking unanswerable questions and seeing how audiences respond. Veneers asks:
who are we when we’re alone?
and how does that compare to who we are around other people?
To me, existing in front of any other person involves some level of performance, or presentation, of who we want other people to see. Unfortunately – fortunate for us – Trevor takes that idea to extreme lengths that we recognize as surreal, but also grounded in behaviors we all do everyday. I hope viewers can project their own motivations onto Trevor as to why he puts up these (beautifully-designed) walls, because ultimately, why he does it is less important than watching him realize how unhealthy that coping mechanism is. And if we can empathize with Trevor, we should be able to empathize with ourselves.
