Interference
Directed by Lila Woodbridge
Screening at The Brattle, May 6th, 2026
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"Interference" tells the story of one teenage boy’s struggle with paranoia and identity amidst the start of the AIDS epidemic in the early 1980s.
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Questions from Izzy Astuto
Interference is very inspired by the political climate of the 1980's. What specifically drew you to setting a story during this time period?
I had noticed that a lot of our modern media set in the 1980s tends to lean into this glossy sheen of American idealism: big shopping malls, neon windbreakers, happy suburban perfection. But the political realities of the time, especially for queer people in America, were much more unstable and dark. There’s something about that disconnect that feels really resonant to modern day America that I wanted to explore, especially through a queer lens. Telling a story about identity in a time period with that much of an identity crisis in the American cultural memory felt like a really interesting foundation for the film.
Interference is very inspired by the political climate of the 1980's. What specifically drew you to setting a story during this time period?
I had noticed that a lot of our modern media set in the 1980s tends to lean into this glossy sheen of American idealism: big shopping malls, neon windbreakers, happy suburban perfection. But the political realities of the time, especially for queer people in America, were much more unstable and dark. There’s something about that disconnect that feels really resonant to modern day America that I wanted to explore, especially through a queer lens. Telling a story about identity in a time period with that much of an identity crisis in the American cultural memory felt like a really interesting foundation for the film.
Additionally, I have always been drawn to the technology of that era - VHS tapes, the crackle of a CRT TV, cassettes, all of it. My first car only had a tape deck, so I used to record playlists onto cassettes, which was so much more tactile and satisfying than the endless shuffling I do with Spotify now! But what really interests me as a filmmaker is how these objects can be nostalgic and comforting, but also creepy and unsettling, an aesthetic that this film draws from the analog horror genre.
James and Lewis' relationship is definitely the heart of this film. Can you talk about how you developed that, particularly building the history that isn't specifically outlined during the runtime?
There are a lot of elements in this film that I wanted to leave open for interpretation, allowing the audience to bring their own projections and emotional context into the story, and James and Louis’ relationship is central to that. I’m always most interested in characters who carry emotional conflict just beneath the surface rather than out in the open, so when making the film I focused on defining the emotional boundaries of their relationship on screen, then giving the actors the freedom to explore what existed within those edges.
That approach was only possible because of the incredible talent and expressiveness of my lead actors, J.D. Robinson and Mike Pratt. They brought their own instincts, personal histories, and perspectives to the characters which I think ultimately gave the relationship the depth you see on screen. A lot of the communication between them happens through looks, silences, and quick glances rather than dialogue and those moments quickly became some of my favorites of the film.
There are a lot of elements in this film that I wanted to leave open for interpretation, allowing the audience to bring their own projections and emotional context into the story, and James and Louis’ relationship is central to that. I’m always most interested in characters who carry emotional conflict just beneath the surface rather than out in the open, so when making the film I focused on defining the emotional boundaries of their relationship on screen, then giving the actors the freedom to explore what existed within those edges.
That approach was only possible because of the incredible talent and expressiveness of my lead actors, J.D. Robinson and Mike Pratt. They brought their own instincts, personal histories, and perspectives to the characters which I think ultimately gave the relationship the depth you see on screen. A lot of the communication between them happens through looks, silences, and quick glances rather than dialogue and those moments quickly became some of my favorites of the film.
There was clearly a lot of effort put into creating an authentic 1980's aesthetic for Interference. Could you speak to the production design a bit?
The production design for the film is probably one of my favorite things to talk about! I was so lucky to have a production design team (led by Diz Dizio of Providence) whose artistic talent, problem-solving abilities, and tireless commitment were the lifeblood of the film's execution and I was absolutely blown away by their work!
One particularly complex set involved cheating a large space to feel much smaller and more claustrophobic. Our production designer and our cinematographer, Al Bouchillon, developed a practical approach where we shot the room in two halves and had to physically shift the entire set across the room between setups, creating the illusion of compressed space. This is a great example of the kind of creative problem solving that is so vital on a film set, and one where complete success means it goes entirely unnoticed in the film.
The production design for the film is probably one of my favorite things to talk about! I was so lucky to have a production design team (led by Diz Dizio of Providence) whose artistic talent, problem-solving abilities, and tireless commitment were the lifeblood of the film's execution and I was absolutely blown away by their work!
One particularly complex set involved cheating a large space to feel much smaller and more claustrophobic. Our production designer and our cinematographer, Al Bouchillon, developed a practical approach where we shot the room in two halves and had to physically shift the entire set across the room between setups, creating the illusion of compressed space. This is a great example of the kind of creative problem solving that is so vital on a film set, and one where complete success means it goes entirely unnoticed in the film.
Another huge problem we had was how much of the film involves showing content playing on CRT televisions. Filming real CRT TV screens creates on-camera distortion, so we had to figure out how to preserve the authentic look of an 80s TV while secretly using modern screens to play our footage. We first found televisions from the 70s and 80s and brought them to a local TV repair shop to safely remove the original cathode-ray tubes, while leaving the outer shells perfectly intact. (The potential of creating a deadly bomb out of one of those things makes it very much not a DIY project.) From there, we fitted modern screens inside and, with the help of BoroBot in Middleboro, created custom 3D-printed bevels to bridge the gap between the curved vintage frames and flat displays. This allowed us to play content live on set and adjust exposure in real time to match lighting conditions.
Choosing to do the televisions practically was a challenge, but it meant that the film's aesthetics could feel much more grounded in reality while giving our lead actors the opportunity to respond directly to the material in the moment, which was absolutely essential to the performances.
Choosing to do the televisions practically was a challenge, but it meant that the film's aesthetics could feel much more grounded in reality while giving our lead actors the opportunity to respond directly to the material in the moment, which was absolutely essential to the performances.
A lot of James' character feels stunted due to his secret - strained conversations with his parents, his friends not knowing where he lives. Why was it important for you to portray his character this way?
Interference explores what it means to hide who you are and what it feels like to exist in a society where that doesn’t feel like a choice. I wanted that tension to shape every one of James’ actions and reactions in the film. I think this is a really rich topic that can even be taken out of a queer context and read as a more universal experience as well. Most people, at some point, brush up against that conflict between their sense of self and the expectations of society, whether that is internalized, externalized, or both. Those expectations are often shaped by the media we consume, which can subtly inform our ideas about morality, judgement, and our sense of belonging.
With James, I was particularly interested in not just the experience of overt homophobia, but the quiet, corrosive belief that you must hide your true self in order to be accepted. Whether James’ fear is fully grounded in reality or borders on paranoia is left ambiguous, but I wanted that fear to infect his every action to truly capture the psychological destructiveness of that experience.
Interference explores what it means to hide who you are and what it feels like to exist in a society where that doesn’t feel like a choice. I wanted that tension to shape every one of James’ actions and reactions in the film. I think this is a really rich topic that can even be taken out of a queer context and read as a more universal experience as well. Most people, at some point, brush up against that conflict between their sense of self and the expectations of society, whether that is internalized, externalized, or both. Those expectations are often shaped by the media we consume, which can subtly inform our ideas about morality, judgement, and our sense of belonging.
With James, I was particularly interested in not just the experience of overt homophobia, but the quiet, corrosive belief that you must hide your true self in order to be accepted. Whether James’ fear is fully grounded in reality or borders on paranoia is left ambiguous, but I wanted that fear to infect his every action to truly capture the psychological destructiveness of that experience.
My favorite part of this film was definitely the collaged TV clips that haunt James throughout. How did you go about designing those?
During the scripting phase, I did a lot of research on the coverage of the start of the AIDS epidemic, and what I found directly shaped the horror elements of the film. Everything you see on the television screens is real footage from news broadcasts, press conferences, and commercials that aired during the 1980s. From the dehumanizing treatment early AIDS patients received to the blatant laughter and homophobic jokes tossed around at White House press briefings, there was a wealth of disturbing media coverage that made it easy to create a tangible presence of social stigma that reflected the worst parts of that time period.
The most haunting content was then incorporated into the script and edited prior to shooting so it could be played live on the television during filming. This gave our lead something practical to react to, which was essential to the emotional reality of those scenes.
During the scripting phase, I did a lot of research on the coverage of the start of the AIDS epidemic, and what I found directly shaped the horror elements of the film. Everything you see on the television screens is real footage from news broadcasts, press conferences, and commercials that aired during the 1980s. From the dehumanizing treatment early AIDS patients received to the blatant laughter and homophobic jokes tossed around at White House press briefings, there was a wealth of disturbing media coverage that made it easy to create a tangible presence of social stigma that reflected the worst parts of that time period.
The most haunting content was then incorporated into the script and edited prior to shooting so it could be played live on the television during filming. This gave our lead something practical to react to, which was essential to the emotional reality of those scenes.
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Lila Woodbridge is a filmmaker from Southcoast Massachusetts, now based in New York City. With a double major in film and psychology, her work as a filmmaker is equally rooted in the academic and artistic study of the human psyche. Her work often explores themes of queer relationships and identity, embracing darkness and surrealism to challenge conventional queer narratives. “Interference” is her first major project since graduating from college. Lila works professionally as a freelance commercial video editor in NYC.
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