Director Biography - Vincent Turturro

Vincent and Alena often write in the third person, so it's anybody's guess who bears responsibility for actually penning this bio. They first worked together with their co-creator and editor Jerome Raim on their freshman feature "Victor Goodview", released by Troma Entertainment in 2018. They've continued to conceive, produce and create several projects with Jerome, including Victor-spinoff "Geri and Rick", and most recently the emotionally fraught short form "Farmer AL!" Vincent and Alena developed and shot Larkin-Stanhope's sophomore feature "Arbor Day" (currently in post), an epic character ensemble that follows three friends down the ragged path of grief in the wake of a terrible loss. Along with producing-partner Clara Peterson (who joined the LSP family on "Farmer AL!"), Vincent and Alena just wrapped production on two new shorts: "Sonia and Lisa On Mushrooms" and "Good Advice".

Director Statement

And when it comes to director statements, we bust ourselves right back to first person.

SONIA AND LISA ON MUSHROOMS is the fifth time around for our bro ‘n sis duo. And the fifth entry in what has turned out to be a bona fide (though stubbornly idiosyncratic, *graciously* Un-Marvel) cinematic universe.

Somewhere along the line, we cultivated a nifty habit of drawing and redrawing familiar characters that float around various locales set in Southern Westchester, and enjoy all the perks that “string theory” consciousness allows. (ya know if, say, Uncle Mark perishes in one of our films, who's to say he can't reappear in another; flashback-optional)

To our delight, the supremely talented Taylor and Lauren who brought these characters to life continued to have us. To say Yes. But only after we yielded time and again to our admirably deluded nature each time we set out to make another movie.

This trust is marvelously humbling. It takes what we referred to as “deluded” and spins it into “belief in ourselves.” SKY’S THE LIMIT. Which calls forth none other than Rita Moreno and Jack Nicholson at the end of Carnal Knowledge.

A little something about SLM (a *ditalini* as our Nan would say):

We fancy our movie one of small victories, the positive obverse of a potentially depraved drug experience (which no doubt has its place). Laced with darkness burbling beneath the surface – a la opening CU on the moldering ear in Blue Velvet – but a concerted stab at optimism nonetheless. Our choice with this film was not to mickey-mouse the out-n-out brutal truth of the wider world, but to offer some reprieve. Even when exemplifying pain more overtly in our work, we want to take care not to topple the cornerstone of what we’re trying to do in the first place, which is to commiserate with people. If ever there were a message or mission we wished to convey, it would be to help someone feel less alone. Along the way we did have a bit of fun pastiching some of our favorite trip-movies: "Easy Rider", "Fear & Loathing". We also borrow from films that don't necessarily address substance: "Unmarried Woman", anything from Nicole Holofcener, really. Sendups of Suburban Life, too – "Happiness", "The Ice Storm", "The Kids Are Alright"—anything from Nicole Holofcener, really.

This is not to suggest we rest on our laurels, or grow disinterested; only that we enjoy these small victories so that we may conserve our energy. This is surely the exception. The rule is that we, or others in close proximity, are taking different drugs, resorting to more desperate measures because we’re anguishing in ways that are both universal and perversely unique to 2026. As filmmakers who never learned a trade, with our heads in the trees most of the time, we can’t begin to tell you why. The best we can do is provide an aggregate of our lived experiences so that together we can continue to ask these hard questions, despite (or perhaps because of) our fear that the answers will always be slightly out of reach.