TNC ARCHIVE, 2020
Molly Manning Walker
Good Thanks, You?
Originally published in 2020 during the BFI London Film Festival.
May, 1, 2025
In the aftermath of an attack, Amy is left voiceless and must deal with shock, the incompetence of those supposed to help her, and herself. As she is thrown further into trauma by the authorities, she must find a way to confront what has happened and save what matters most to her.
Hi Molly, thank you for taking the time to talk with The New Current. How are you held up during these very strange times?
I feel super lucky to be honest. I’ve managed to jump back into work and I really enjoyed the break. Having some headspace did me a lot of good.
Do you think this time has offered you some new creative inspiration?
I work as a cinematographer most of the time and the nature of it means that I don’t have much time to stop and think. I spent most of lock down writing. It was a really creative time purely because I was eating well, exercising and not thinking about shooting.
Congratulations on having Good thanks, You? selected for this year's BFI London Film Festival, what does it mean to you to have Good thanks, You? part of such an amazing lineup of short films?
It truly is an amazing line up. I know a lot of the other directors and I’m really excited to watch their films.
'Good Thanks, You?’ Started as a form of therapy. I really needed to tell this story in order to move on but what it’s turned into is truly special. It has opened up a discussion. Every time we screen it or talk about it people open up. In all honestly the more people I show it the more comfortable talking about my experience with sexual assault. It really feels like the subject becomes less taboo and therefore I’m really stoked every time we get the time to show a new audience.
Can you tell me a little bit about Good Thanks, You?, what was the inspiration behind your screenplay?
When I was 16 I was raped and even at that young age I was really confused by the language used. I was being asked questions that had nothing to do with the attack. I felt that the authorities were against me. I felt that no one could actually say the word rape. I was confused as to why everyone was tip toeing around me. I wanted to make a film that looked at the failure of the system. So many films about assault focus on how evil the rapist is but to me this is an obvious approach. I wanted to focus on those who are meant to support victims who are crippled by the stigma.
As a writer/director do you ever draw from your own experiences or people you have met?
Yeah I think almost too much. Everything I do is drawn from my own experience.
When working on a film like Good Thanks, You? does it benefit you as a filmmaker to be flexible with your screenplay or do you prefer to stick to what you have written?
I love to be flexible. When making Good Thanks, You? I knew I wanted to shoot on a 360 track to highlight the re-traumatising nature of the authorities. We knew this was going to be difficult. It was hard to prep as you never knew where you were going to be on the circle. It was hard to shoot as you never really know if you have the scene and it was hard to edit as we didn’t always have the coverage. I think the whole team being flexible and rolling with this made it a really powerful sequence.
Where did your passion for filmmaking come from and how your style/approach to your films changed much since your debut short?
I think my style and approach as a cinematographer has changed drastically since directing. It’s really allowed me to understand my relationship with a director. I remember thinking on set wow directors get asked so many questions.
Having fought for the 360 track throughout the process I realised that it's often the one idea that directors are pushing, that maybe isn’t conventional or doesn’t immediately make sense is probably what will make the piece special / unique.
How important is it for filmmakers to push the boundaries of the films and stories they want to tell?
I think now is the time to be pushing boundaries. We need different stories in this world. We need to break filmmaking traditions.
I also think as technology adapts we should be using this as filmmakers. We have the possibility to use tiny tiny cameras, you no longer need a huge team and a lot of metal to move the camera.
"I hope we can look at the way we treat victims of sexual assault."
What would you say has been the most valuable lesson you have taken away from making Good Thanks, You?
Make work that is important to you.
Is there any advice you would offer someone a fellow filmmaker?
Don’t give up until you're proud of your work. Someone will recognise it.
And finally, what do you hope people will take away from Good Thanks, You?
I hope we can look at the way we treat victims of sexual assault. It’s boring to skirt around the subject. Rape happens let's address it. Teach your kids about consent. Listen to people, learn from others. Be kind.