The 25-minute-long student film “Bad for Me” will premiere Dec. 8 at 6 p.m. in Weasler Auditorium. The film follows the storyline of an abusive couple, which captures their relationships from present time back to the beginning of their relationship in the ’70s, and the trauma that exists within the walls of their home. 

Grace Koziol, a senior in the College of Communication, is the student director for “Bad for Me.” Koziol said she wrote the script with the idea that she wanted to tell the stories of this dysfunctional couple and how they got to this point in their lives.

“The film places emphasis on women’s lack of power in society during that period — specifically the life of a housewife who is in an abusive relationship. I have always been inspired to tell and uphold the stories of women. I think there is a forgotten period of women who were primarily housewives who suffered a lot of trauma and pain. Those stories are primarily never told, because they are shrouded in shame. We try to make it clear that there are always warning signs and to always trust your gut,” Koziol said. 

Koziol said she originally created the script in 2021, but she knew that as a student filmmaker she had to condense the story to a shorter, feature version in order to be able to show people that she had a story to tell.

The film currently functions as a proof of concept, and the team is actively pursuing funding to produce the feature version of this film, according to the event information.

Koziol’s professor, Dinesh Sabu in the College of Communication, suggested she apply for the Undergraduate Research Fellowships, through the Marquette Honors Program, she said. The fellowship is for the duration of the summer and is offered to 20 undergraduate Honors students each receiving $3500 for their project — which can be research or creative based. Koziol received the last spot in the 2023 fellowship. 

“I 100% have to thank Dr. Zurcher [director of the Marquette Honors Program] and the Marquette Honors Program,” Koziol said. “I applied late for the program and was lucky enough to have been given the last spot. I found throughout this process you just have to ‘ask, ask, ask’ and sometimes you will be rewarded in very surprising ways.”

Celia Huber, producer and senior in the College of Communication, said casting and rehearsal for the film began in April and May, with nine actual filming dates during June and July.

“We filmed all around the area. We used the Marquette Nursing Simulation Lab in the basement of Emory Clark for the ’70s stuff. The bulk of the 50’s was shot at Holy Family Parish School in Whitefish Bay, but we also used her [Koziol] grandma’s house, Doctors Park and other places around the city,” Huber said.

In order to get equipment, Huber said they asked Don Hertz, manager of technical services, to check out the equipment during the summer.

“He had never met either of us, so we kind of just asked him ‘What are the odds you would let us checkout equipment during the summer?’ They don’t usually do that, but he was kind enough to let us do that, and trusted us, we would not be here without him,” Huber said.

Since filming in July, Huber said they have been in post-production, editing, sound design and component correction the entire time since then.  

During the premier, Marquette alumni companies, Milwaukee Pretzel and Pete’s Pops will be selling their products. All proceeds will be donated to Sojourner Family Peace Center, which is the largest provider of domestic violence prevention and intervention services in Wisconsin, and Pathfinders Milwaukee, which represents one of Wisconsin’s oldest and most effective nonprofit organizations serving youth in crisis. Admission is free, but reserve your spot by visiting here.

This story was written by Sophie Goldstein. She can be reached at [email protected].