Director BIO: Julie Haberstick (HOTTER WITH THE WINDOWS OPEN)

Ellie Mae and James Henry are caught in each others’ orbit. But their passion is fueled by the anxious rush of “Is this right?” Although James Henry is obsessed with Ellie Mae, he’s already committed to her pregnant sister. At what point does responsibility take precedence over passion? This selfishness of love fascinates me and first drew me to Hotter with the Windows Open.
Ellie Mae and James Henry bend the rules to get what they want. As a director, I followed suit. It’s an audience’s unwritten rule: We want our heroes to get what they want. Hotter bends that rule. Our lovers are our heroes: charming James Henry, feisty Ellie Mae. They want each other, and we want what they want. But when we uncover their misdeeds, we must ask ourselves what we think of the two lovers. Do we agree with them, want them to have each other?
What would we do in their position?

As audiences, we are also accustomed to receiving visual information when we expect it. But just as Ellie Mae and James Henry are tantalized by the question of their romance, Hotter tests expectations. We don’t see Ellie Mae’s face until she’s a screen door away from James Henry.
And there is little visual relief in the most emotional scene. Just as we wanted Ellie Mae and James Henry to have each other, we also sit with them in their heartache.

At the opening of the film, Ellie Mae and James Henry’s affections are feverish, devil-may-care.

And it is from that raw base of attraction that they grow. Having made a difficult decision, Ellie Mae and James Henry find a new kind of love: respect, for one another and for themselves.
And perhaps that is the truest love story.