Student’s short film champions putting self first over societal pressures

Nicole Corona Diaz said she doesn’t think it’s ever too late for someone to change their career path.

Filmed over the weekend, the fourth-year film student’s untitled 12-minute short film tells the story of a rising college senior who suddenly decides not to take the LSAT despite having prepared her entire academic career for it. The film explores the main character Nicole’s stress as she juggles notions of success while struggling to provide for her mother and sister. She said she wants viewers to sympathize with Nicole, who ultimately learns to put herself first. Although they share the same name, Corona Diaz said Nicole is not necessarily based on herself.

“I wanted the story to be relatable, something that can apply to a lot of different students who are having very similar experiences,” Corona Diaz said. “(Students might) have an expectation from their parents to do something specific, but instead choose to explore and try new things and possibly follow their dreams.”

In writing Nicole’s character, Corona Diaz said she incorporated aspects of her own life, such as her Latina heritage, with the experiences of others her age. Corona Diaz said she was inspired to cover the LSAT when a friend was unable to enjoy a road trip due to stress and anxiety while cramming for the upcoming exam.

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In the film, Nicole feels overworked and exhausted the morning of her LSAT, and instead decides to go back to sleep. Fourth-year film student Sareeta Young, who serves as Corona Diaz’s assistant director, said the film is a commentary on reevaluating one’s career choice. Young people are often forced into pursuing some path by their parents so they forget to ask themselves what they want out of life, she said.

“There is a line in the script that I really love … that says, ‘Your parents aren’t signing up for a 9-to-5, you are,” Young said. “I love that line because you really have to, as a young person, focus on, ‘What are you really going to be doing 40 hours a week, four weeks a month for the rest of your life?’”

Throughout the film, Nicole experiences a series of eye-opening events that cause her to reevaluate what she wants for her life. Nicole initially dreams of being an immigration lawyer, but her goals are challenged when a corporate lawyer reveals to her that she would not be advocating for underrepresented communities in the profession, Corona Diaz said.

Coming from an immigrant family herself, Nicole’s aspiration to pursue the profession is especially personal. Immigration, Corona Diaz said, while not the focus of the film, serves as an integrated part of the story. Nicole’s mother, Carolina, is an undocumented immigrant, and her dialogue is intentionally left in Spanish to maintain the authenticity of her native language. Corona Diaz said the prospect of becoming a lawyer was a main source of pressure for Nicole, as she sees it as an opportunity that wasn’t available to her mother.

However, while the plot is poignant and dramatic, Corona Diaz said it still contains beats of comedy, with one being a montage in which Nicole and her best friend Crystal interview law school students. The scene serves as a parody that pokes fun at law school student stereotypes, and their over-the-top elitism makes Nicole wonder if this is her future.

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As the film’s prospective lawyers speak directly to the camera, Corona Diaz said they exacerbate their obsessions with work, networking and business attire. Actor Adam Christopher Maher, who plays one of the law students, said his character satirizes privilege and entitlement, telling Nicole that if his clients aren’t paying at top market value, they can stay homeless.

“I think he adds a little comedic relief,” Maher said. “50 years ago, if this film was made, he’d be the main character, but now he’s a one-line joke, and that is exciting for me.”

As the project evolves, Corona Diaz said she envisions her film as the pilot for a potential web series. She said the 12-minute short stands on its own and the viewer will understand Nicole’s arc by the end, having prioritized her own dreams over her family’s. However, Corona Diaz said there are still storylines to unpack, such as when Nicole shares her decision with her mother. The rest of the series will follow Nicole as she comes to terms with her decision and explores new experiences during her senior year of college.

“I would say Nicole’s character is very selfless,” Corona Diaz said. “She’s put everyone else before her and, … in one of the very last scenes, … her little sister asks her, ‘Why did you skip this exam?’ and Nicole says, ‘I’m putting myself first.'”