Director, writer and producer Virginia Root was born in New Jersey, and is now based in New Mexico. Last year, she won the George R.R. Martin Screenwriting Competition with her sci-fi film pilot Deserters, and received a grant from New Mexico Writers. Thus she became Stowe Story Lab fellow in the New Mexico New Voices programme.

Virginia regularly produces and directs commercials. Her first film Dead Weight, a “thought-provoking short” about “a hiking survivor turning to practicality in the face of oblivion” premiered earlier this year at dances with Films.

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Victoria Luxford – What first brought you to the project, and how did the story develop?

Virginia Root – I first conceived of the idea for Dead Weight back in 2019 – “What if the world ended while you were on the worst date of your life?” The story evolved over the years and many, many drafts, but the central premise remained the same: a man and woman disagreeing over how to respond to the apocalypse and the consequences of their inability to see eye to eye.

VL – What led you to keep the cause of the apocalypse unmentioned?

VR – In this story, the apocalypse functions mostly on a metaphorical level – if the world ended, how would you choose to live? I didn’t want the story bogged down with the logistics. They survive because they’re in the wilderness; everything else is gone. That is the only thing the audience needs to know.

I also feel like we’re so immersed in apocalyptic stories, whether in art or the news. It’s the air we breathe nowadays. It doesn’t take a lot to make a world-ending event feel plausible. I trust audiences will be willing to go there with us and not be too caught up in the details.

VL – The film’s main conflict comes from the difference of opinion between characters, where Grace uses this new existence to live freely whereas Aaron has a fearful plan of survival. Did you find some empathy in Aaron’s approach or was he simply intended as a counterpoint?

VR – Absolutely, I have empathy for Aaron’s approach. His way of thinking about survival is more logical and practical, while Grace’s is more emotional and intuitive. She’s done with being practical and, most of all, done with being told what she has to do. I think she recognises that Aaron has a point, but in the choice between struggling to continue to survive in their new, uncertain circumstances or finally being able to live on her terms, if only for a short while, she knows which option she prefers. I was enticed by the idea of her character seeing the apocalypse as an opportunity for more freedom than she’s ever previously had access to.

VL – How difficult was it finding the right cast for the film?

VR – Alexandra Renzo and Griffin Newman were both my first choices for the roles. I came across amazing performances by them, on stage at the Santa Fe Playhouse and on the TV show Search Party, respectively. The moment I saw what they were capable of, I had that chills moment of “they are perfect, they have to be in this”. It took a lot of emailing and wooing, and I simply couldn’t be thrilled that they both agreed to do it.

VL – What were the challenges of filming entirely outside?

VR – Wind! Heat! Cactus needles! New Mexico’s elements are no joke. We filmed in the Sandia Mountains outside Albuquerque and spent a lot of pre-production thinking through all the contingencies and ways to make the shoot as safe and comfortable as possible. Happy to report, we were an incident-free set.

VL – What were the challenges of choreographing the final fight between the characters, keeping the action violent but also grounded in a way that reflects the rest of the film?

VR – I wanted the violence to feel brutal and naturalistic, but never cool or slick. I had a rule: no one should ever look cool while holding the gun. Neither of these characters has ever had to fight for their lives before (let alone fight, period). They’re clumsily improvising. We, however, were not improvising. Everything was heavily choreographed and rehearsed ahead of time.

VL – The film is created with the support of The George R. R. Martin Literary Foundation. How important are initiatives like that to independent filmmakers?

VR – Yes! The George R. R. Martin Literary Foundation funds a screenplay writing contest via the New Mexico Film Foundation. I was the winner in 2024 and put the cash prize directly into the budget. We wouldn’t have been able to execute the film to nearly the same level without those funds, so I’m incredibly grateful. GRRM is a huge supporter of the arts in New Mexico and has created a lot of amazing opportunities for filmmakers.

VL – Did this story make you reflect on how you would react to surviving an apocalyptic event? Would you follow Grace’s plan?

VR – I often joke that if the apocalypse happens, I hope I get taken out in round one. I’m too sleepy to be fighting for survival on a barren, radioactive wasteland. No, thank you.

If I did make it past round one… who’s to say? Our survival instinct is incredibly strong and difficult to override. Even for Grace, when the circumstances are truly life or death, she isn’t exactly going quietly.

VL – Do you have any future projects that you are currently working on? Is the future apocalyptical?

VR – Next, I want to make a feature. I have a few scripts, including a feature version of Dead Weight, and actively looking for producers and investors. I don’t know if the future is apocalyptic, but I do think that the future will look very different than our status quo.

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Victoria is pictured on both images in this interview.