Mango Avenue — Director Note
A pro call girl’s life takes a turn after she takes in a rebellious pre-teen orphan girl at the request of her madame.
In its essence, Mango Avenue will be about breaking vicious cycles and the mess you have to go through in the process.
Our story’s main character, Carina, is a prostitute who is mentored by Komander, an ex-prostitute-turned-madame, who herself was trained by one. The film begins when Carina is asked to guide Haley, a pre-teen orphan girl, into the same life.
At this point, Carina is now an experienced prostitute and it is time she trains the next generation. But what if she doesn’t want to? What would she have to do? What are the consequences? This cycle has been going on for generations. It has momentum and it’s very hard and messy to stop. This is what we show in the story of Mango Avenue.
I like making films about ‘ordinary’ people doing extraordinary things. And the extraordinary thing can be personal to the character. I find these stories inspiring. It’s very challenging, never perfect, but exceptionally human.
Don Gerardo Frasco