My interview with Jub Clerc

By Amber K, Year 9

Just last week, I had the incredible opportunity to get in contact with Jub Clerc, the brilliant mind behind the deeply moving movie Sweet As. If you haven’t heard of her, you're truly missing out on an inspiring storyteller whose work explores important themes about family, culture and belonging. For our Year 9 assessment this term, we’ve been assigned with creating a podcast that examines our chosen film, Sweet As, through themes such as culture, identify, loss of identity, and family disconnection.

When I reached out to Jub, I honestly didn’t expect a response, so you can imagine my face when I saw the email come through at exactly 7:32am on Tuesday last week. She was so generous with her time and insight. Speaking with her gave me a whole new perspective on Sweet As, I learnt about the subtle choices she made in the film, the emotional depth behind certain scenes that I hadn’t blinked an eye at prior and the real-life experiences that inspired the story. It was fascinating to uncover the hidden layers of meaning that I had completely missed and I can’t lie when my teacher used to tell me ‘Everything is done with the intent of meaning something’ I didn’t believe her. But it’s true!

The interview left me not only inspired but also more confident in how I'll approach my podcast. I’m glad to be given the opportunity to understand the film on a deeper level and it’s truly an experience I wish everyone could have. I left with a better understanding on cultural identity and personal growth. Overall, talking to Jub Clerc was such a rewarding experience, and it gave me so many valuable insights that will definitely stick with me throughout my years here and even outside of school. If you haven’t watched this film, this is your sign to put it on your watch list ASAP.