Sometimes the arrival of a movie into our lives is so perfect, it feels like a wish coming true.

Such is the case with queer filmmaker Julie Jackman’s “100 Nights of Hero” (IFC). A fantastical romance with potent queer and feminist messages, the movie is as entertaining as it is enlightening, equal parts hilarious and heartwarming. The primary cast, including Emma Corrin as the titular Hero, along with Maika Monroe and Nicholas Galitzine (who has more than few shirtless scenes – swoon!), look as though they had as much fun making the movie as audiences will have watching it. Writer/director Jackman was kind enough to make time for an interview before it opened in theaters.

Julia, I’d like to begin by saying how much I enjoyed your sweetly queer feature film debut, “Bonus Track.”

Thank you so much!

The movie is based on a story co-written by actor Josh O’Connor. How did that project come about?

That was actually during a particularly bleak lockdown. My agent wrote to me and said, “There are these lovely producers,” who I also ended working with on (“100 Nights of Hero”), “Erebus Pictures, and this actor Josh O'Connor, and they would like to meet with you to talk about this film, ‘Bonus Track.’” I read it, and I wished I'd had more stuff like that when I was going through my own first experiences. I felt really drawn to the warmth of it. Of course, there's a certain element of wish fulfillment in all romantic comedies, but I felt like I wanted more of that. I was intrigued because I'd never made a romantic comedy. Having met Josh now, it makes sense. But I was like, “Why me?” I was very intrigued. I guess we all were 16 at that exact time, as well, and it was this massive nostalgia trip for all of us.

You go from present day in “Bonus Track” to a fantasy world set in an unnamed time period with “100 Nights of Hero.” What was that transition like for you?

It was definitely interesting. I think that it was tempered by the fact that while “Bonus Track” had been brought to me, I had adapted this one actually before I made “Bonus Track,” (and) put it in a drawer for later and had had time to sit with the challenge of that. It was still fast, surprising, and challenging. Weirdly, it didn't feel as different as I thought it would. It made me feel so old that the kids in the film (which is set in 2006) were calling it a period film. That obviously made me feel absolutely ancient. There was still some world crafting, like what phones, what clothes, someone would use at that time. Building a fantastical world in “100 Nights,” I felt like I had to pick some epic details, but then lean into the intimacy because it's an indie film. The three moons did a lot of heavy lifting of the parallel universe. Because it was mostly unfolding in a castle, costumes and moons did the heavy lifting. I'm really indebted to the crew.

It does look great! When did you first come upon Isabel Greenberg’s graphic novel “The One Hundred Nights of Hero,” the basis for your film, and did you discover it on your own, or was it recommended to you?

A friend of a friend, not in film, recommended it to me. I just loved it. I really enjoyed the playfulness of it. Again, it was the kind of thing I would have enjoyed when I was growing up. I liked films that had their own oddity to them but still a hopefulness and funniness, like “The Princess Bride.”

Good example.

The idea of getting to do a queer iteration of the fairy tales and myths that I so enjoyed growing up, and the feeling of being transported to another world instead of staying in social realism, felt like freedom and really exciting. 

Would you say the story’s pro-woman message was also something that appealed to you?

It was hugely appealing. It’s interesting to me because, and definitely something I tried to bring forward, is that certainly the patriarchy hurts women. But I think it was really important to me that, while not excusing the actions of some of the men in this, it's not a women versus men issue. No one's having fun. Even if they think they're benefiting from it, as soon as they want something that deviates from it, it's such a slippery slope. No one's gonna adhere to those rules for their whole lives. No one's going to be able to keep that up. It's not fit for purpose for anyone. I wanted to show the pressure. Obviously, it's not fair, and it's not balanced, but it puts an enormous amount of pressure on absolutely everybody and creates this painfully rigid environment.

Seeing Emma Corrin as Hero, Nicholas Galitzine as Manfred, and Maika Monroe as Cherry was one of those moments when you realize how perfectly cast a movie is, that no other actors could have possibly played those characters. Would you agree?

I was so lucky with the cast. Because it’s such a big ensemble piece, I had an amazing casting director called Olivia Grant, who was wonderful. The core trio was something I had to think about before we even brought a team on board, because that was going to be the way that the film got made, since I've been sitting with it. I hadn’t gone through a traditional development process. I had optioned it on my own. It was developed first and then brought on producers down the line. It was all done in a less traditional way. To be honest, I was absolutely thrilled. I think those three all met properly for the first time on set. Indie film, again. I thought they would all have good chemistry, but I was delighted to see that that was the case. 

Being a filmmaker who identifies as a member of the LGBTQ community, how important is it for you to bring stories featuring queer characters to audiences?

Really important! But, also, I think it's only in hindsight do you realize just how intrinsically that's what you gravitated towards. When I was growing up, my first crush was Frank-N-Furter in “Rocky Horror” [laughs]. Child me was like, “There's just something I find incredible about this person!” I would just watch that song, again and again.

“Sweet Transvestite?”

Yes, yes! That was the whole film for me. I also remember my babysitter, whom I also idolized, when she was 16, and I was 8, putting on “Velvet Goldmine,” and telling me to hide during some of the parts. These are things that I remember because there was something about those that made me pay very close attention. When I was a teenager, my friends joked that every time I liked a character or a thing in a film, they'd end up being gay, even if they weren't out. My entire friend group when I was a teenager, now everyone is out. There was a time when I was the only out person. It's what you gravitate towards. I don't even necessarily intend to do it, but I've noticed that a lot of times the things that I can find my way into the most or that excite me or that I come across just are queer. 

Without giving away too much, “100 Nights of Hero” has a kind of “Thelma and Louise” moment, but one that is more hopeful.

Hopeful was really important to me. Even though I know sincerity sometimes can invite eye rolls a little bit more. But that was a sincere part of the graphic novel that I gravitated towards: hopeful anger, basically. Which I think is a tone that a lot of people in marginalized communities feel. We're angry, but we're hopeful. It was also the fact that they were never going to let them go. They love to dangle a choice. This feeling of defiance and living life on your own terms and that being an expression of hope. This idea that when people offer you a false choice or try and take something away from you, all you can do is say, “I know what's happening here, and you're not going to make me feel like you control me.”

Have you started working on or thinking about your next film project?

Yeah. I'm developing a couple of things. I've got some stuff that it’s too early to talk about. There are a couple of things that I'm excited about. I only delivered the film (“100 Nights of Hero”) a few months ago. I’m still in that frazzled state. But, yes, watch this space.