The Collaborative Vision Behind “Every Other Weekend” and Its Bold Portrait of Modern Motherhood
Co-directors Mick Robertson and Margaret Rose open up about friendship, trust, and building a deeply personal short film from the ground up.
When Every Other Weekend premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, it stood out for its raw intimacy and striking authenticity. Co-directed and co-written by longtime collaborators Mick Robertson and Margaret Rose, the short follows a young mother caught between the pull of personal desire and the weight of parental responsibility. Shot largely in the lead actress’s own apartment, and shaped through months of rehearsal, the film leans into its constraints , narrow spaces, fluorescent light, the unpredictable presence of a baby, to capture moments of startling truth.
In our conversation, Robertson and Rose reflect on their collaborative process, their theatre roots, and the friendships that carried the film forward, from Frosina Pejcinovska’s powerful lead performance to the calm precision of cinematographer Rico Moran. They also discuss the challenges and surprises of production, their festival journey, and how Every Other Weekend has set the stage for their next chapter as a directing duo.
The film is incredibly intimate, both emotionally and visually. How did you approach building that intensity within such confined spaces?
Thank you! We worked with what we had and let it inform the focus of the film. We had time to work extensively with our lead actress, Frosina Pejcinovska, so we were able to build the character over many months. We also had access to the apartment we were shooting in; it was Frosina’s actual apartment, completely redecorated by our amazing set designer Nikki Watson! Because of this access, we were able to really play with the space and weave that into the script writing. We chose to lean into the constraints of the narrow kitchen and fluorescent lighting.
The basement is a suffocating space for Holly; she feels trapped there and isolated from the rest of the world and the walls are quite literally closing in on her. So when we showed the outside world, we chose to do so at pivotal moments in the plot, hoping that it would punctuate the film.
All the movement was choreographed like a play and became second nature for Frosina. We wanted her performance and the action to feel spontaneous and impulse driven, which, perhaps counter intuitively, we felt we could achieve with extensive blocking and rehearsals.
Moments before the cameras rolled — Frosina Pejcinovska on set. BTS photo by Rico Moran
“We chose to lean into the constraints of the narrow kitchen and fluorescent lighting. The basement is a suffocating space for Holly; she feels trapped there and isolated from the rest of the world.”
Frosina Pejcinovska delivered such a powerful performance, what was it like working with her and with the rest of the cast to build the film’s dynamics?
Working with Frosina Pejcinovska was fantastic! We love her. She is an old friend of ours (Margaret and Frosina met in high school drama class!), so being able to make this movie with her was really special. We couldn’t have done it without her, she informed so much of who the character of Holly became. Frosina is just so talented, she really is an exceptional performer and we can’t recommend her enough to other filmmakers.
The whole cast, Frosina, Nina and Jake, are such hard workers. They brought so much rigour to the development process. There was lots of play, experimenting and collaboration. We feel very lucky that they all jumped in so enthusiastically.
A pause between desire and responsibility — Frosina Pejcinovska as Holly in Every Other Weekend.
“Working with Frosina Pejcinovska was fantastic! We love her. She informed so much of who the character of Holly became. Frosina is just so talented, she really is an exceptional performer.”
Rico Moran did a great job keeping the visuals consistent and authentic, how did you collaborate to preserving the film’s intimacy?
Rico is a really dedicated, writing-oriented DOP. He gives amazing script notes and really invests in world building. His choices for the film were very grounded, which we really valued- especially because Every Other Weekendwas very naturalistic. The three of us came up with simple parameters in pre-production that allowed for efficient, motivated choices on the day. When Holly was in the basement we shot primarily on a 75mm lens, and always on sticks. When she was outside we allowed ourselves to use wider lenses (specifically at the end) and were always handheld.
Rico is also an amazing leader on set. He is calm, kind and very focused. We really admire the way he works with his team!
Cinematographer Rico Moran lines up the next shot on Every Other Weekend.
“Rico is a really dedicated, writing-oriented DOP. His choices for the film were very grounded, which we really valued — especially because Every Other Weekend was very naturalistic.”
What was it like working with a baby on set, and did those moments influence the film in unexpected ways?
Shockingly, it went incredibly smoothly. We decided that the only way we were going to get through the shoot with an 8 month old baby was to find twins. We had to embrace that no matter how the babies behaved on the day, we had to roll with it and allow it to guide us. We only had 8 hours with them (plus many, many breaks), so we had to make it count. If the baby cried, Frosina knew she had to react authentically.
When the baby starts to cry in the final scene, that was totally unplanned. Frosina ad-libbed, comforting that baby and repeating “it’s going to be ok”. That moment ended up capturing exactly what the whole film is about.
The gaze that anchors Holly’s world. A still from Every Other Weekend.
“When the baby starts to cry in the final scene, that was totally unplanned. Frosina ad-libbed, comforting that baby and repeating ‘it’s going to be ok.’ That moment ended up capturing exactly what the whole film is about.”
Coming from a theatre background, how did that inform your approach to writing, rehearsing, and directing this film?
Our background in theatre definitely informed much of our process. During writing, we held workshops to receive feedback, very much informed by how we were taught to workshop plays. We would read the script aloud and then break it down with the group, discovering what worked, what was missed etc. Bringing in our peers and collaborators feedback-wise is very valuable to us.
We also rehearsed a ton. All three actors were able to be in the space and develop their characters with us. We really appreciate how generous they were with their time and energy.
Margaret Rose with Frosina Pejcinovska on set of Every Other Weekend. BTS photo by Rico Moran.
Can you talk about your collaboration as co-directors and co-writers? How do you divide creative responsibilities and keep the vision cohesive?
For our writing process, we work together from start to finish. One of us will bring the initial idea to the table. In the case of Every Other Weekend, Mick had been tossing the idea around for a while before we began working on it together. We always write in tandem, which is especially fruitful when developing our dialogue. We sit in the same space, re-reading the scenes out loud over and over again. Throughout script development we tend to improv scenes, swap roles a ton, and challenge each other’s ideas. Neither of us touch the script without the other one present. One thing we find really valuable about being co-writers is the level of clarity that is brought to the script; every idea is audited by the other person.
Like our writing process, we also do our co-directing prep together. We build everything as a pair, in a very detail oriented manner. By the time we get to set we both feel really clear on the creative intentions, so on the day we are able to divide and conquer.
We try to find a rhythm with one another on set. We watch at the monitor then turn to each other and very briefly make sure we are on the same page before branching off to give notes to various heads of departments and performers. This has really helped us work efficiently, being able to spend more time with the HODs and actors because we aren’t needing to both talk to each department individually. This system works because of the trust and unison that we have built up throughout pre-production.
Co-directors Mick Robertson & Margaret Rose with their team, getting ready on set. BTS photo by Rico Moran
“Neither of us touch the script without the other one present. One thing we find really valuable about being co-writers is the level of clarity that is brought to the script; every idea is audited by the other person.”
What’s next? Are you developing another short, or working toward a feature project? Will you continue collaborating as a directing duo?
Yes, we will continue to collaborate as a writing/directing duo! We are currently in pre-production for our next short film, set to shoot in early November. Basically, the exact same week we shot Every Other Weekend, 2 years later, which feels nice! This time around we are lucky and grateful to have received funding and are able to expand to more locations, more actors and more days on set. We are very glad to have the opportunity to go and do it all again, together.
Explore more about Every Other Weekend:
Writers & Directors: Mick Robertson & Margaret Rose
Executive Producers: Daniel Roher & B. Mayer Goodman
Producers: Jackie De Niverville, Mick Robertson, Margaret Rose
Featuring: Frosina Pejcinovska, Jake Shannon, Nina Gilmour, Franklin & Arthur Bathe
Director of Photography: Rico Moran
Editor: Mick Robertson
Production Designer: Nikki Watson
Sound Design: Chandra Bulucon
IMDb Page: Every Other Weekend
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