Showtime
A new film by Mariana Fabian ’23 tackles the challenges of adolescent identity, mental health and body image.
Five years ago, if you’d told Mariana Fabian ’23 that in 2025 she’d be finishing her master’s degree in library science and promoting the premiere of her first feature film, she wouldn’t have believed you. Then, Fabian was a first-year student studying psychology at NC State. She hadn’t yet changed her major to film studies; she hadn’t interned for an audio-visual archival company; and she hadn’t met Catherine Argyrople, the film’s co-writer.
But when COVID hit in the spring of 2020, Fabian relieved the boredom of social distancing by writing opinion pieces for the Technician. Argyrople, then a student at Northeastern University who was researching female-centered stories and female-led screenwriting, found one of Fabian’s op-eds on those topics and emailed her, suggesting they chat. Eventually that interaction led to friendship and collaboration.
The result of their work together is Growing Pains, a full-length film that looks at adolescent identity, mental health, sexuality and the aftermath of surviving cancer. It is loosely based on Argyrople’s struggle with body dysmorphia as a childhood cancer survivor and Fabian’s experiences growing up gay in a Hispanic household. Though most of Fabian’s family accepts her now, when she first told them that she is a lesbian, Fabian says she was hesitant: “For a long time, I was very fearful to even talk about it and who I was.”
Fabian hopes the movie inspires other young, queer filmmakers to get behind the camera and share their experiences. In time, she would like to see the film available for home viewing through a streaming service, but for now, the only way to view it is at the upcoming screening in Raleigh. Growing Pains will premiere in North Carolina at The Rialto theater on Sunday, May 18, starting at 6 p.m. The event will also highlight local LGBTQ+ advocacy groups, including Hope for Teens, the LGBT Center of Raleigh and Wake Forest Pride, who will all participate in a panel discussion after the showing.
For a long time, I was very fearful to even talk about it and who I was.
It has been validating to see representation of her experiences on the screen, Fabian says. But she adds that it also shows that “It’s OK to talk about these things.”
“Just because something is difficult doesn’t mean we shouldn’t talk about it.”
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