Sunset Cliffs

Sunset Cliffs

Directed by Stanislava Yury Golubeva

Set in San Diego in 2004, Sunset Cliffs follows Jesse, a seventeen-year-old student at Ocean Beach High. Jesse is used to quietly observing the world through his camcorder, capturing daily life, skateboarding, his outsider friends, and his popular classmate Rachel, who seems unattainable to him. When Rachel unexpectedly invites him to a party, Jesse finally gets a chance to bridge the gap between their worlds. Disregarding his concerned friends and the social boundaries of their high school, Jesse accepts the invitation.

However, instead of the anticipated connection with his love interest, Jesse encounters a violent and compromising incident involving Rachel’s boyfriend. Instead of taking action, Jesse returns to the comfort of his camera, but soon gets caught. The threat of video evidence creates an escalating tension between Jesse and Rachel’s boyfriend. Now Jesse must decide whether to maintain the illusion of safety from the role of a bystander or become an active participant in his life.

Director Statement

The idea of Sunset Cliffs came to me from hearing stories about San Diego in the early 2000s. I was fascinated by how different and yet familiar this world was compared to the one I grew up in.

On the surface, “Sunset Cliffs” is a single-incident story of a local teenager pursuing his love interest despite the imaginary boundaries dictated by high school’s social hierarchy. However, at its core, “Sunset Cliffs” is a story about genuine human connection in times of change and uncertainty. Since the story is set in the early 2000s, production design, including the use of physical media and generation-defining collectables, became crucial elements of our storytelling process. While we built a very specific world, I wanted the audience to still be able to see themselves in the characters and resonate with the themes of identity, power, belonging, and moral choice. Through this project, I attempt to answer the question: How can we make the right choice when we are still in the process of discovering ourselves?

Director Biography

Stanislava Golubeva has always had a passion for creating personal, character-driven stories that feel honest and human. Throughout her academic journey at SDSU, she wrote and directed five short films, including the award-winning psychological drama “Untouched” and the documentary “A Taste of Home,” which celebrates San Diego immigrant-owned businesses on the big screen and was selected for the “Emerging Filmmakers Showcase.”

Stanislava’s honest and raw approach to storytelling helps define the tone of “Sunset Cliffs,” with realism and genuine emotion at the center of the story. Through this project, she explored the themes of friendship, belonging, and confrontation of social norms. She enjoyed collaborating with such a passionate team and sharing a story that is deeply personal to her.

Plays in

Emerging Filmmakers 1: Drama Shorts Block