by Kris Harrell
The new independent feature film, “No Perfect Love,” was a dedicated four-year labor of love created by a Troy alumni, and filmed in Troy, Alabama.
Troy graduate Lakisha Louissaint wore many hats during the film’s creation; director, writer and executive producer during the two years it took to film and produce, including another two years’ delay due to Covid-19.
“No Perfect Love” is a story of faith, family, and lies. Within the film, Janelle (played by DeShon Green) and Joshua (played by Sean Freeman) navigate their relationship with their past being brought back up to the surface.
“It’s basically [about] a relationship that forces two people to deal with themselves and their paths to get their healing” Louissaint said.
With this film, Louissaint hopes to bring these situations and taboos to light and open them up for discussion with the audience.
“You see people who need this dialogue, but have no space in the room to have it and they’re hurting on the inside,” Louissaint said. “And many people give up. Many people lose hope. Many people lose faith.
“It’s to show people that we tend to look at individual people as being perfect.”
“None of us are perfect,” Louissaint said. “We’re going to mess up. We’re going to say things because we’re human, and we have the tendency to do things, either maliciously or not. And when we do that, it hurts people.
“But when people understand that there’s no perfect love in this world. It will be a better place.”
DeShon Green, star actor and graduate of Kennesaw State University, made her film debut with the production of “No Perfect Love.” Transitioning from stage to screen, Green stated that she has learned a lot from the filming of “No Perfect Love.”
“I think more than anything, I learned forgiveness,” Green said . “I’m 28 going on 30, and so you live a lot, you get hurt a lot. There’s heartbreak, there’s all kinds of things.”
“But forgiveness is like the biggest learning piece for me from this film,” Green said. “I think my character to know really gets to live in what that means and what it means not just for her, but for the people that she’s forgiving.
“So I think forgiveness is definitely the running theme for my character. And I’m super excited for people to see that.”
Faith takes a strong role within the film and in Louissaint’s life, who states that this film is “[a] gift that God gave her”
Louissaint relates her film to the Parable of the Three Servants within the Bible. Where three servants were given gold, and two of the servants returned the money to the king who had given it to them, while one hid the gold he had received in fear of losing what he had been given.
“I had to be reminded: do I want to hide this gift that God gave me because of fear or because I don’t have the budget or because I don’t know how to do it because I’ve never done this before?” Louissaint said. “Or do I take the gift that God gave me and let him use it because it says our gift makes room for us.”
Louissaint felt that there is talent buried in the metaphorical sands of Troy, Alabama, and states that a part the film is for the audience to see that they have talent and worth.
“You have a whole town that has people who are frustrated and given up because they’re not taking what God has given them and using it,” Louissaint said. “ [The film] was for people who have dropped out of school, being an example for GED recipients. Being an example for people like myself that went back to college to earn my degree. It’s for people that have children who have disabilities or people who have challenges themselves to go in and make the decision to say, I’m worthy enough for God to use me. I’m worthy enough for the world to see my gift.”
Kevin Jordan, who plays the role of Brian in the film, shared some advice that he had found during the filming of “No Perfect Love.”
“Anybody, regardless of whether you’re in the big city, or [in a] small country town,, be dreaming and [if] you want to pursue it, go for it,” Jordan said. “Don’t let anyone stop you or deter you. If it’s something you want, go for it and go get it.”
To creatives that are lost in the metaphorical sands of Troy, Alabama, Louissaint leaves with the advice to keep creating.
“You keep writing, you keep creating,” Louissaint said. “:One day, you’re going to write and someone’s going to see it one day you’re going to create and everybody’s going to read about it.
“So I would say keep writing, keep creating, because that’s what I’ve had to do.”
