A different kind of Miami story: the making of ‘Edie Arnold is a Loser’

Flashy strippers, cocaine-fueled parties, and colorful lifeguard posts on South Beach: These are the things that probably come to mind when thinking of the city of Miami. After all, it’s how the media has portrayed the city I’ve called home for the past nine years.

Of the many films set in Miami, only a few take place in Coral Gables (I’m looking at you, 2022 reboot of “Father of the Bride”), the backdrop for my middle and high school years. So you could understand my excitement when I learned that “Edie Arnold is a Loser” wasn’t just set in Miami, but in Coral Gables. Finally, a coming-of-age story set where I actually came of age.

“Edie Arnold is a Loser” is about Edie, an outcast at an all-girls Catholic high school who navigates various intrapersonal relationships, from the mean girls at school, to the altar boy everyone knows and loves (he listens to the Yeah Yeah Yawehs!), to her mother, who still seeks approval from her high school’s resident mean girl. After being pigeonholed into playing drums and organ for their church choir — because the next best extracurriculars were celibacy club and straight-straight alliance — Edie and her best friend Frances take their church gig to the next level and start a punk rock band.

The day after “Edie Arnold is a Loser” premiered at SXSW Film & TV Festival, Student Life sat down with directors Megan Rico and Kade Atwood, along with leads Adi Madden Cabrera and McKenna Tuckett. 

The film was both Rico and Atwood’s directorial debut, and also the first feature in which Cabrera and Tuckett acted. Rico, who also wrote the script, explained that growing up attending a Catholic school in Miami made it difficult to feel accepted, primarily because she did not fit into what she described as “a very homogeneous beauty standard,” especially standing at 6 feet, 1 inch tall. This feeling manifested itself into a script Rico wrote 10 years ago, which ultimately became a quirky, energetic coming-of-age story. 

“I think, without realizing it, I was just working through all those feelings, because when I revisited it like 10 years later, I was like, ‘Oh, okay, you’re really dealing with some stuff.’ But I think it really was just kind of an outlet, a way for me to make mean jokes about people that made me feel insecure,” Rico said, laughing.

Similar in many ways to Rico, Atwood grew up feeling like “a loner, outcast,” and a “loser.” He thought that he had to fit himself into the mold society seemingly cast for him. 

“And that was never the case. I just needed to be who I was and find my community of people that were also weird and strange, a little quirky,” Atwood said. “And so I think for anyone that might feel like they don’t necessarily fit in, don’t try changing yourself. Just try to change the environment around you and the people that you’re surrounding yourself with.”

When Rico initially showed Atwood her script, she realized that her Catholic upbringing in Miami wasn’t as universal an experience as she’d thought.

“He was like, ‘How did you come up with this?’ and I’m like, ‘I lived it, brother!’” Rico said. In telling a story that closely parallels Rico’s own upbringing, Atwood added that “You’re letting other people into a piece of yourself, in a way that’s nice. It’s also weird, because [the story] is very specific, but then I also relate to it. It’s so strange how the more specific a story gets, it actually then becomes more universal.”

The film includes moments of animated magical realism and lively cinematography akin to “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World,” directed by Edgar Wright. Edie’s imagination comes to life with the help of sketched animations on screen, adding another dimension to the film’s storytelling.

“I think Edgar Wright, in general, is a big influence on both of us. We love comedy, and we love visual comedy. We just love when there’s a visual component to the jokes … and I feel like he’s kind of the king of that,” Rico said, also citing Mel Brooks as another influence on “the joke density and the rhythm” of her writing. Atwood was especially influenced by the style of the Coen Brothers, in which over-the-shoulder shots appear rarely, if ever, and many conversation scenes include wide shots amongst shot-reverse-shots. 

Despite the film being their debut, Cabrera and Tuckett (who star as Edie and Frances) had the playful chemistry of two longtime friends, making for a dynamic drummer-singer duo throughout the film.

“I think we’re pretty lucky. We have a pretty natural chemistry,” Cabrera said.

Tuckett comes from a musical theatre background (a couple of months after wrapping the film’s 10-day shoot, she played Regina George in her high school production of the musical “Mean Girlsl”), so acting as the lead singer of a band was not far off from what she already knew how to do. Cabrera, on the other hand, learned to play the drums and sing poorly for the role. To learn the instrument, Cabrera took lessons from her coworker’s husband, a skilled drummer.

“I had always wanted to learn an instrument, and so I was excited at the opportunity to do it,” Cabrera said. 

Frances is Edie’s over-the-top best friend who provides just the right amount of push for Edie to first tiptoe and eventually leap outside of her comfort zone. She’s loud, adventurous, and unapologetically herself. These qualities, arguably distinct from the media’s typical portrayal of women, were some of the characteristics that drew Tuckett to Frances.

“I think, being in this industry, there’s an expectation, especially for women, to shrink and to fit the molds that are set out for you, … and I really think that there should be more media where there are characters who are loud and big, and there’s nothing wrong with that,” Tuckett said.

Despite featuring buildings with Spanish architecture, Florida license plates, and 305 area codes, “Edie Arnold is a Loser” was actually filmed in Utah, not in Coral Gables. Rico and Atwood had previously worked on a sketch comedy show together in Utah for nearly six years. During that time, they became part of a strong film community from which they pulled the film’s crew. Their ties to the filmmaking community in Utah and their indie-sized movie budget were key factors that influenced their decision to shoot in Utah instead of Miami.

“I feel like I talk shit on Miami at the beginning, but I don’t hate it. I love it there, because it’s such a specific place, and it’s so beautiful, and there’s not a lot of cities in America like it,” Rico said.

To students at WashU involved in creative projects, especially filmmaking, Rico imparted valuable advice.

“If you have free time, you should be making stuff because one, it’s so fun, and two, you’re never gonna have this many people around you who are trying to do the same thing as you. And I feel like that’s how you really learn,” Rico said.

So, to any students contemplating taking a movie production class, joining the cast or crew of the next Film Club production, or simply making art with friends, take it from a director and leading actress whose debut feature film just premiered at SXSW Film & TV Festival and was recently accepted into the Miami Film Festival.

“Find your creative outlet and do it even if you’re not good at it, or even if you won’t achieve anything else from it except for your own personal fulfillment. It’s so important to just do it and make your art,” Cabrera said.

“Edie Arnold is a Loser” premiered at SXSW 2026. The film is currently seeking nationwide distribution.