Director John Barnard on how his new film Menorca parallels his life as a parent

John Barnard has been directing for 20 years, but "this is what I wanted to do when I started," Barnard says of his new film Menorca.  The director, who has been making lifestyle shows about food and travel, admits it was easy to lose track of his original plan. But his new film has him back on track.

Menorca follows the story of a soccer mom named Claire who finds herself living a life she never imagined. After her son disowns her, Claire decides to follow her escapist fantasies. "I came up with the idea for this watching my own kid's soccer practice," explains Barnard. Most parents will think "I didn't sign up for this" and Barnard says it was this revelation that set his plot in motion.

Barnard says was bored with the relatable mid-20s male character and found himself relating to the idea of a soccer mom.  "It's way easier to write yourself as a woman," explains the director, "it opens all of these possibilities because it takes you one step out of the picture."

Barnard says, "I got to do the things that I wanted," in making this film. He got to live out his own fantasies by stepping into Claire's character and it made him realize that it wasn't that hard to do.

WEB EXTRA | Watch the trailer for Menorca below.

*Editor's Note: This video contains images that may not be suitable for a younger audience.