“I Could Dom”: A Sharp, Sexy Comedy About a People Pleaser Who (Kinda, Sorta, Please) Knows What She Wants
A sex romp-edy that charms with sharp humor and messy vulnerability
I recently came across multi-hyphenate entertainment talent and Atlanta native Madison Hatfield, an actress/writer/filmmaker, through an episode of
’s podcast. Madison was on to discuss her latest short film, which has been met with critical acclaim and screened at film festivals across the U.S., including the Palm Springs International Film Festival ShortFest and this week, at Seattle’s SIFF ShortsFest opening night.» Listen to Madison Hatfield’s Interview on The Oscar Project
I felt an instant kinship with her as I listened to the podcast. She spoke directly to something I’ve been circling for a while in my writing: female agency, people-pleasing, and the slow, messy work of figuring out what you actually want, then daring to say it out loud.
It’s the emotional core of my romance manuscript, Clicking & Waiting: A people pleaser whose arc is about learning to stop performing connection and start living it. She’s spent her life tuned into everyone else’s needs, letting that shape her identity, her relationships, even her sense of safety. But real intimacy? That only starts when she begins to hear her own voice again. But how can you know your voice when you’ve tuned it out for so long? This statement very much applies to Hatfield’s central character, June as she navigates the path to self-acceptance and knowing her worth.
As Madison pointed out in the podcast, people-pleasing can end up hurting you in some pretty heartbreaking ways:
“You lose the ability to hear your own voice—or even know it.”
That line hit hard because that is the journey, and sometimes the sacrifice, both on the page and in real life. I’ve felt it myself. And it helps explain why the romance genre thrives. As of 2023, romance novels bring in around $1.44 billion annually.
It’s not just about the sex or the bodice-rippers or the romantasy boom. It’s that so many of these stories and ones I devour regularly, including the one I’m reading now (Carley Fortune’s One Golden Summer), center around women, like June, grappling with agency, freedom, and the cost of choosing themselves, especially when it means letting others down or bringing attention to their needs.
Often, it's within the space of a romantic relationship that these characters confront those patterns and work through their challenges, in the company of a caring partner. That’s the heart of the film, too, and why it resonates.
A Brief Synopsis: You are NOT a Soapdish
I Could Dom [trailer] is a sex comedy short about a self-professed people-pleaser, June (Hatfield), who goes on an S&M (sub-dom) dating app in a bid to prove to her more sexually liberated and demonstrative friends that she can totally dom. The concept stems from a real-life conversation that Hatfield had one day in which she announced, “I could dom,” in a sentence, and thought it sounded funny. From there, she wrote the screenplay in one night.
The film, though wrapped in sharp wit, sex jokes, and strong performances, is ultimately about June’s transformation from someone whose voice is constantly overshadowed by the noise of her friends to someone who finally starts to understand and own what she wants and needs.
Ironically, it’s in performing a role that she is entirely uncomfortable assuming and ill-suited for, a dominatrix, with Jeff, the sub who, despite the stereotype, isn’t a pushover at all, that June starts to find her voice. Jeff is clear about his needs, unashamed to take up space, and that dynamic forces June to stop disappearing into hers. She’s not just a “human soapdish” (a running joke in the film); she’s someone with wants of her own, and, slowly, she starts to believe that she’s worth revealing those needs out loud.
I Could Dom makes the most of its short run time (15 mins) and packs a punch by giving our romantic heroine her earned happy ending. No pun intended. Ok, pun intended. And no spoilers here.
Follow Madison Hatfield & This Movie on Instagram
» Want to watch the film? Follow Madison Hatfield on Instagram for updates.
» Follow I Could Dom on Instagram
Madison’s Steps for People Pleasing Recovery as Expressed via June:
Hear your own voice
Name those wants out loud
Making changes in yourself and your life to better align with your wants and desires
Related BETH RECOMMENDATIONS on Female Self-Acceptance & Navigating Relationships*
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*So yeah, I use the word “self-acceptance” a bit in my titles. I’ve been on here for 4+ years, so redundancy happens. On the flip side, it drives awareness and attention to critical themes.
I had to look up dom. Hehe. It’s also a computer term.
I love getting to know you in your reviews and how you related to the main character of this short.
Please keep us informed about your novel.
There’s a Flight Attendant 2?! We enjoyed season 1.
Love that you brought attention to a short film with a relevant theme especially considering your manuscript.
There was a short film a few years ago called Night Ride that I really enjoyed, you might enjoy its highlighting of someone finding their voice as opposed to continuing to be a passenger in their own life.