“Parachute” Trailer: See Brittany Snow's 'Unwaveringly Honest,' Romantic Directorial Debut (Exclusive)

Writer-director Brittany Snow says she wanted to "make a film about an altruistic type of love"

Brittany Snow worked behind the camera to bring a personal new story to life.

PEOPLE has the exclusive first trailer for Parachute, the directorial debut of actress Snow, who also co-wrote it with Becca Gleason.

Yellowjackets star Courtney Eaton plays Riley, a "fun and energetic young woman who struggles with an eating disorder and body image issues," according to a synopsis.

Enter Ethan (Thomas Mann), a "once-promising musician in the end of his 20s," who hits it off with Riley.

"To Ethan, all of Riley’s flaws are beautiful, and he wants to help her see herself the way he does. ... Their relationship is a balancing act between their love for each other and their combustible personal issues. But they truly feel like soulmates and the world makes sense only when they take it on together."

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The cast also includes Gina Rodriguez, Dave Bautista, Joel McHale, Francesca Reale and Scott Mescudi (a.k.a. Kid Cudi).

Snow, 37, tells PEOPLE she wanted to "make a film about an altruistic type of love, trying to love someone hard enough to get them to love themselves."

"We often glamorize romantic stories without looking into the nuances our personal struggles bring into a relationship," says the Pitch Perfect alum. "This film is about codependency in all sorts of ways and how it can be helpful, painful, hindering and romantic."

The star explains that she wrote the movie "with the intention of being unwaveringly honest with myself and others."

Through collaboration, "Everyone had a personal experience they brought to the table, and it was fulfilling to intertwine those individual experiences within the story. It became so many people’s movie, and that’s exactly what I wanted."

The film had its world premiere at the 2023 South by Southwest Film & TV Festival, where Snow won the Thunderbird Rising Special Award, and Eaton won the Special Jury Award for Performance.

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Snow says she hopes the movie provides "words or feelings put to something they may not have understood before."

"We are all using parachutes in a way, to soften the fall of being with ourselves," she says. "These characters use each other for food, social media, podcasts and alcohol. But we all are just trying to feel okay with being within ourselves."

Adds Snow, "I hope this movie makes sense of that feeling and helps anyone feel less alone."

Parachute is in select theaters April 5.

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