Where did the inspiration for this film come from?
This is part of a larger proposed feature about a mosaic of characters dealing with various types of alienation over the course of one night. The child actor character was a late addition to the script; I knew something was missing, and then my buddy Frank (Mosley) came to town to shoot his (amazing) short film, “Parthenon.” And I vaguely wanted to make something about a former child actor; I’m pretty fascinated by them, they’re often such tragic figures who exist, in the public eye, as walking punchlines. Anyway, hanging out with Frank after his shoot, tossing over this child actor character, and being in a rough spot with this feature script—and then everything kinda clicked.
Who are your top influences?
In terms of big director names, I especially draw from Reichardt, Lynch, Ming-Liang, Weerasethakul, Akerman, Costa, and some good ol’ P.T. Anderson. In general, though, it’s films that take risks and have beating hearts at their center. That said, I also want to keep beating the drum for “Loren Cass,” by Chris Fuller. It’s such a masterpiece of mood, and it pulls off some really challenging stuff I haven’t seen in films before (for one thing, it has the best scene ever shot during a Leftover Crack concert–worth checking out on YouTube!)