BMORECULTURED: Q&A with Craig Zobel director of MFF Selection “Compliance”

This year’s selection “Compliance,” is based off a true story where a manager at a middle American fast food restaurant received a call from a cop accusing an employee of  stealing. The cop said that he was on his way and in the meantime asked the manager to start to search the employee. As time went on the cops instructions became questionable, and the containment of the employee lasted almost 4 hours. “Compliance” raises questions about human nature and compliance.  Here is my interview with director Craig Zobel who will be present for a Q&A which follows the film.

1) The story/stories that “Compliance” is based off of are pretty controversial. What made you decide to make a film about those cases?

When I heard of the multiple real stories from which the film is inspired, I initially found them to be hard to believe. My first instinct was, “Those people must’ve been duped. That’d never happen to me!” Yet days later I realized was still considering the stories, and really reflecting on the fact that this wasn’t an isolated incident—it happened more than 70 times in 30 states over a 10 year period—which means, to me at least, that the incident actually reveals a larger aspect of human nature. And if it was an aspect of human nature I had to really consider whether I was being honest with myself about how “that’d never happen to me.” Some reading of Stanley Milgram’s experiments on behavior and obedience led me to think there was a potentially valuable film that could be made in reflecting on these issues.

2) Your film “Compliance” played Sundance. Can you describe your experience there, how do you think it was received?

The experience was wild. All of us knew that the film raised questions we were curious about, but we were all encouraged that our curiosity translated to a wider audience. Much has been made about it being “dramatically polarizing” at Sundance, which is fascinating as the drama was confined mostly to one screening; I overwhelmingly found people received it in the way I had hoped, and all were passionate to further discuss the film’s themes. And that discussion was the the reason to make it, so it was great. It was one of those things where you’d walk by people on the street and hear them arguing different points of view which I’d previously considered both sides, and it was very humbling and cool in ways I hadn’t anticipated.

3) Were there scenes that were particularly hard to shoot? Knowing the case and how far things went, were there scenes that required a lot of thought on how to not be exploitative?

Yeah, the entire middle section of the film was difficult to shoot. I felt myself and the wonderful actors were always modulating between what would effectively tell the story and not go farther than we were okay with. I actually weighed every decision even down to the gender of each character. We wanted to push the level of audience tension and comfort in the film, but I wasn’t comfortable with ever showing too much visually. The end film is challenging but not gratuitous.

4) How important was it for you to find the right voice for the actor playing the cop?

Great question. Honestly, I watched a lot of hours of the reality show COPS, trying to decide what qualities I was looking for. I came to the conclusion that the only thing I didn’t want to do was cast someone with a voice that “sounds like a cop” because I realized that my expectations of how police officers sound comes mostly from portrayals of police in movies and tv… Cops sound like people. How they assume authority in situations simply with the words they say is what I became more interested in correctly portraying.

5) How do you think the experience of the viewer is different if they are familiar with the case or if they’ve never heard of it?

Both ways of approaching this particular film are equally interesting. I think that people familiar with the case are probably a bit more receptive in the sense that they have likely (hopefully) already had questions and concerns similar to those raised in movie. But I didn’t build the film in a way that you necessarily need to have any prior knowledge.

“Compliance” will screen: 

May 4, 2012 @ 4:30 PM in Charles Theater 1

May 6, 2012 @ 2:30 PM  in Charles Theater 4

BMORECULTURED: Meet Michael Mohan director of the MFF selection, “Save the Date”

For those of you who don’t already know: The Maryland Film Festival is this weekend, kicking off on Thursday night (May 3) and running through Sunday, May 6. One film to check out in this year’s line up is “Save the Date,” starring Lizzy Caplan, Martin Starr, Mark Webber, Alison Brie and Geoffrey Arend. Here is an interview with the films director and co-writer, Michael Mohan.  

1) Your film “Save the Date” is considered a “romantic comedy,” a genre that seems to be highly criticized. What do you think makes for a good romantic comedy?

Okay, so let’s just be real: almost all films in the “romantic comedy” genre are awful. The characters are flimsy, forced to make decisions no human would ever make. Many of them are totally offensive to women, featuring female leads who act as if they’d never be complete without finding the perfect man.

So while “Save the Date” contains both romance and comedy, I struggle with calling it a romantic comedy because I really don’t want it to be lumped in with all these sorts of films I truly hate. If I were forced to compare it to other films, I would say that it’s a dash of “Reality Bites”, a pinch of “Annie Hall”, and a teaspoon of “Walking and Talking.” Three films that are all kinda sorta romantic comedies but also kinda not.

To me what makes a great movie – not just a romcom – are characters that feel like real people. People who talk like I talk. People who act like I act. It sounds so obvious and simple, and yet there are just so few movies I feel like I can personally relate to these days. And that was the goal with “Save the Date” – at the end of 90 minutes, it feels like you’ve hung out with five of your friends.

2) Who are the main characters in your film?

Sarah (Lizzy Caplan) is a stubbornly independent woman who breaks up with her boyfriend Kevin (Geoffrey Arend) after a botched proposal. Kevin’s only flaw is that he loves her unconditionally. Meanwhile, her sister Beth (Alison Brie) is planning her wedding to Andrew (Martin Starr), Kevin’s bandmate. When Sarah quickly enters an intense rebound relationship with Jonathan (Mark Webber), the social dynamic between these friends/siblings is changed and all of the characters beliefs on life and love are put into question.

3) The cast of the film is pretty impressive. How did you get everyone to come together? How important was it for you to have some familiar faces?

In early 2011, the script for “Save the Date” was completed – this happened in conjunction with a short film I directed called “EX-SEX” premiering at Sundance, as well as one of my producers’ films “THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT” getting nominated for oscars. We quickly made a list of our favorite actors and reached out to all of them.

I do want to say, I didn’t cast any of these actors because of their “star power” – I cast them all because they are, simply put, five of the best actors of our generation. In the case of Lizzy Caplan and Alison Brie – the press might focus on what they are wearing to a premiere or something silly like that, but you can just see from their work – they are incredibly hard working, and just so devoted to their craft. That’s what matters.

4) What do you think is important to capture about modern day relationships?

Something my generation is dealing with is that half of our parents’ marriages have crumbled.And as we are entering long-term relationships, we’re dealing with that – this grey cloud hovers over us. As great as our relationships seem right now, there’s really only a 50% chance it’ll work out.

The sisters in “Save the Date” represent two ways we could look at it. For Sarah, Lizzy Caplan’s character, she’s so stubbornly independent, that she doesn’t believe in marriage at all. And while she thinks she’s so open-minded, it actually causes her to be much more guarded and closed. And for Beth, Alison Brie’s character, she’s engaged to be married and overwhelmed in a way that causes her to lose sight of who she is and what’s important to her.

Through these characters, the film explores two things – the first is that love is absolutely terrifying because it forces you to be in your most vulnerable state, but as long as you don’t change who you are, you’ll be fine. And the second is that this notion of “the one” – as if there’s literally only one other person on this planet that’s meant for you – that notion is total bullshit, and we’ll all be happier in our relationships (and our breakups) if we understand this.

It’s a really interesting time right now because I feel like marriage is being redefined by our generation – but as this happens we cannot lose sight of love.

BMORECULTURED: I turned 24 and went to New York City.

This gallery contains 10 photos.

It has been a long time and I’m sorry… But I’m totally back. I want to thank everyone for contacting me to cover their events.  I would appreciate if you give me some sort of introduction as to how you … Continue reading →

“Everything that Rises Must Converge” @ Current Space 3/2

This Friday, (3/2) check out “Everything that Rises Must Converge” at Current Space (421 N. Howard St. Baltimore) from 6-10 p.m.  The exhibition will feature the work of 6 emerging photographers and their connection to their neighborhoods.

Irina Rozovsky

“ The photographers have become ambassadors for their neighborhoods, communicating the stories, feelings and idiosyncrasies that surround them.”

The exhibition will feature the work of Andrew Laumann,  Trevor Powers, RaMell Powers, Joseph Michael Lopez,  Irina Rozovsky and Heyward Hart.

“Everything that Rises Must Converge” was curated by Carl Gunhouse and Ginevra Shay.

11/13 Groundhog Day, 11/17 Wye Oak

Last week was pretty cool. I’ve started an internship with the Maryland Film Festival and I’ve been helping out by selling tickets for screenings. Last week Dan Deacon & Jimmy Joe Roche’s “Gunky’s Basement” presented “Groundhog Day.” I actually hadn’t seen the film and was pleasantly surprised.  What a refreshingly weird/ semi- goofy film. Bill Murray is awesome and gives a great performance.

I also really enjoyed the crowd– sometimes when you see a film it’s quiet– and everyone is focused in a very individualized way, but this audience had  a really unified laughter which made it feel as though we were all in the same living room. If you haven’t been to a Gunky’s Basement film, I’d say go for it. After all it’s only 5 bucks.

my favorite scene:

On Saturday 12/17, I saw Wye Oak at a sold-out show at the Ottobar. They played a mix of songs from “The Knot” and “Civilian,” my personal obsession “I Hope You Die” from their EP My Neighbor/My Creator and a few cover songs. I was really impressed with how hard they played. Maybe I had wrongly stereotyped them as a soft indie rock duo… that they are not. It was very cool to see them as notable Baltimore musicians playing to their hometown audience.  I don’t think any videos have surfaced from this show, but here is a taste of Holy, Holy live.. somewhere else..at some other time!

//Update// Where have I been?

“I shouldn’t have left you without a dope beat to step to.”

Hello Readers,

I want to thank people who have contacted me in recent months to cover their events, openings etc… I’m sorry that I haven’t been the best at getting back to you. I’ve been out of school for over a year now and so I’ve been working on (freaking out about//but not actually applying to jobs) what I should be doing post-graduation. But hey.. so is the rest of my generation! and I’ve missed talking to people about what they do and why they do it. So I’m back.

My only note to people who want me to cover events: if you only send me a press release with no introduction, I’m probably not going to get back to you. A press release with no intro is cold, yo! Anyway. Hope you’ve all been well.

 -KK

Copy Cat Theatre to perform at the BMA

On Saturday October 1, the Copy Cat Theatre will perform at the Baltimore Museum of Art. The performance, “The Queens Game” will start at 9 p.m. The Copy Cat Theatre is one of many b grant recipients from the 2011 B artist awards. Other performers/recipients include Mara Neimanis, Fernando Quijano III, Nelly’s Echo, Justin Sirois, Ellen Cherry and Michelle Antoinette Nelson.

There will also be the exhibition of works by the three Mary Sawyers Baker Prize winners: visual artist, Gary Kachadourian; performance artist, Audrey Chen; and beatboxer and vocal percussionist Shodekeh.