00:00This is Tim Wasper from Festtrek Concert TV.
00:28I'm here at the Regal Cinemas Union Square in New York City for Dances with Films New York.
00:33I love movies that take place within like a compressed amount of time.
00:37You know what I mean?
00:38Like over a weekend or a few days like Lost in Translation or Days and Confused.
00:42Movies like that.
00:43So that was the structure I wanted to go with.
00:45I know I wanted to have some sort of compressed amount of time where these two characters would come.
00:51They'd meet each other.
00:52They would learn about each other.
00:53They'd fight.
00:54They'd laugh.
00:55They'd do all these things.
00:56So going with that, I kind of wanted the tone I was trying to set was like, I mean, there's grief definitely involved, but I didn't want it to be so heavy.
01:05Like I wanted to feel like like just a little bit of an adventure almost.
01:10But like you're talking about real things, but you're also kind of it's almost like a great night out in New York.
01:15You know, sometimes you have those nights where you just you don't know where it's going.
01:18And then it just keeps going and you end up in different places and have those nights and having different conversations.
01:24And it's yeah, same here.
01:27I know.
01:27But there's something sort of romantic, even though this isn't a romance.
01:30Like there's something romantic about those kind of nights where you're just hanging and you're getting to know people and you're just learning about people in, you know, really short amount of time.
01:40And so, you know, of course, there's a lot, like I said, grief, identity, authenticity, all those things.
01:45So I was just trying to strike a balance between hitting all those topics, but not keeping it too heavy and trying to trying to have this more like a fun hang.
01:53I don't know.
02:23Like, you know, she's his wingman and it's so he doesn't quite understand it.
02:29Yes.
02:30Yes.
02:30Could you talk about characterization?
02:32Obviously opposites are more interesting, like, you know, when they collide kind of the two of the different companies.
02:37So I wanted to make those contrasts really clear.
02:41And I just love those relationships, like where you're just talking shit to each other and you're you're calling each other out, even though you might not know each other that well, but that you feel open enough to.
02:50And I think Alice is kind of that's just who she is.
02:53Yeah.
02:53And obviously Peter is a little more reserved, but he's, you know, she's just jabbing at him, jabbing him.
02:58Like you said, like a brother or sister almost.
03:00But those to me are the most interesting relationships.
03:04Like, obviously this wouldn't work if they got along great and everything was fine.
03:08So like, like there had to be some friction there.
03:10So that's what I was trying to go for is some tension in that, that relationship.
03:21Bye.
03:21If you teach me more about your weird side, Avi, it's not a hobby.
03:25It's just a completely normal thing that people do.
03:27Hey, everyone.
03:29Don't ask that guy to take your photo.
03:31He's a perv.
03:32It's a battle.
03:34Yeah, it definitely is.
03:36And that's, that's a compliment.
03:37Yeah, no, no, no.
03:38I know.
03:39Yeah, yeah, yeah.
03:40I know.
03:41I know Alice.
03:42And I know she just comes bulldozing in and doesn't stop.
03:45But in finding that energy, I feel like when I was studying the character and when I read
03:51the script front to back, I loved it.
03:52It was amazing.
03:54But in understanding the character, I kind of was trying to figure out why she was so energetic
04:00and where it was coming from.
04:02And at the end of the day, I think that I would, I always described Alice as some sort,
04:06like you said, freight train, I would say like a firecracker.
04:09Yeah.
04:09And she just comes in and she's kind of like, I feel like trying to overcompensate in some
04:15ways because she does have that delicacy to her that you see later on in the film because
04:19she's dealing with her own personal things.
04:22So I think that, yes, that is her personality and she is very like energetic and like an extrovert.
04:30But I think she does it a little bit to overcompensate for her own insecurities or stuff that she is
04:35afraid to share in a way as well.
04:38But I think that's also a very human experience is finding that balance between like being
04:43super energetic and loving towards your friends and families.
04:45But then like, like every human, everyone also goes through their own troubles.
04:49And I think it was just finding that balance between those two emotions.
04:53What if, just hear me out.
04:55What if we share the apartment just for the weekend?
04:57Share?
04:58I won't touch anything that looks important.
05:00I'll be like a ghost, a very considerate purple haired ghost who is excellent at ordering
05:04takeout.
05:05We don't even know each other.
05:07Open book.
05:07Ask me anything.
05:08Blood type, B positive.
05:10Criminal record, clean.
05:12Except for that one time I borrowed my roommate's cat, but those charges were dropped.
05:17There, a smile.
05:18That's a yes in every culture.
05:20Temporary roommates?
05:21Aren't you at all concerned about me?
05:23Like, you don't even know my name.
05:25Oh, let me guess.
05:26Uh, Todd.
05:27No, Scott.
05:28Yeah, you have very chill Scott energy.
05:30Peter.
05:31Oh, okay.
05:32Peters are great.
05:33Very reliable.
05:34Like a Honda Civic.
05:35I tend to, when I'm approaching any characters, I tend to be a very physical actor.
05:40What that means is, you know, how does this character like physically walk through life?
05:45And by, by kind of like, even all of us have a certain way that we walk, a certain way that we run, or a certain way that we, you know, sit down.
05:54And that kind of informs the character's point of view on everything.
05:58And in the end, um, I think what was most important was, I kind of had to trust Walter.
06:04Like, some part of Peter was naturally me.
06:07So, despite all the homework, when the camera turned on, uh, to just like, let the homework go.
06:13And just really be truthful in every moment.
06:14And, yeah, whatever the moment brought, that's what the camera captured.
06:19And we joke that they're, they really are their characters.
06:23So, we kind of found that out, that they are really, I mean, they're great actors, too.
06:27But they are kind of their characters, in a way, in real life.
06:30They're both, I mean, you know, they're both kind of hiding, right?
06:33They're both kind of hiding in their own way.
06:34Like, Alice is not really true about who she is to her parents.
06:38And, you know, um, Peter is kind of, you know, there's another side to Peter that is just not coming out.
06:45But it's there.
06:46So, I think it's there.
06:47So, I think they, their, the idea was that they're bringing this out of each other.
06:51You know what I mean?
06:52Which is, which is, that's how these relationships work, you know?
06:55Like, whether it's uncomfortable or, you know, not always nice, but it's truthful.
07:01And I think that's the hard part, is being true to yourself, really.
07:04I like faces.
07:05People like to rip on selfies, but I think that they're serving a greater purpose in life.
07:09They're documenting feelings of confidence, vulnerability, and joy.
07:13It's like a visual diary of humanity's emotional state.
07:18Every peace sign, every duck face, every forced smile, it's all data about who we are as a culture.
07:25Like, right now, your face is telling me that you are a secret narcissist.
07:30Narcissist?
07:30How else would you define your need to impose yourself in random people's phones?
07:34We spent a lot of time walking around New York, just, you know, up and down every street in Chinatown,
07:40up and down all the streets, like, down in, you know, lower Manhattan.
07:44And it was a lot of actual footwork to find these locations.
07:49And then it was also a little bit of relying on friends who have, like, you know, beautiful homes in the Hamptons and who are willing to let us work there.
07:58But it was, you know, it was, it was, like, sort of logical logistics, if that makes sense.
08:04It was just like, okay, well, let's shoot all of Chinatown this day, and we can just sort of try to line things up in a way that made the most sense.
08:11Talk about the apartment lobes, how it was already dressed and, like, you know, lovely.
08:17Oh, yes.
08:18Was it like that?
08:19Yes.
08:20We found it on, what was the, Pier Space.
08:22We found it on Pier Space.
08:23And, like, that was one of those moments, almost like the same thing as, like, when we watched their audition tapes,
08:30where we were just like, oh, thank God, we actually found it.
08:32Like, we, you know, walked through that space, and it was so clearly artistically set up in a, like, really interesting way that it made you feel, you know, Julie, his sister's presence already.
08:43And you could feel that Alice would inherit, would, you know, thrive in that space, too.
08:47But we, I mean, it's like that, that version of hard work, good luck.
08:52Like, we looked a lot.
08:53And then once we found stuff, we just like, oh, my God, yes, here we go.
08:56Thank God.
08:57Praying.
08:58Plus, it's probably the most interesting photo these people have on their phones.
09:01And an ego test.
09:02These tours probably think it's funny that I do this.
09:05Postal elite.
09:06The picture's really starting to come into frame.
09:08Great.
09:09Here I thought you were going to be spending all weekend packing boxes.
09:12This is way more interesting.
09:15See ya.
09:16Ah, yes, I see a very confused French couple over there that needs their photo taken.
09:21Hey, everyone, don't ask that guy to take your photo.
09:24He's a perv.
09:27It's funny you say before sunrise, because that's, I call this an Asian-American before sunrise.
09:31I mean, that's being generous to the movie.
09:34Like, you know, but I wish it was.
09:36But in spirit, that's what this is.
09:38So that's why I wanted to capture some of that, too.
09:40It's, you know, the whole movie is two people talking, right?
09:43Yeah.
09:43And so I remember talking, working with them early on and saying, you know, I want you
09:47to be able to, like, talk over each other or just to be natural.
09:50Like, it doesn't, it's not like read a line, read a line, read a line.
09:53It's like you have to.
09:53But luckily, they, again, it comes back to those two really meshing well together and
09:58really finding the right energy to bounce off each other and to play off each other.
10:04So, yeah, it came naturally to these guys, really, as far as the cadence and how they
10:11spoke.
10:28So, yeah.
10:36So, yeah.
