Kitana Kiki Rodriguez and Mya Taylor on 'Tangerine'
Mya Taylor and Kitana Kiki Rodriguez arrive to their interview at the Redbury Hotel full of confidence, and with good reason. The amateur actors have been receiving nothing but praise for their work in Sean Baker's micro-indie Tangerine, in which both Rodriguez and Taylor play prostitutes on the notorious Santa Monica and Highland junction of Los Angeles. With two beautiful and poignant performances, it's hard to believe that this is their first time on screen. Mya Taylor, both in the film and in person, is the quiet leader of the group. She speaks softly and carries herself with poise. Kitana Kiki Rodriguez, on the other hand, is more of the sharp-tongued firecracker, I notice her subtly tap her acrylic nails together while forming her responses. Both women are fiercely strong, there's no denying that, and during our interview they talk about the struggles of being trans women of color, the idea of falling in love, and the one scene they almost didn't shoot. We begin:
As first time actors, were you nervous signing on to this project?
MT: I'm pretty confident in everything that I do, I'm not nervous before interviews of anything... No, you know what? That's a lie.
Laughter
KR: Thank God, 'cause girl! I was gonna be like, 'I don't know about you...'
MT: I just did another movie the week before last and I was nervous not about the performance, but about the voice of the character because she has a very [raises her voice] "distinct voice like this," and I had to talk like that the whole film. I was very nervous because I don't sound like that, my voice is much lower and sexier.
Kiki, is acting what you want to do now?
KR: I did musical theater for one semester in college while majoring in psychology. I've always had an acting bug, but I didn't want to tell anybody about it. [Getting cast in Tangerine] I was like, 'Stuff like this doesn't happen every day.' I didn't believe it. We had filmed the whole movie and got paid and I was like 'Ashton Kutcher is somewhere.'
Laughter
As an Angelino, the locations (Santa Monica & Highland) in the film were perfect.
KR: Yeah, this is the area where some of the transgender community is located and where they might be living. Life really imitates art as far as [the location]. It was as realistic as Sean [Baker, director] could get.
MT: We've been around all of those people for quite some time, so it really wasn't hard to "act like the scenery." It was very important for many reasons. I guess I have to throw this in if you know the stories about transgender street workers– and that's what most of that area consists of– and me personally, I had applied for 186 jobs in one month and I did 26-27 interviews that month, 3 a day. I did not get one job, and I actually caught people discriminating against me just because I'm trans. Not so much because of the way I look of course [coyly smiles], but to see my ID and still see that it says Jeremiah instead of Mya. It leads to a lot of transgender girls doing street work, and that's what I want people to see in this movie. It's very, very serious.
Tangerine is coming at a perfect time, with Orange is the New Black's Laverne Cox and Caitlyn Jenner making major headway in the trans community. What do you want people to feel as they leave the theater?
MT: I want people who are either trans or who can just relate to us, to know that they're not alone.
KR: I want them to get an understanding of the trans community and a small part of who we are, and a realization of what some people go through. Another thing I hope people get from it is if they see something they don't like, they'll change it. It's a blessing to not only be trans but be trans and a minority and have the opportunity to show people a different side of the world, our life from that point of view!
MT: And it's very important for that area. That area is very... iconic! I've seen so many people come and go, fighting for their lives and even a few people get killed. It makes you wonder, 'Why were they out here doing this?' I just told you why.
Do the other people in the film actually work in that area?
MT: Every person that appeared in the film wasn't necessarily a sex worker. We're not even sex workers. But, there were a few, I'm not going to say any names.
What were your thoughts on seeing the completed film?
MT: I thought it was funny.
KR: I thought it was beautifully edited and shot. When you have that much passion, you see why people do the things they do. It really impresses me that people have that much talent.
This was one of the most buzzed-about films at Sundance, did you have any expectations about its success?
MT: Haha, no not at all! I thought I was just going to be doing just a regular project, I had no idea that it was going to be this. [Before I was cast] I was sitting in the courtyard and I saw Sean and Chris Bergoch [co-writer/co-producer] approach many other people other than me and they we being so shady and so mean, I was like, 'Who the... are you?' Then they came over to me and I was very sweet to him because I'm naturally a very sweet person, and I feel like being sweet gets you a long way!
Laughter
And here I am today. Sucks for [the other girls].
The film is an interesting look at love vs lust in Los Angeles...
KR: There's an interesting dynamic of love in the trans community, and when you're in the area surrounding the film, people there have an interesting idea of love. I'm a goodie-goodie two shoes now, but being younger and dealing with love and being trans, I had guys that didn't know what to do. There was gay, straight, but then what do we do with you [trans]? They'd say, 'I don't want to hold your hand, that's too gay. I don't want to kiss you, that's too gay.' I thought that doing "other things" must be love. One day I talked back to myself about what I was doing and thought that didn't sound right. I shouldn't be getting treated that way. I should be getting treated the way they would treat anybody else. That's what changed my mindset and I became the goodie-goodie two shoes I am now. I took out all my piercings, I never had tattoos. [Love] is a weird experience for girls like us.
Can you talk about the final scene? That must have been hard to do.
MT: You guys are so cruel.
Laughter
Sean brought the idea to us and immediately we said no because I don't come out of my 28-inch hair.
KR: We don't come out of our "hair-acture."
MT: Then I thought about it, and knew it would be really, really sweet because she's supposed to be my best friend and she is mine. This [pointing to Kiki] is my bitch. If she fights, I fight, and that's how we have been.
KR: I didn't complain about nothing the whole time until that scene came. [On set ] I wanted everybody to be quiet and nobody to see. But I knew I had to be a trooper. I was so not ready for it, for any of that scene. However, it shows that when people go through any act of unkindness it can bring people back together because there's always that closeness [between friends].
Your characters are so strong throughout all of their hardships. Are there similarities between them and you?
MT: When you're going through everything that these girls are going through in the film, you have to be positive. All the time. I personally had a pretty hard life ever since I was 18 all the way up to 23, and I'm 24 now. I just feel like you have to have fun, you can't let [negativity] get the best of you. All of the personality that's inside the movie is actually how we are. It's just for this interview, you have to present yourself in a certain way, haha.
KR: When people live a certain lifestyle like the girls in the film, full of negativity, you have to have humor. [You don't need anything] but a smile. By being an ostracized person, you have nothing but to make joy out of what you want to do.
For our review of Tangerine, click here.
Director Sean Baker & Writer Chris Bergoch on 'Tangerine'
Sean Baker is no foreigner to the world of independent film, and with his unique thematic interest in marginalized characters and subculture, he is certainly making a name for himself. In his 2012 film Starlet, starring Dree Hemingway as a whimsical porn actress living in the valley, he broached the topic of sexuality and empowerment without judgment. This same approach is seen here in Tangerine, a raw look at a day in the life of trans women trying to make sense of the world. The film not only explores the underbelly of one facet of the Los Angeles nightlife, it cinematically takes on a new-age aesthetic, relying solely on iPhones. During our interview with Baker and co-writer/ co-producer Chris Bergoch, we talk about how they discovered Mya Taylor and Kiki Rodriguez, shooting a feature film on an iPhone, and how the final scene left them emotionally drained. We begin:
Can you talk about why you chose the locations you did?
SB: Well I wanted to stay geographically accurate. I think that stems from [Martin] Scorsese in Taxi Driver... It's just something that, if you know the city, you want audiences who also know the city to appreciate the fact that you did that. We only break [from Los Angeles] one time and that's the... oh I won't even tell you! We were able to get these locations for next to nothing, which was quite a feat. I knew I couldn't make the film if we didn't have Donut Time. Donut Time is such a landmark.
CB: When you see the Donut Time scenes in the film, those are actual customers. We couldn't own it, so we just had to chase after them with release forms.
Were there people saying, 'No way, I don't wanna be in your film'?
SB: They didn't say no way, but they tried to get some dollars out of it.
I thought the bus scene was fantastic.
CB: Do you remember when Dinah [Mickey O’Hagan] falls when they're getting on the bus? That's a real fall. She just kept going with it, she didn't break character.
SB: I thought that she was over at that moment. I couldn't run after her to see if she was ok because the bus took off. I was about to vomit, I saw her hit the ground so hard. I think it was one of our producers on the bus who said, 'I think we're gonna have to go to the hospital.' It was scary.
CB: Yet perfect for the scene.
SB: The first thing Mickey said was, 'You better use that.'
Being first-time actors, were Mya and Kiki nervous on set?
SB: We are using a device that they own themselves. Between takes they would whip out their own smartphones and take selfies, there was no intimidation factor. Usually for first time actors, it takes about a week for them to get over that hump of having a camera in their face. In the past I've seen how seasoned actors usually help coach [novice actors], but in this film, no. From the first day Kiki and Mya were just as professional as everybody else.
A lot of people are calling Tangerine "The movie shot on an iPhone". Is this something you embrace, or would you rather have it be remembered for something else?
CB: It started as a budgetary thing and we didn't make that relatively well-known before Sundance. After people saw the premiere in January and saw the credits, that's when that [iPhone] buzz started. I know our fear at first was that we didn't want to tell people, because it would be read as a gimmick. But it absolutely wasn't. Sean's done five features and I think you were out of favors at that point and we all had an iPhone 5s in our pocket. We did a lot of tests with the Moondog Labs anamorphic adapter and I think that's what convinced Sean.
SB: Yeah that and an app called Filmic Pro which allowed us to shoot 24 fps.
What were you looking for during casting?
SB: I was extremely lucky to find Mya Taylor. Not only is she incredibly talented, but she also had that enthusiasm that I was looking for. She was our passport to that world. The only way to respectfully do that was to collaborate with someone from that world, and that was Mya. Mya was always there– we would meet regularly at the Jack in the Box on Highland and just hear her stories. She would bring people and introduce us regularly. That's how we met Kiki. Kiki came in and sat down next to Mya– Chris and I were sitting across from them in the booth– and we knew, there is our dynamic. The complimented each other and they were funny, and finishing each other's sentences.
Were there moments in the script, just in terms of transgender women, where either one of them said "No, this isn't the way it should go"?
CB: Interestingly enough, after Mya Taylor greeted us with open arms she did have a couple of requests. She wanted us to make it funny, but she also wanted brutal realism which is a very interesting tightrope to walk.
SB: I think saying that to us really dictated the whole style of the movie. They were very much involved in all stages of production, except in post-production, Mya decided that she didn't want to see anything until we had a cut. Kiki would actually come by my apartment. Every time I had 10 minutes cut she would come by and give me her notes.
Can you talk about the final Donut Time scene?
SB: That was one of the only things Chris and I went in to with a vision of [when we set out to make this movie]. We went in there not really knowing what the story was yet, thinking it would take place on one day because of budgetary reasons, and maybe two people were trying to find each other but don't know if this will be a love story or a friendship story or a revenge story, but we do know that all of the characters have to converge at the very end at Donut Time. It is inspired by [director] Mike Leigh (Secrets & Lies, High Hopes).
How did this film leave you upon its completion?
SB: Very emotionally draining. We're focusing on the most vulnerable group of people, I mean they're trans women of color who are sex workers, their lives are not great. They're out there because they have no other choice, dealing with discrimination, hardship, violence. After we walked away and started editing, the weight of it came down.
CB: We had an emotional day when we shot the laundry room scene, the last scene of the film.
SB: They were very brave to do that scene [removing their wigs] and we could only shoot that one time, that was a one take. We had to have PA's in the parking lot making sure nobody could see in to respect their privacy. The bravery that they displayed and also their trust, I couldn't ask for more.
For our interview with actor James Ransone, click here.
Review: 'Amy'
I remember the first time I heard Amy Winehouse. It was 2007 and I was a sophomore in college. I was hanging out in my dorm room in-between classes and jumped on my computer to kill some time. Links to a David Letterman performance flooded the Internet, and upon clicking one of the links I was immediately drawn to this skinny, retro-soul jazz singer in the polka dot dress. "Ladies and Gentlemen, Amy Winehouse," Letterman exclaimed. Then she sang "Rehab." In that moment, it was obvious that this girl was something special, but even then I knew that something wasn't right. I think the world knew too.
Director Asif Kapadia brings Amy Winehouse's infamous reputation and story to the big screen, but this time in Amy's own words. The film relies solely on archival footage, most of which has never been released to the public before, as well as previously unheard songs and extensive voice over interviews with her family, friends, and management team.
It's a heartbreaking watch; as brilliant an artist as she was, her troubled relationships and addictions led her down a dark path of self-destruction that she was unable to escape from.
Her voice is like a fierce wall of sound, evident by her rendition of "Happy Birthday" at 14. All Amy wanted in life was to be a jazz singer, playing in small nightclubs to an intimate group of people. She caught the attention of the jazz community almost immediately with her unforgettable voice and lively personality. She was an authentic artist, writing her own songs and giving in to extreme vulnerability during the songwriting process. The results of her hard work earned her six Grammys and legions of fans around the world.
The signs were there all along, as clear as they could be. Of course this is all in hindsight, which makes watching her rise and fall in the public eye all the more disturbing.
However, Amy didn't want the attention, she just wanted to sing. In 2003 she gave an interview saying that she would never be famous. She seemed relieved at the thought of anonymity, adding, "I couldn't handle fame." How haunting those words seem now.
Kapadia doesn't sugar coat any of Amy's struggles, giving the audience a no holds barred look into the troubled life of an icon. At 9, she had already cut her wrists. When she was 13, she was diagnosed with depression. At 15, she had developed a full-fledged eating disorder, which her mom assured her she would grow out of. She never did. By the time she met Blake Fielder-Civil she was already drinking heavily, having to be wheelbarrowed home many nights, but it was Blake who introduced her to heroine, crack, and cocaine.
Her physical demeanor deteriorates as she becomes more off-course mentally, and watching her change so rapidly in front of our eyes is pretty graphic. As her weight plummets, her hair gets higher and eyeliner gets thicker. The sparkle in her eyes that we see in her early years of singing jazz is gone. What's left is emptiness and sadness, a shell of her former self. Even after her Grammy win for Record of the Year, she admits to a friend, "This is so boring without drugs."
What makes this film great is the level of trust Kapadia is able to reach with everyone involved in the film, therefore giving Amy its unique introspective. The feeling of guilt everyone expresses for how things unfolded is powerful. Looking back, we can spot so many chances for her to turn her life around, if only there was someone strong enough to tell her "No." How could no one have prevented this? The signs were there all along, as clear as they could be. Of course this is all in hindsight, which makes watching her rise and fall in the public eye all the more disturbing.
The reaction in the screening room was unlike anything I have experienced before. I lost count of the number of audible gasps coming from the people around me. The older man sitting next to me was discretely trying to wipe tears from his eyes, but his uncontrollable sniffing gave him away. The room literally shook when she sang, but you could hear a pin drop when she stopped. Fans of the singer or not, it would be hard to leave the theatre without being emotionally moved and distraught when thinking about what could have been.
Amy Winehouse is a once-in-a-generation talent, and this documentary confirms it. The film runs over two hours, but I would have gladly sat for longer. A majority of her music is autobiographical, and after understanding the context of her lyrics and what went on behind the scenes, it will be hard to listen to her songs in the same way. What were once fun radio hits and karaoke choices, "Rehab" and "Back To Black" are just some of the songs that are heartbreaking for me to hear now. However, for as heavy-handed as this film comes across, we are left remembering a brilliant artist. It's been almost 4 years since her untimely death at the age of 27, but with each passing year her musical legacy only continues to grow stronger.
Amy opens this Friday at the ArcLight Hollywood & Landmark Theaters with a national release July 10th.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2yCIwmNuLE
James Ransone on 'Tangerine'
James Ransone is beaming as he walks into our interview at the Redbury Hotel. Probably best known for his character Ziggy Sobotka from Season 2 of The Wire, he exclaims that he is happy to be working again with director and friend, Sean Baker. Looking like a dead ringer for Christian Bale in The Machinist, Ransone takes a seat across from me at the round table. He opens up quickly, explaining how he first met Baker at an animal hospital, his struggle finding work post-Tangerine, and playing the role of another self-proclaimed "shitty asshole" character. We begin:
What were you drawn to in playing 'Chester'?
I can't help but try to play the funny in things, even if it might be wrong. I'm an idiot and will do the fall for the laugh, so I went for anything that I could find funny. Chester is based off of a couple of real people that I met through Sean (Baker, director) when he was doing research for the movie. I just take their mannerisms and amplify them and try to make them a little bit bigger.
Did you stick solely to the script?
No, the way Sean and Chris (Bergroch, writer) work is they make scriptments, about 30-45 pages. We'll have the scene and go over it, and there will be certain lines that we all have to hit to make sure the plot propels itself forward, but then everything else can be an add-on. It's actually a really fun process because it's like writing jokes for standup comedy on the fly, but then you're also trying to do it in the context of a very serious narrative. I only worked on set for 2 or 3 days, and it was so fun to have that freedom of like, "Maybe this joke works!"
When did you first meet Sean, and what keeps you answering his calls?
Haha, right now I can't get a job to save my life! I've been auditioning for 8 months straight and no one's hiring me for anything so, if anyone's calling continuously I'll work for them. Like, "Ok man, what are we doing next? I'll fly myself there, it's totally good."
Laughter
Sean and I met in a really weird way. My dog got hit by a car and Sean's dog was in the animal hospital at the same time. He told me he liked my work from The Wire, he was really sweet about it. Then we started seeing each other at Crunch [Gym] and he told me he was making Starlet. I understand the types of movies Sean is trying to make; the thread across all of them is that they're labor movies, vocations. It's all about the disassociation between people that might otherwise be marginalized because of their vocations and then humanizing them. Just because you have this job doesn't mean that that defines your entire identity. I'm really interested in that personally, not just as an actor.
Your last role with Sean was the "shitty boyfriend".
Yeah! Let's be honest, with Sean I was like, "A shitty asshole again?" At least the reaction from Tangerine is like, "Chester's really likeable." Alright, but I'm still the same shit head I was in Sean's last movie.
Nothing personal.
Sean didn't want me to do the movie at first because it was too much like Starlet. I was working on a play in New York and he asked me for a friend of mine's number to play Chester. My friend never called him back. Sean's like, "Hey so he never called back. Do you mind just showing up...?" Dude!
Did you approach coming to set any differently, being that Tangerine was shot on an iPhone?
It didn't really impact me. I don't care if it's a $30 million movie or a $200,000 movie, if I'm not running the dog– me being the dog– every day, I feel terrible. Sean told me he was going to use iPhones and I was like, "Cool, that's fine." The only thing that I thought about was all of the other luxuries that would be lacking from a closed off set. The Donut Time was technically still open. That's the shit where, I don't care about the phone, but I care about the fact that I'm gonna be saying some line and some meth head is gonna cruise in at 2:30 on a Wednesday demanding a bunch of donuts and ruin my best take.
Were a lot of takes ruined that way?
There were a couple, yeah.
Can you talk about working with Mya and Kiki?
It would be the same as if I worked with anybody else. You do anything long enough, you'll eventually get good at it. They just hadn't done that much before, and there's enough raw stuff there that I didn't think, "Oh great, first time actors." Kiki was really f*cking funny. Really fast. One instance actually made it in the movie, where I was like, "Come on spit it out," and she goes, "I swallowed," and I go, "I set myself up for that one." That was a genuine comeback.
Did you have any idea the reception at Sundance would be what it was?
No, I'm really happy that it's the little engine that could. I'm a really harsh critic of my own work and I'm pretty objective about stuff. I was at Sean's house and he was showing me early cuts of the film and I remember thinking to myself, "This is really good." I usually don't have that reaction. Most times it's like, "F*ck, where's the movie we shot? This is not it!" So, it's not surprising because Sean is really talented. I'm happy that it's doing well but I'm not surprised.
Yana Novikova & Director Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy on 'The Tribe'
This is by far the most interesting and eye-opening press day I have ever attended. Sitting in the shaded back-courtyard of the Cinefamily's Silent Movie Theatre in LA, I'm met by Tracy, an ASL (American Sign Language) interpreter. She introduces me to Connie, who is another interpreter in charge of translating Tracy's ASL into Ukrainian sign language, the language of actress Yana Novikova. It truly does take a village (or a tribe for that matter) to communicate back and forth, but if there is one thing I learned from my experience when watching the all-silent film starring all deaf actors and no subtitles, The Tribe, one doesn't need to speak the language to understand the message. We begin:
Yana Novikova, Anya
I saw The Tribe here at Cinefamily, and it's neat being able to talk to you here as well. Where did you first see the film?
The Cannes Film Festival. There was a huge audience. The whole cast, as well as the director, watched the film together and I was really impressed. We realized it was quite a long film! I was a little bit shy, a little bit embarrassed because the nude scenes seemed so long. During those scenes I was like, "Come on, hurry hurry, let's get through these parts!" I wanted to cover my head and hide under the chair. I really found myself in my work; I was fascinated actually, watching and thinking, "Is that me? That's impossible." Then I was hearing other people talk about my work and how they liked it and when they gave me so much great praise and I was shocked. I wasn't an experienced actor, this is my first experience.
You mention being nervous about being naked in the film, so how do you feel about THE FILM'S POSTER?
When I saw the poster I was like, "Ugh couldn't they have chosen a better image? Why did it have to be from the nude scene?" I was embarrassed, it was a little overwhelming when I saw that.
Laughter
But America is definitely much more conservative. Europe is much more open compared to America. The conservatism of America is much more my style.
If there is one person that you want to see the film, who would that be?
Oh yes! Adèle Exarchopoulos from Blue Is The Warmest Color.
Why Adèle?
I love her nature, she's very confident and very much out there. She's very powerful. I am really drawn to her energy. And not only that, but she's a very beautiful actress.
Did you have another job before landing this film?
I was actually in college, I was studying engineering before the film. I had no acting experience prior, ever. I had taken a little bit of dance and a little bit of miming, but The Tribe was my very first acting experience. I have not had a job before this, ever.
Was Myroslav vocal about any expectations?
We had to rehearse over and over and over again to really get that genuine raw emotion out there. He wanted to see real, authentic facial expressions from the actors. He didn't want us to worry about the cameras being aimed at us. As the cameras were following us during filming, he would say to just take care of ourselves. If we made a mistake during filming, we weren't allowed to let that affect us. He wanted it to look like "real life."
There are a lot of tense scenes in this film, which one did you really enjoy performing?
The one scene where I am with the other female prostitute are in the back of the van and we're getting dressed up to go out to the truck stop area. That dialogue scene is one of my favorites. We had a good chat between the two of us as we were getting our makeup and clothes on. In that scene, my friend didn't have her own makeup with her and I had my makeup bag with me, and so I ended up sharing my makeup with her. We got a little bit messy because we were in the back of the van and it was really bumpy as we were driving along. I tried to put lipstick on her, but it was too messy, so I decided to kiss her to get the lipstick on her lips just right. That was a really funny part and something I really enjoyed filming.
Are you still in contact with the cast?
Right after the filming was completed everyone went back to their own lives, and I haven't really had contact since. That's pretty much normal with professional actors and actresses. They come together, do a project, and then that's it.
Can you describe Myroslav in three words?
He's absolutely brilliant. Serious. Trustworthy. And not only that, he's very brave and strong.
Do you have any plans while you're here in Los Angeles?
Yeah, we're going to Disneyland!
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For our review of The Tribe, click here.
Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy, Director
What is the perfect environment for someone to see this film?
The most important thing is to watch it at a movie theatre. Of course you can watch it later on a DVD, but when you watch it at the cinema it's a very special experience. It's very important to see this film on the big screen. I'm so happy it was able to be screened at Cinefamily.
I asked Yana to describe you in three words, how would you describe her?
She's brave, absolutely. Fantastic. Goal-oriented. Whatever she wants, she just goes for it.
Did you know she was "the one" when she auditioned for the part?
I went to a deaf culture center for casting, and she was there auditioning for the theatre group, not my audition. I was looking for a Marilyn Monroe style girl [for the part] and after she got rejected from the school's theatre group, I asked her to audition for The Tribe. I considered a different [actress], but Yana was really brilliant and very powerful with a very high energy. During the audition I asked people to [show a range of emotions], like love, anger, sadness and crying on cue. When we put Yana in a scene with a partner they were arguing and she was so into it, her skin was covered in goosebumps. We continued on with the auditions after than, but I remembered her.
The abortion scene is getting a lot of attention, what other scenes are equally disturbing to you?
The final scene was like that [abortion scene], it had a serious impact on me.
Since you don't know sign language, was it a challenge connecting to the cast?
No. Sometimes I think we can understand somebody without using any words. We spent a lot of time together, we created our own tribe.
How was the film received in the Ukraine?
People loved the film, but unfortunately it was a huge scandal because it wasn't nominated for an Academy Award. The film was part of socio-political life, there was a lot of intensive media surrounding this scandal.
Did you have any idea that The Tribe would have a this type of impact?
No, definitely not. I just really loved my concept . I've been working on this film for [over 20 years].
The Tribe is being slated as the "film in sign language with no subtitles or voiceovers". What else do you want people to remember this film by?
It is so complicated to do something new and interesting, I don't really know. I think after some time passes by we will know. I'm certain that in the textbooks of Ukrainian cinema they will actually study me [and this film].
Who do you want to see The Tribe?
A lot of people who I was fascinated with actually saw The Tribe and were really happy with it, especially Darren Aronofsky. Unfortunately a lot of people I would want to see the film have already died, so I really hope there is a movie theatre in heaven.
A giant big screen!
Haha, IMAX!
How does it feel to be sitting here, giving interviews for your first feature film in Los Angeles?
I was here last year for the AFI Film Festival, my first time in the United States. I'm so happy, it was a very special experience. I'm flying 10 hours from Paris to Salt Lake City to L.A. and I have terrible jet lag, [but it feels as if I'm in a Hollywood movie]. I'm staying on Hollywood Blvd in the Roosevelt Hotel on the opposite side of the Chinese Theatre, where the Academy Awards took place. The Dolby Theatre is very close and my film screening is in the Chinese Theatre. There are all these famous people, Spiderman is on the street, and I feel like I'm inside a movie [living the dream].
Review: 'The Tribe'
A standout at last year's Cannes Film Festival is the Ukrainian crime drama The Tribe, a film told through non-verbal acting and sign language with no voice overs or subtitles. If that doesn't sound interesting enough, note the fact that the cast is made up of entirely non-professional actors. It is a modern day silent movie with a vibrancy that will leave a lasting impression on those who are willing to experience this unique art film.
Lost souls come together at an insular co-ed Ukrainian boarding school for the deaf, where new student Sergey (Grigoriy Fesenko) quickly learns that in order to hang with the cool kids, he has to prove himself worthy. What begins as harmless high school pranks quickly turn dark as the group expose Sergey to their illegal involvement in truck stop prostitution of fellow classmates and robbery, with the expectation that Sergey is to follow in their footsteps.
As his responsibilities grow within the group, his confidence and attitude change as well, and not necessarily for the better. His love for fellow classmate Anya (Yana Novikova) grows, despite the fact that he is in charge of pimping her out nightly. His feelings begin to cause trouble for the confused teen, and headed towards an existential crisis, he is pushed to the brink of insanity.
It's hard not to become attached to Sergey or Anya, and as the lights come up we are harshly transported back into reality, wishing for a moment longer in their world.
Sergey's coming of age story is a universal concept and familiar theme, but the way in which we experience his plight is unforgettable. The film's writer/ director Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy is nothing short of a cinematic visionary, who states that he has been working on this film for over 20 years. What must have been an extremely difficult film to direct, especially since Slaboshpytskiy is not deaf himself and depended on a sign language interpreter to relay directions to the cast, seems effortless. Everything is intentional, from the run-down dorm rooms to the innocence of the characters themselves. His hard work has definitely paid off ten fold.
Most of the scenes are shot in a one take, making the actors the sole focus. What's more, the lack of dialogue makes the performances feel much more heightened. Our eyes bounce around frame as we are more observant in trying to pinpoint just who our attention should be focused on. If there was any film that fits the criteria of "performance driven," this is it– like an intimate dance between lovers, friends, and enemies.
I can't think of the last movie I went to that left me physically uneasy, and I say that as a compliment. I felt cold sitting in the theater, and I attribute that to the phenomenal production design and overall tone of the film. The icy, barren landscapes of the city does its job in setting up the world in which the kids live in. The film's color reminded me of the Ryan Gosling drama The Place Beyond The Pines– muted, but alive.
The run-down boarding school, the dirty and desolate truck stop, and the hopelessness of the characters drum up emotions of pity while remaining insanely touching and beautiful. It's hard not to become attached to Sergey or Anya, and as the lights come up we are harshly transported back into reality, wishing for a moment longer in their world.
Screening at such festivals like Cannes, Toronto International, Sundance, and AFI among others, The Tribe has been one of the most buzzed-about films of the year. The attention this film is getting is fully justified, and not just for its original use of sign language. At its core, the story is compelling, the performances pull at the heartstrings and the result will resonate with you way past the 132 minutes run time. The Tribe was made for an audience waiting for an authentically beautiful and powerful piece of cinematic art.
The Tribe opens at The Cinefamily on Friday, June 26th until July 2nd.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKD0sMntjWE
Thalente Biyela and Natalie Johns on 'I Am Thalente'
I had the chance to talk exclusively to Thalente Biyela and director Natalie Johns fresh off of Wednesday's announcement that I Am Thalente tied for the Documentary Audience Award at the LA Film Festival. Pretty amazing, especially considering that the film was rejected the first time it was submitted. Just goes to show what type of people both Biyela and Johns are– perseverant, determined, and all around awesome and uplifting people. We begin:
Thalente Biyela
How was last night's premiere?
It was unexplainable, you had to be in it to describe what it felt like. It was a mixture of things, but for the most part it felt good. It was great to see the film unfold into this amazing thing that had been in the works for a very long time. It felt good to see it on the big screen. I didn't go to bed until 3:30 am [last night], my mind was racing. I couldn't go to bed, I was so excited about it.
Can you believe it?
It is still really hard to believe all that has happened in my life, where I am and how far I've come. Obviously it's sinking in, and now I'm trying to live up to it and own it in a way. It's still very fresh. More cool things keep happening, my life keeps changing every day. I keep growing and learning as a person.
What has been one of the best compliments you've received?
Oh I don't know, I think maybe Tony Hawk acknowledging me as a person. Him being one of my biggest fans is like the craziest thing.
What was your first experience with Tony Hawk?
Video games, that was my first ever experience. My best friend Jake from Jersey played video games– I've never been into them– but that was how I found out about him. I didn't know he was an actual person, but then I obviously grew to know that he was. Then when I got to meet him I was like, 'Wow!' I mean, he asked me if he could give me product. It's so cool, man.
Who is your favorite skater now?
Oh no doubt Kenny [Anderson]. Hands down. He's got swag, he's a good human being, a great dad, a great friend. He's not like a typical professional skateboarder. I've learned a lot from him just by being around him. He has a very good, positive energy to him. It's cool to see that he's just a person, and a really perfect one in a way. I'm sure he doesn't feel that way, but I look at him and I'm like 'That's what I want to be like. I want to be like Kenny." Just a humble, down to earth, steezy dude.
Before you met Natalie (Johns, Director), was there anyone who inspired you to keep going?
No there wasn't because I was on the streets doing drugs, doing really bad things. I didn't have anyone to look up to, I just had really messed up people around me. When Tammy came into my life, she changed my whole perspective on life and people. I finally had a feeling of wanting to do something with my life instead of just throwing it away. I started to care more. She was the person I looked up to most.
Have you talked to Tammy (Lee-Smith) about this whole experience?
We face-timed this morning, sucks that she couldn't be here but she's here in spirit. It's cool though, she was happy that it happened and that everything turned out well.
What's the next thing you'd like to accomplish?
I don't have a solid plan, man. I didn't even think I'd be here today, so I don't like planning things out. I never have. I get why people plan things and set goals for themselves, but for me it's never worked out. I want to move forward, definitely. I know I want to share my story and hopefully travel the world and become a professional skater. I do want to try and form another little skate part too... I'm trying to do things for myself now and better my future which I still don't know what that's going to be.
Who do you go out and skate with?
I skate with Kenny a lot. Out of all of the sponsors that I ride for and people I hang with, he's like the only person I skate with a lot. There are a lot of fake people out there, and I don't have time for that. I don't want to pretend to be friends with these guys and go skate with them just to try to fit in. I don't need to fit in. I feel like places, like in LA, people want to fit in so bad that you're going to do whatever it takes to just be with the cool guys. You don't want to be left out, I understand not wanting to be the odd man out, but you do have a choice.
What's your favorite trick?
Switch tre.
Nice! Who has the best switch tre?
Me!
Laughter
What spots do you want to street skate?
Ohh! The loading docks spot in Chinatown. If I could skate anywhere, that would definitely be it.
Knowing that skating is a hard thing to do for a long time, are you pursuing other potential opportunities?
Oh no, skating is what brought me here and what I'm going to do. If something comes along that I like or if I want to branch out to other stuff other than skating, like a more creative thing, then yeah I'd be down for it. But right now I'm focusing on this skating thing. That's what I came here to do. If that doesn't work out then I'll be like, 'Oh maybe I'll try something else,' but [skating] is the only thing that matters to me.
After years of filming, you're sitting here at the LA Film Festival, how do you feel?
Honored, actually. I feel very proud and blessed to be part of something that is going to better some people's lives out there that are in very crappy, unsettled situations. Hopefully [the film] will give them a sense of encouragement and a little bit of hope. Any way that I can help or improve or empower people lives, I'm down to do. Even the slightest thing can go a long way.
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Natalie Johns
How has today been so far?
Good! I think Thalente and I are a little bit exhausted. He looked at me earlier and was like, 'Why are we so tired?'
Last night's screening was incredibly successful.
It was intense! We had such an amazing turnout but trying to get everybody in to the theatre and navigate your way around, it was a lot of chaos but really good. The response was so amazing afterwards.
Were there a lot of professional skaters there?
Rodney Mullen, Nyjah Huston, Tom Asta, Tony Hawk, Kenny Anderson, Ray Barbee. There were also a few people who sponsor Thal there, and a few guys from the skate store.
Did it feel like a "skate video" premiere or a traditional film premiere?
Definitely like a film premiere, it's not a traditional skate film it's a documentary film. It's a human story, a portrait of this young man and his rise out of circumstance. The heart of skateboarding, the passion that he's built his life on comes out in the story. We had a lot of human beings that supported the film there, and then lots of people who bought tickets. It was a general admission audience. Also there were a lot of mother's of the kids from the parks that Thalente skates in. One of the things that was so exciting was Rodney Mullen putting his hand up at the end of the film during the Q & A. Dude! Rodney Mullen said to Thalente something like, 'You represent everything that is good about skateboarding.' I wish I had recorded it and had the exact words.
How is Thalente handling all of this?
Sometimes it's hard for Thalente to see what everyone else sees in him, he's just doing his thing. One of the things I was nervous about during the film was how vulnerable it was, how much of his life I was exposing. Exposing things that other skaters might look down on, like him not street skating. That is something I know he could be criticized for, but his peers didn't criticize him for that because they saw [where he came from]. He lived and stayed in the one place in the world where he felt safe. For seven years, he was at one skatepark. He lived in that skatepark. He didn't go street skating because he's afraid of cops. He used to get woken up by pepper spray, get beaten. He doesn't want to f*ck with the law. He wants to stay safe.
He seems like such a sensitive soul. Was it difficult to get him to open up to you?
I don't know what it was, but he and I bonded right away. For me, the thing I really value in life is when somebody follows through with what they say they're going to do. I just knew instinctively that a lot of people didn't follow through with what they said to Thalente or promised him. So many people had let him down. My #1 goal was to never let him down. He wrote a post this morning that he feels so blessed and loved. I was like, 'Yes!' That's all you want someone to feel, loved.
Could you relate to Thalente's story?
I grew up in South Africa, very middle class. The thing that bothered me, for as far back as I can remember, is the disparity. Why did some people have so little and others had so much? I didn't understand that. In South Africa, the disparity between rich and poor is huge. It's incredibly sad. When I was a child, I couldn't understand it. I used to have nightmares about this stuff as a kid.
I'm sure getting into the LAFF was a big relief, all of your hard work didn't go unnoticed.
So I got rejected first. I got a Tribeca rejection and then I got this rejection and I was mortified. I was like, 'How can you reject this story?' This, I think, is important for other filmmakers to know. I had a cut ready by the end of December, and I was so deep in it, I couldn't see the woods for the trees. I had all the parts to the story there, all of the information was there and I thought it was good enough to submit. I hadn't looked at it since December, so when I got the second rejection from LA Film Fest, I thought, 'Wait, wait, wait. Something's wrong with the film.' I called one of the producers and asked if they could sit down and watch it with me. I had to go back to the drawing board. I had a 4 month break from submitting it to watching it again with fresh eyes, and I could see everything that was wrong and I was able to re-edit for another month and a half. I feel like now, this is exactly what I wanted to say with the film.
For our review of I Am Thalente, click here.
The Cast of 'Band of Robbers'
A modern-day retelling of Mark Twain’s iconic characters Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, Band of Robbers is a comedic adventure that reimagines the characters as grown men, and small-time crooks. Having its World Premiere at the LA Film Festival on Saturday, June 13th, we got the chance to talk exclusively to the cast right before the screening. We begin:
Matthew Gray Gubler ("Joe Harper")
WHAT CAN YOU TELL ME ABOUT JOE HARPER?
Joe Harper is... I have to say he's the most enigmatic character I've ever played. He's lovable on the outside but, Adam and Aaron and I discussed, he's sort of a strange psychopath who really is excited about being a pirate and would probably die for Tom Sawyer. A very loyal madman who's honored to be part of the gang.
IS THIS WHAT DREW YOU TO THE MOVIE?
Adam and Aaron drew me to it, I've known them for a very long time, and I truly think they're some of the most talented people I've ever met in my life. I've been hearing about this project for years.
CAN YOU RELATE TO TWAIN'S CHARACTERS?
I played Huckleberry Finn when I was 10 in a local play and of course I loved it. Twain is like the grandfather of wit, and he looks great in a white suit. It takes a lot of confidence to wear a white suit, because basically you're saying you have faith that you're not going to spill things all over you. I'm a fan of his outfits and a fan of his writing. And his hair. Great hair. I think one of the things about the script and really the whole filmmaking team is I feel like we're all, for better or worse, children at heart. This story and the themes of being trapped in boyhood and trying to function in a normal world ring very true with all of us and I think that's why the movie is so special.
Kyle Gallner ("Huck Finn")
HOW ARE YOU FEELING RIGHT NOW?
Very uncomfortable after all of those pictures, but I'm feeling much better now.
CAN YOU TELL ME A LITTLE ABOUT THE MOVIE?
It's an imagining of what would happen if Tom Saywer and Huckleberry Finn grew up, but in modern times. It's weirdly kind of like a love story between the two of these guys, it's a nice story about their relationship. They're both at different places in their lives, doing different things, and they're not kids anymore. It's about what happens when you grow up.
COULD YOU RELATE TO THAT PERSONALLY, THE IDEA OF WANTING TO HOLD ONTO CHILDHOOD?
I did, but then life moved very quickly for me where I had kid, then I had a second kid, and my wife... it all came along very, very quick. I was always a little bit of a wild child and never really wanted to grow up and did try to fight against growing up for a long time but now that you're here, it's nice. That journey into being a grown-up is a nice one.
Creed Bratton ("Dobbins")
SO NICE TO MEET YOU!
Great to meet you too!
Fan Girl: Can I get a selfie with you Creed? I love you!
For God's sake woman...
Takes selfie
I'M SURE THAT HAPPENS ALL THE TIME, RIGHT?
Well [The Office] is playing re-runs so that's good. When it stops I'll get worried.
WHAT DREW YOU TO BAND OF ROBBERS?
I read the script and loved it. It's smart and it's funny. I read for another character and didn't hear about it for a few days and thought, 'What the?' I really wanted it. Then I heard that the directors liked what I did so they took two characters and combined it into this character Dobbins, so I get to play a bad guy. That was great fun.
WOULD YOU SAY YOUR CHILDHOOD WAS LIKE A MARK TWAIN NOVEL?
I grew up in the mountains right below Yosemite in a very rural area, with a horse. I never went looking for Indian's gold, didn't find buried treasure, but I came close.
Adam ("Tom Sawyer", Director) and Aaron Nee (Director)
TELL US THE SECRET FOR SUCCESSFULLY WORKING TOGETHER AS SIBLINGS?
Adam: We have been doing it for so long. Aaron's three years older, and it was impossible [working together] for a while, but once I hit like 17 he started to think I wasn't such a numbskull and thought I had some good ideas. That's when we really hit the ground running. Honestly, our personalities are very different and I feel like my weaknesses are Aaron's strengths and vice versa and I think that's the real key for us.
HOW DID YOU GET THE IDEA TO WRITE THIS STORY?
Adam: When I was starting out, I was an actor in New York City and I auditioned for an Adventures of Huckleberry Finn adaptation, a verbatim, by the books period piece, so Huck was like a 13/14-years-old but I was like 21-years-old. I was embarrassingly too old for the part and the audition was terrible. I left laughing at how embarrassing it was, but then thinking, 'Hey, what if they were grown up? What would that actually mean?' Then Aaron came on and helped me figure it out, then we wrote this thing and that's how it all started.
SO WHEN ADAM IS ACTING, IS AARON DIRECTING?
Aaron: Yeah I may have more of an active director role, but because we wrote the film together a lot of the decision-making happened back then. Once we were on set, I knew what Adam wanted, he knew what I wanted and we had worked most of that stuff out. It became more just making sure that stuff was happening.
HOW DID YOU ASSEMBLE YOUR SUPPORTING CAST?
Adam: It was tough casting because these are very difficult parts. We didn't want it to be stereotypes of these famous characters, so it was very hard for people to nail it. When Kyle Gallner came in, it was like, 'Oh that's Huckleberry Finn.' It was so obvious. And then when Melissa Benoist auditioned for Becky, it was so obvious. We got really lucky. I wasn't going to play Tom Sawyer, we just couldn't find anybody and it ended up happening last minute!
Aaron: We saw a lot of talented people who auditioned for Tom Sawyer but I think in part because this was an idea that has been ruminating for a long time, over the course of working that character out it because very much Adam's voice.
Adam: And I knew the directors really well and that helped me get the part.
Beth Grant ("Widow Douglas")
WE WERE JUST TALKING TO THE NEE BROTHERS ABOUT WORKING TOGETHER AS SIBLINGS.
Let me tell you, I'm really close with my brother Bubba. People laugh and say, 'You have a brother named Bubba? Really?' I'm like, 'I'm from the South, of course I've got a brother named Bubba!'
HOW DID YOU GET ATTACHED TO THIS PROJECT?
Matthew Gray Grubler drew me. I had worked with him before, he directed me on Criminal Minds, and I just love him. We've remained friends and have been looking for projects to do together. He called and asked me to do it, and Widow Douglas is an iconic character. I grew up reading the Mark Twain books and so to recreate an icon is always exciting.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR CHARACTER?
Pretty much me if I had stayed in the South. A lot of times I do extreme characters, but honestly this is one of the few chances I've had to really play pretty close to me. It's just a little cameo, a little fun thing, but we'll see tonight! I just tried to be present and in the moment. They guys are all really authentic and it really felt like in this movie we were all playing really close to ourselves. Wait till you see it! Matthew's outfit alone is pretty crazy.
HOW IS IT BEING HERE AT THE LA FILM FESTIVAL?
It's one of my favorite festivals because it's at home and you can invite all of your friends. They have a really eclectic taste and I love that this film was shot in Los Angeles and the festival is really trying to encourage filmmaking in LA. Being shot 100% in LA, including local actors and crew, this is the perfect place for Band of Robbers to be.
Melissa Benoist ("Becky Thatcher")
WHO IS YOUR CHARACTER IN THE FILM?
I play Becky Thatcher, the Becky Thatcher of Tom Sawyer fame. She's basically the moral compass surrounded by a bunch of crazy dudes that are just messing everything up around her.
ARE YOU EXCITED ABOUT TONIGHT'S PREMIERE?
Oh yes, I haven't seen much of it and I've been excited to see it since I worked on it!
Stephen Lang ("Injun Joe")
WHO IS YOUR CHARACTER IN THE FILM?
I play Injun Joe who is not a Native American, but he's just obsessed with their culture. He's a hard, cold-blooded individual.
DID THAT INVOLVE HEAVY MAKEUP OR EXTENSIVE COSTUMES?
I really wanted to find the right look for the guy so we did a number on him. I'm a character actor, not only at heart but in fact, and I really like transforming. This seemed like the perfect role to do that with. I did a number with my hair and nose as well which was pretty fun and easy to do. I think I rendered myself almost unrecognizable.
WAS THE CHANCE TO EXPLORE A CHARACTER LIKE THIS WHAT DREW YOU TO THE FILM?
Absolutely. This is one that my son Noah, who is one of the producers, said I had to do. Now, if I had read it and just couldn't see it I would've passed, but he was dead right. It's not a big role, but it's a juicy little thing and it allows me to do something I haven't done before. I was glad to do it.