Uncontrollable circumstances can quickly change life’s trajectory. It was through the eyes of an abandoned child forced to deal with the abrupt change of normalcy, that I became curious to explore how, when tragedy strikes, a young teenager finds the strength needed to rebuild. Grief often manifests into anger, but that anger is always just a mask for the hurt, clouding the good judgment to help us find the hope, compassion, and most importantly, forgiveness needed to heal. Our ensemble cast got to use their incredible talent to become these characters, each with their own culpability in their fractured families, to forgive themselves and others close to them.
TERRE WEISMAN
WRITER/DIRECTOR, MAX DAGAN
THE INSPIRATION
This script was birthed out of my deep love of music and my unrealized dream of being as talented a guitar player as Max Dagan. Through that exploration, I became intrigued not only at the idea of how your talent can better your circumstances, but how it can truly save you. Subconsciously, I wrote a little piece of myself in Max, albeit a more exaggerated version for the screen. And similarly to Max, my brother and I were raised by a single father and our maternal grandparent. Street smarts, independence, and maturity were all inspirational parallels.
WRITING AND DIRECTING
Marrying the script to the budget, without compromising the story, was a monumental feat. A notable area was the location count. We just didn’t have the time or resources to utilize every location I had on the page, so the task of deleting or, ideally, combining scenes was daunting to say the least. Preserving the ownership I felt towards every page and how it worked with the story as a whole. I’m proud to say that I lessened the locations from a budget-choking 27 to a manageable 16.
As the director, casting is always an exhilarating but nerve-racking part of the process. I wanted to be true to myself in who I saw these characters to be and who would be the best fit for each role. A prime example of that was Michael Madsen. I wanted Michael badly. I’ve loved his filmography and knew he would be perfect for the character of Dan Clancy. Michael had a villainous trait that only Michael could portray. He had read the script and then we met. It was there that Michael spent 30 minutes pitching his desire to play a different role - one sweeter and more nurturing. Though there was no question he could pull off that role, as I believe he could with just about any role, I knew in my heart I had found my villain and, at the risk of losing Michael altogether, I spent the next 30 minutes pitching him on the merits of the villain. Thankfully, he was convinced, graciously accepted the role, and knocked it out of the park. The lesson - stick to your guns and be true to your vision.
