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Shining Darkness on Truth: 1on1 with Albert Shin (DISAPPEARANCE ON CLIFTON HILL)

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Written and directed by Albert Shin, Disappearance at Clifton Hill tells the story of Abby (Tuppence Middleton), a pathological liar who returns home only to discover that her family’s motel on Niagara’s famous (and infamous) Clifton Hill has been sold. When a childhood trauma is triggered, she sets out on a quest to uncover the truth of what may (or may not) have happened in her past. Surprisingly, Shin confesses that, despite the film’s dark narrative, the gestation of the film came from his own story.

“A lot of it is inspired by my own personal history,” he recounts. “When my parents first immigrated from Korea, they settled in Niagara Falls and bought a motel, sort of in the shadows of Clifton Hill. [It was] very similar to the motel that’s in the movie so I have a sort of a history with the city itself. Then, on top of that, the prologue of the film where a young Abby sees the kidnapping was actually based on something that I actually saw when I was a kid. (Interestingly enough, we shot it in the very same place where I saw this thing.) It was kind of a surreal thing to do but both the genesis of the idea and the sort of the character of Abby was that, when I was a young boy, I wandered off into the woods and saw something through the bushes. I couldn’t really reconcile [it] and didn’t really understand at the time, but it made me feel uneasy for sure and I repressed it.”

“Then, as I got a little bit older, I would retell the story but, every time I would tell it, the story would become more grandiose. It would just keep mutating and turning into a bigger and more fantastical story. Then, enough time passed where I wasn’t sure what the actual story was and then I started to question if that story even happened at all. Maybe I just made it up, you know. So, that idea of memory and how malleable it is, was sort of the genesis for this character and this pathological liar persona.”

For those who are unaware of Clifton Hill, the popular tourist area that’s best known for its midway featuring numerous haunted mansions, video game centres and wax museums. Situated next to one of the wonders of the world, Niagara Falls, Shin felt that there was an inherent contradiction of the area that would bode well for his noir-ish tale.

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“It’s an interesting town that, in my opinion, hadn’t really been taken advantage of and given the cinematic treatment.,” says Shin. “I thought [that], in terms of a city in Canada, it’s such a unique city that I feel like, of course, a movie can be set here. [We could] really take it for what it’s worth and make the city itself a character in the film. It’s a border town and a tourist town. There is a genuine natural wonder that is incredible [and it’s] right there. But, right beside it, Clifton Hill is something that’s very different. It’s like a representation of everything that’s manmade as opposed to this beautiful thing that is not manmade. I just thought that all these contradictions were an interesting way to deal with a film about contradictions and competing narratives. I thought the thematic elements of it kind of worked to reflect the city and vice versa.”

Given his experience growing up nearby, Shin was excited to offer a spin on the popular tourist area that brought its darker side to life. 

“I grew up in the shadows of Clifton Hill and this was like the old Clifton Hill,” he reminisces. “So, my movie is more of a callback to the less gentrified Clifton Hill. Now, there’s the Boston Pizza and the Ripley’s Believe It or Not [museum]… Obviously, Clifton Hill [and] that area of Niagara Falls has put a lot of emphasis [on] really reinforcing the family-friendly experience. For me, it was interesting to kind of flip that on its head and give it sort of a noir cinematic treatment. So, something that is just a fun house in a haunted house is for fun, [but, if you] kind of twist it just a little bit and make it a little bit seedier, it [becomes] a little bit more sinister. [That] was sort of the idea for how to have fun with the setting, I guess.” 

Anchored by a solid cast that features a number of other veteran talents including Tuppence Middleton (Downton Abbey), Eric Johnson (Fifty Shades of Grey) and Andy McQueen (Jack Ryan), Disappearance at Clifton Hill also boasts one of the most unique casting coups of the year when David Cronenberg signed on to play Walter, a conspiracy theorist podcaster. Having never actually believed that someone as iconic as Cronenberg would sign on to play the role, Shin was ecstatic to hear that he was willing to come onboard to play such a unique character.

“It almost feels like it was written for him,” he explains, “but I wasn’t presumptuous enough to think that I could write a part for David Cronenberg and then he would be in it. It’s one of those things where it was very serendipitous and, for that role, I needed see an actor to bring a certain amount or a certain level of persona to the character… We sent him the script and, within hours, he said he wanted to do it. It was really amazing… I went to his house, sat down at his kitchen and talked to him about the part and, literally within days, I was throwing him in the middle of the Niagara river in his scuba gear. It was a very quick turnaround [and] very surreal. He had a lot of fun with the part and that’s what we needed. I’m really, really thrilled that he was a part of it… I would say he fits the role perfectly, but he just brings it to life is what I really mean to say… There’s obviously a little bit of like a meta aspect to the person that’s playing this character [that] was an extra kind of treat for me.”

With this in mind, the key to Clifton Hill‘s success is Middleton’s performance as the broken investigator, Abby. Playing a pathological liar on a quest for truth, Abby is as flawed as the city itself and, as he designed the character, Shin knew that he had created something special.

“I was trying to make a heroine that was very complex and, in a lot of ways, the most flawed person in this movie,” Shin clarifies. “She’s the hero that’s trying to get to the bottom of the truth but the way she compromises everything to do it is very morally suspect. So, I thought that was an interesting way to play with audience sympathy and also kind of address her mental state as well.”

In the development of the character of Abby, Shin and Middleton worked together to create someone who struggles to grab hold of what’s true as she twists and turns it in her mind. For Shin, this fluctuating understanding of what’s real was part of the appeal of the character and added to the film’s noir sensibilities.

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“I had a lot of conversations with Tuppence in terms of her character and this idea of being a pathological liar and what that means,” he recalls. “[From] the research that she did and the research that I did, it’s an interesting sort of rabbit hole to go [into] because you know, there’s no definitive answer. For somebody that’s always sort of weaving tales for the story to continue to be ongoing is part of the thrill of it, you know? The fact that the story can continue to grow, mutate and continue become something else. [The fact that] it can become bigger or more grandiose is… part of their psychology. [I wanted] to play with that idea [in the] movie where there is so many competing narratives. What is truth? Does the truth even matter [or] does the truth matter to her? It was a way to sort of touch on these topics and think about it without telling the audience exactly what is what.”

With the film’s emphasis on the complexity of memory, Clifton Hill also touches on the complicated relationship between truth and one’s perspective. For Shin, the contrast between multiple aspects to the same truth inevitably arises out of the film’s examination of memory and its flaws.

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“If you kind of go below the subtext of the film, there is a little bit of a comment on [truth] because the film is dealing with memory or one’s perception of truth. Obviously, we’re living in a day and age where truth is very relative so it’s interesting what that perspective means and how there can be two different truths. I thought it was an interesting comment. [The movie’s] not about that, but obviously there is an element of that that the movie is addressing.”

For full audio of our interview with Albert Shin, click here.

Disappearance at Clifton Hill weaves its tale of intrigue in theatres on February 28th, 2020

I Am the Night – TV Noir

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“Some stories you can’t tell. Some stories don’t want to be told. Some stories will eat you alive.”

TNT’s limited series I Am the Night is a large dose of noir for the small screen. It is moody and ominous, but with a certain moral light flickering amidst overwhelming darkness that envelops the story. It is the kind of story that will eat the characters alive. Produced by Patty Jenkins (who also directed three episodes) and Chris Pine (who also stars), it is based on the true story of Fauna Hodel with ties to Los Angeles’s most notorious unsolved murder. Perhaps because I saw the first episode on a big screen during AFIFest, I note a cinematic quality to the series that makes it seem bigger than expected for a TV series.

When sixteen year-old Pat (India Eisley) discovers that her mother (Golden Brooks) has lied to her about where she came from and that her real name is Fauna Hodel, she sets off to L.A. to connect with her “real family”, her mother Tamar Hodel and her grandfather Dr. George Hodel (Jefferson Mays).

At the same time, we meet a washed-up journalist, Jay Singletary (Pine). Singletary is trying to prove himself worthy of a job, but his alcoholism, drug use, and PTSD and moral injury from his time as a Marine in Korea compound to make it hard for him to cope with life. He is haunted by the story that destroyed his career and by the ghosts from his past. Singletary is in many ways a broken man, but he also has an idealistic approach to his job, looking for the truth, even when facing corruption and power. (While the series is “based in real events” as told in Fauna Hodel’s memoir, Jay Singletary is a composite character.)

As the story progresses from week to week, Fauna and Singletary discover that each can help the other in their quests—her for family, him for redemption through the truth that everyone refuses to see. They are not so much partners in their endeavors as two people who use each other to accomplish parallel goals. Yet in the end, what connects them is their survival in the face of monstrous evil.

Set in 1965, we see an LAPD that is corrupt and violent. (This is the year of the Watts riots, which we see briefly later in the story.) The truths that both Fauna and Singletary seek to uncover run afoul of the powers behind the corruption. Those powers are far more concerned with maintaining the way things are than the truth that could tear them apart. Issues of racism, truth, and identity play out over the course of the series.

Noir often sees the world as a place that is generally filled with evil. That is true of I Am the Night. At the end of the first episode we hear a warning about Dr. Hodel. As the story progresses from week to week, he becomes an ominous presence. We quickly see him as creepy, but step by step he becomes the embodiment of darkness that deepens each week. Each episode brings a new revelation and new depravities to keep us involved and a bit off-balance as we await the next installment.

Just as Dr. Hodel keeps darkening, we begin to feel more hopeful for Singletary, who in spite of his many flaws, continues to hold to an ideal of goodness. We may well understand him as a knight in very rusty armor. He is relentless in the face of physical beatings and his own emotional demons grow from his belief that the evil that fills his world must be defeated. It is the goodness that comes from such flawed characters that brings hope into the dark world of noir. Eventually a character can say, “I think there is grace here… if you can find it.” The grace that is to be found in I Am the Night is not warm and fuzzy, but as is often the case in life, the ability to see the small bits of goodness in an evil world.

Stopping TRAFFIK: 1on1 with Deon Taylor (writer/director, TRAFFIK)

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In his latest film, Traffik, writer/director Deon Taylor tells the story of Brea (Paula Patton), a struggling journalist looking for a big story. When she and her boyfriend John (Omar Epps) travel to the mountains for a romantic weekend, they are confronted by a group of men on motorcycles. When they reach their destination, they realize that they have come into the possession of a cell phone which is of vital importance to a group of sex traffickers, which the bikers are desperate to retrieve. Admittedly, Taylor never imagined that he would be involved in bringing a film like this to the screen. However, when a letter from his daughter’s school opened his eyes, he found that the reality of industry was right in front of him..

“I never thought in a million years and then I will be doing a movie called Traffik,” he begins, “especially just as an African American male director. It just probably wasn’t going to be in the cards for me. What happened was that my daughter’s school sent this email to me one day and it said to be careful, dropping your kids off at the local mall because kids are being trafficked there. I was just blown away because you’ve seen it all right? Like, we’ve seen guns. You get letters about everything now. Bomb threats, etc. But that was the first time for me, you know what I mean?”

Stunned by the letter, Taylor began to explore the issue of trafficking more thoroughly. After doing some research, he found that the problem was far more prevalent than he’d once believed.

Roselyn Sanchez, Paula Patton, Laz Alonso and Omar Epps star in Traffik
Photo: Scott Everett White

“Obviously, as a dad, I just was kind of blown away by this,” Taylor insists. “I originally though that it doesn’t apply to us because, well, we’re black and maybe that’s not what’s happening. Then I was blown away, man. I went online and googled it and started looking at trafficking and trafficking in my area and I was just surprised to see hundreds and hundreds of cases, even kids in local communities around me that had been trafficked and escaped. Then, I just kept reading and finding out that this was a much bigger domestic problem that I ever imagined in my life. Here I am thinking that this is an international thing. It’s not about here or that’s not for African American kids [that] what I thought was wrong. 62 percent of African American women are leading the charge of being trafficked domestically, followed by Latinos and underserved markets.”

As a result of his findings, Taylor found that his eyes were quickly opened to the widespread problem to which he had been blissfully unaware.“Everything that I had thought was not what it was supposed to be,” he reiterates. “I was gearing up to write something else and this just stayed with me. It’s the thought of it that haunted me. I became engulfed in reading the headlines based on the true stories about people escaping and didn’t escape and eventually I wrote the film, we did it and here we are. Just like that, in a blink of an eye, every time I watched CNN, I see it on the ticker tape. Every time I’ve watched the local news, it’s there. [And I thought], has it been here this whole time? I just didn’t know? And that’s when it really just kind of grabbed me.”

Though the topic of human trafficking is usually associated with the documentary format, Taylor intentionally sought to do something different with Traffik. A huge fan of the thriller genre, it was his belief that, by utilizing that format for his film, he would be able to educate through entertainment.

Omar Epps and Paula Patton star in Traffik
Photo: Scott Everett White

“I had already been a really big fan of The Vanishing. I just kind of was playing around with the idea [of making a thriller] and I just said I’m going to write this,” he claims. “I’m just going to take the chance to make a movie with this as the backdrop to see if, not only can we create a thriller around it but then at the same time, really figure out a way to educate a younger audience, [especially] African American audiences, or Latino audiences. We can wrap the peel around candy and let them take it this way.”

Nevertheless, Taylor also insists that his use of the thriller format in no way sacrifices his commitment to the realities of the problem.

“What I tried to do on the film was to make the trafficking part is true to form as possible,” he states, “like in terms of how you’re attracting the needles, dirty shot, the transportation, holding people in holding areas, not wanting to speak to anyone in public when you are released. I just tried to find the real beats. I’m really proud of the film, man.“

One of the key elements to the narrative lies in the fact that it presents itself as almost two separate films. By opening the film with the sensibilities of a modern romantic drama, the film eventually veers into the dark and dangerous world below. For Taylor, the key element in bringing this atmosphere lay in his cinematographer, Dante Spinotti.

“The movie was built that way. The idea behind this was a lot of different factors to allow you to feel that [the film splits in two tones]. One was, you know, obviously having Dante Spinotti as our cinematographer, from LA Confidential. He is probably one of the best to ever light anything like, and we wanted to create a world to where the movie when from a fun loving, kind of loose-based thriller into where it turned into what I’m going to [compare to] a car crash.”

Paula Patton stars in Traffik
Photo: Scott Everett White

With an experienced cinematographer like Spinnoti at the helm, Taylor felt confident that they could bring a modern film noir element to the screen. In doing so, he wanted the viewer to feel as though they have fallen into a world that exists in reality yet seems foreign and dangerous.

Says Taylor, “[We wanted] to create a noir thriller. So, we open the movie up with a lot of big vistas, a lot of big greens, beautiful, classic car, you know what I mean? The characters are bold in the frame and it’s beautifully lit all the way to when you get to the pool and the kiss and the making love. [Though,] when the doorbell rings and the girl comes to the door, the entire film from that point on becomes a noir. The forest is lit by headlights from a car. The cabin is lit by a very dim light in the corner of the cabinet, right? It just squishes everything into it and the characters are smaller in frame. The world is vastly tighter. It feels like you’re going on another ride.”

Roselyn Sanchez, Laz Alonso, Paula Patton and Omar Epps star in Traffik
Photo: Scott Everett White

“Have you ever done anything in your life where you have a great day and then something tragic happens, [whether it’s] a car accident, a bad phone call, a death in the family? Everything warps into another world. I thought wouldn’t it be great to actually just pull the carpet from people. The movie is based in and grounded in reality and it would just be great to abruptly turn the page and now you’re in this world and it’s fight or flee.”

Of course, a film with this level of seriousness requires a strong cast. Thankfully, Taylor found the balance between the intelligence and intensity he was looking for in actress Paula Patton for the lead role.

“What I thought Paula did was amazing in the movie,” he responds. “She found a delicate balance where she’s scared out of her mind, but at the same time she’s fighting and she has to figure it out. Ultimately, she does. I don’t know if people will get it or not, but I just love the fact that she beats her with her mind at the end. I felt like [she] fought through so much and now psychologically she beats them, you know? I just thought that was kinda cool.”

To Taylor, one of the most earth-shattering stories came from a woman on their set who had been involved in the industry herself. By listening to her journey, he realized how methodical and dangerous the world of trafficking truly is.

Paula Patton stars in Traffik
Photo: Scott Everett White

“You know, I’ll blow your mind now here…,” he starts. “We had a lady that was on the set with us who was a victim but here’s where it gets more interesting. Not only was she a victim when she was a young black woman but ultimately, she became part of the organization and she began trafficking other people. We found out during this process that this was normal. She said that she’d trafficked kids, mothers, boys, because what better face [to entrap them] than a woman. They can get to another woman or to a boy to a young girl quicker than a man could. I thought that, man, this is the most evil thing I’ve ever heard in my life. “

In light of this, there is a key moment in the film where Paula accuses another woman involved in the trafficking business of being a traitor. For Taylor, this line is more than just snappy dialogue but an accusation of betrayal against her own gender.

“What’s crazy is the psychology of that because, if you’re in a store and your little girl goes missing, [when] you start looking around who are you looking for?,” asks Taylor. “The first thing you’re looking for as a man is a guy escaping, right? You’re not thinking that the random white woman at the counter holding the bag of groceries is conspiring to put together a ring or whatever. So, the ‘traitor’ line was very interesting for us because it’s like she’s a traitor to women or to the gender. We just thought that was a powerful, powerful moment.”

Traffik opens in theatres on April 20th, 2018

For full audio of our interview with Deon, click here.

 

The Whole Truth – Amid a Mountain of Lies

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The opening voice over of The Whole Truth sets the tone of the film. While it sounds very much like an old school detective from film noir, it is actually spoken by Richard Ramsey (Keanu Reeves), a defense attorney who is defending Mike Lassiter (Gabriel Basso) on trial for the murder of his father Boone(Jim Belushi). The biggest problem Ramsey faces is that Mike refuses to talk to him—or anyone else. So Ramsey has to defend the case without Mike’s side of the story.

Ramsey is a Lassiter family friend. He was on the scene nearly as quickly as the police when Mike was found over his father’s body saying “Should have done this years ago”. Or was it “I should have done this years ago”? Boone was a somewhat stern father. It’s not unimaginable that he might have battered Mike and/or Boone’s wife Loretta (Renée Zellweger). But is that enough of a defense? And is that tableau of Mike over Boone’s body really enough evidence of his guilt?

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As the title implies, this is a story about uncovering what really happened. As the trial begins, Ramsey is joined by a colleague (actually the daughter of a former colleague), Janelle (Gugu Mbatha-Raw). Is she there just as window dressing—showing a young African-American woman is on Mike’s side? On their first meeting Ramsey tells her he wants her to be a “bullshit detector” to help him know who is lying. And there are many lies that are being told—by everyone involved. It is Janelle who is really in the dark through the whole process. And it is Janelle who ends up with a moral crisis of what to do when she begins to understand the truth.

The film (as films noir often do) peels back layer after layer of truth and lies. That creates a setting for considering the morality (or lack thereof) of telling the truth in a world that seems to be built on a foundation of falsehood. Can it be that the lies that everyone tells themselves and each other will make it easier to live in the aftermath of what happened, or is a life built on lies bound to undercut the happiness that everyone seems to be looking for. As we slowly discover the “whole truth” of this story, we may find we’re very pessimistic that any good will come out of all these lies.

Photos courtesy of Lionsgate Premiere

The film is now available on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital HD.

Manhattan Night – A Twisted Tale of Twisted People

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Manhattan Night is a trip back into the feel of classic noir. Based on the novel Manhattan Nocturne by Colin Harrison, this film has the hard-nosed, soft-hearted protagonist pulled into a world of twisted characters and a very twisted plot by a femme fatale. He must try to set things right without losing either all that he holds as valuable or his life.

Porter Wren is a columnist for a big newspaper who writes stories about terrible things, but often from a heart-tugging human interest side. Some time back, he made a name for himself by finding a missing girl that the police were unable to find. He has seen so much of the dark side of life that he has developed a cynical façade for protection. He says, “I used to think my stories mattered, but now I hope they make enough to feed my family.” He lives with his wife (Jennifer Beals) and children in a house hidden away from the world. He goes there to shut out all the evil of the streets, but soon that evil follows him there.

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When he meets Caroline Crowley (Yvonne Strahovski) he is immediately struck by her beauty. She asks him to investigate the unsolved death of her husband Simon (Campbell Scott), an eccentric filmmaker whose body was found in a demolished building. (That locked-door mystery is really only secondary to the rest of the plot.) As he gets immersed in the mystery of Simon’s death, he also becomes entangled with Caroline, emotionally and sexually. When his new boss asks him to investigate Caroline, the whole plot begins circling on itself—not unlike classic noir films such as The Maltese Falcon. Each twist in the plot allows us to see more of the twisted lives of the people involved. The depravity deepens scene by scene. Porter may think he is immune from the darkness he is encountering, but how can he not be defiled by it all?

The perversion that grows around him threatens all that he holds dear. In part, that is represented by his secluded home. It is a haven filled with love. It is literally walled off from the outside world. But what if he begins to bring the darkness he is encountering home with him?

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What made Porter so interesting is his belief that he is cynical. Although he tries hard to be, underneath there is a foundation of romanticism and optimism that propels him through the story. He still wants his stories to make a difference. He is in it for more than feeding his family. He has a sense of morality, although he often fails to live up to it. It is because he really isn’t as cynical as he thinks he is that he can be used by the others in the story. He wants to bring harmony to this convoluted situation, but how can that be possible when so many of the people he is dealing with care only for themselves? His supposed cynicism is only a veneer that covers over his vulnerability. Others seem to sense this and take advantage of his nature.

At the heart of this and most noir films is the conflict within human nature. Are we basically good or evil? Porter has seen plenty of the bad things of life to know that terrible things happen—often done by monstrous people. But he has also seen people who have acted heroically and selflessly for others. He wants to be the latter type of person, but when surrounded by the evildoers, how can he stand against them? Is the basic goodness he wants to claim enough to withstand all the world can throw at him? Is ours?

Photos courtesy of Lionsgate Premiere

Tuesday at Newport Beach Film Festival

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It was a dark and moody day at the festival.

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The day opened with Call of the Void a noirish tale of love and madness. Steve is determined to win back the love of his life Veronica yet it seems clear she wants nothing to do with him. In fact, even his therapist tells him he needs to move on with his life. But really this is not so much about the story as it is about the mood. Set in the 1940s with black and white cinematography that emphasizes light and shadows, this creates an eerie environment that sets up the final twist.

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Demimonde is the story of three women—a well-known prostitute who has found a rich patron, her housekeeper, and a new maid—in Budapest in the early 20th Century. The new maid is entranced by the worldliness she encounters. The housekeeper tries to protect the new girl from corruption. The lady of the house seems to see some special promise in the girl. The dynamics of jealousy, virtue, desire, and control all intertwine as the story evolves.

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Fare takes place almost entirely inside a car. Eric drives for a ride-sharing service. We see a few of his fares, and then he gets called to one he can’t believe he’ll be driving—the man with whom his wife is having an affair. As they drive around and he reveals who he is, there is a great deal of animosity exchanged, threats made, and discussion of relationship and marriage. And then his wife gets in the car as well. I really like the discussion and shifting perspectives as they drove around. It kind of fell apart in the final act, however.