Indie Interviews #9: Tom Mattera & David Mazzoni
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FC: The world that is Jack’s world seems a bit disjointed to say the least. Things move without being moved by hand. The phone moves. There are clocks and trains that appear from nowhere. What was your intention with that, number one? And were there any smaller details that the viewer may have missed as the world changes?
DM: Just to put the disclaimer out. This piece is so open to interpretation that...to us it could mean something that is totally different than what it means to the viewer. As far as the deterioration of his apartment, to see how it starts out clean and then ends up cluttered, that’s just to show him really delving into this scientific theory and really showing it and going for it, so to speak. As he became engulfed in it, it really took over his world.
TM: We made this choice at the beginning, when we started making the film. One thing that we all agreed on was that we were going to go for this kind of expressionistic direction rather than having to justify everything. As far as the lighting goes, the source lighting, it doesn’t have to really make sense that there is a light coming from a certain spot. We went for more of an expressionistic feel. And that’s the same for a lot of the objects in the apartment. One way you can see it is that it is a representation of what is in Jack’s head, his state of mind. You can also take it literally too. You can take it either way.

FC: On Jack. What were you looking for when you cast Jack? What made you cast the person you did finally?
TM: The main thing is that we were looking for someone who had to understand the character. Jack is a lonely person, very introverted, and in order to play a role like that you have to understand the character. There’s also a look involved, you know. Louis (Morabito) was exactly how we described Jack in the script. It was crazy when he came to the set. He was even dressed as the part.
DM: With the casting session, it was just amazing. We had gone through four sessions and a total of about 15 or 20 potential Jacks. We were starting to get a little worried, we were kind of exhausting the talent in the area, in Philly. Louis, when he walked in, it was amazing. Before he even spoke I just knew this is our guy. When he read for it, he hit it right on. The mannerisms were right on. The beauty of his performance was the subtlety. Everything was in his eyes. There was so much more. And the camera just loves him.
TM: And that’s so important in this film for Jack. He has the least amount of dialogue of anyone in the film, even the characters that are in it for just a couple scenes. He had to play it out in a subtle way; everything had to play out in his eyes.
DM: It’s a very challenging role. When we spoke to Louis he understood to really pull it off he had to play against everything. This world that we set up is really bizarre, but you never get that from Jack. As an audience you can look at it and say this place is whacked, but his performance, it was just so normal to him, that’s why I think he was so effective.
TM: He always took it with an approach to say that it is just a matter of fact, when he is just walking by or wherever he is at.

Indie Interviews #9: Tom Mattera & David Mazzoni...continues here