“Cinema Is Constructed” | Philip Thompson, Living Reality
A tonal shift occurs inside the world of an American sitcom resulting in the disruption of the show’s rhythm. As it evolves, a looming presence of banality casts a shadow on the show’s bright lights and bubbly personalities.
Screening at the Music Box Theatre on Saturday, May 3, as part of “CFCA Shorts Program #1” within this year’s Chicago Critics Film Festival, Living Reality is an emotional exploration of television and the effects it has on its audience, from filmmaker Philip Thompson, who will be in attendance for a post-film Q&A.
Ahead of Living Reality screening within the shorts program, Thompson graciously took the time to answer this year’s CCFF filmmaker questionnaire. Below, his individual responses.
How did you first become interested in filmmaking? What was your path toward directing your first film?
I knew I wanted to make movies since I was very little. I would steal my mom’s DSLR and make movies on Windows Movie Maker. It was basically always what I wanted to do. Eventually I went to film school and kept making films. I’m not sure if there was a path per se. But this film is the first film I made after graduating from undergrad film school.
What inspired you to make the film you're bringing to the festival?
I wanted to make something about people on a TV show being psychologically influenced by the things and people they see on TV. I also thought it would be funny if the show they’re watching is just our world. A world that's kind of banal and boring compared to what we usually see on TV. And force the audience to sit with what the real world actually feels like. From there, I started building the project into something more personal. I also just wanted to make another movie again after graduating from film school, just to prove to myself that I could still make movies even if I didn’t have access to school equipment anymore.
Tell us about a film that you consider a guiding influence (whether it has informed your overarching vision as a filmmaker, directly informed the title you're bringing to the festival, or both).
I’m obsessed with the Lars Von Trier film Dogville. It’s a film that reminds me that cinema is constructed reality, which is something I always try to bring into my work. I just love its blackbox theater-esque minimalist production design paired with these raw, handheld closeups, creating something really jarring that I’m so fascinated by. I want the audience to be aware of the film’s construction and aware that what they are watching isn’t real, yet still connect to these fabricated characters. Dogville captures that better than any film I have ever seen.
Tell us about a location that's held significance to the film you're bringing to the festival: a setting where filming took place, a geographic area that provided a source of inspiration, or another type of space that comes to mind for you in thinking about the film. What made this place so special?
We shot Living Reality at the church that I grew up going to in Boston. It was nice to return to that space with the whole filmmaking team. A little bit funny, but a nice full-circle moment in my life I will always cherish.
We also shot so much of the film in my apartment in Brooklyn, or other spaces in Brooklyn that me and the DP have very specific memories tied to. It was a bit cathartic to have people reenact very specific moments in my life or in my friends’ lives in the places where they actually happened.
The theatrical experience brings us together to celebrate artistic experience and expand our horizons as human beings. Tell us about a memorable theatrical experience from your life.
The first movie I fully remember vividly seeing in theater was when I saw The Incredibles as a kid opening weekend, and it absolutely changed my life. I had never seen anything like it before, and it had completely surpassed my expectations. There’s this moment when Dash suddenly realizes he’s running on water and he looks down in amazement, and the Michael Giacchino score soars as he glides across the ocean. The crowd completely ate it up, some gasping in amazement, others cheering in excitement. I rode the high of that moment for months. That’s when film started to become an obsession for me, I was addicted to the way that scene made me feel and started chasing it, always looking for new ways to experience something like that again.
“Living Reality” screens Saturday, May 3, as part of “CFCA Shorts Program #1” within this year’s Chicago Critics Film Festival.