“That Wonderful, Terrible City” | Jay Duplass, The Baltimorons
A force in independent filmmaking, Jay Duplass returns to his roots of writing and directing films with The Baltimorons.
Known alongside brother Mark for films such as Cyrus, Safety Not Guaranteed, and Jeff, Who Lives at Home, Duplass also co-created the critically acclaimed TV series Togetherness for HBO and has starred in shows including FX’s Dying for Sex, HBO’s Industry, Netflix’s The Chair, and Amazon’s Transparent.
The first film Duplass has written and directed in 14 years, The Baltimorons follows a newly sober man whose Christmas Eve dental emergency leads to an unexpected romance.
Screening Friday, May 2, at 7:00 p.m., at the Music Box Theatre as the opening-night selection for this year’s Chicago Critics Film Festival (get tickets here), The Baltimorons will feature a special appearance and post-film Q&A with filmmaker Jay Duplass, co-writer/star Michael Strassner, and star Liz Larsen.
Ahead of The Baltimorons screening at the Chicago Critics Film Festival, Duplass 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 was always obsessed with movies, ever since cable came to my neighborhood in 1983. It wasn’t until I went to college in Austin, TX, in 1991, which was sort of the home of DIY filmmaking at that point, did I think that maybe I could do it for a living.
What inspired you to make the film you're bringing to the festival?
I had not made an original film in 14 years and, after the pandemic and strikes and turning 50, realized it was time for me to go back to my original love of writing and directing original films.
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).
Raising Arizona was the most guiding influence on me because seeing that film for the first time in 1987 made me realize that a writer-director was the author of that art that I loved so much. I tried super hard to imitate the Coens but failed, and it turns out that my style is almost exactly the opposite. But they inspired me more than anyone else to try.
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?
This film, The Baltimorons, was built around our lead actor, co-writer, and producer Michael Strassner. He’s from Baltimore, and the film is 100% a love letter to that wonderful, terrible city.
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.
Every single time I’ve shared a film with an audience has been memorable. The whole goal of filmmaking is that it’s a complex media communication with strangers who don’t need to know anything about you to receive what you’re sharing. It’s magical, and I relish it every time it happens.