“What Would Hitchcock Do?” | Francis Galluppi, The Last Stop in Yuma County
In Francis Galluppi’s The Last Stop in Yuma County, a traveling knife salesman is stranded and forced to wait at a rural rest stop, when he suddenly finds himself in the middle of a violent hostage situation following the arrival of two bank robbers on the run after a recent heist.
Screening Sunday, May 5, at 10 p.m., at the Music Box, as part of the Chicago Critics Film Festival (get tickets here), the film—written and directed by Galluppi, starring Jim Cummings, Jocelin Donahue, and Richard Brake—has drawn comparisons to iconic crime thrillers of the 1970s and to the more comedic noir capers of the Coen brothers. The Last Stop in Yuma County marks an auspicious feature debut for Galluppi, who was recently announced as the writer and director of a new Evil Dead film for Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert’s Ghost House Pictures.
Ahead of The Last Stop in Yuma County playing the Chicago Critics Film Festival, Galluppi 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’ve always been really obsessed with movies, but I started playing drums at a very early age, and that sort of became what I was comfortable and familiar with. I spent most of my twenties playing shows and touring until I broke my wrist and couldn’t play drums for six months. Out of boredom, I picked up a camera and made a short film around the house with my wife and me. From that point on, I knew I wanted to make movies.
What inspired you to make the film you're bringing to the festival?
Going back to touring and playing music, I often found myself at these rest-stops and diners in the middle of nowhere. There was this feeling of walking in as a complete outsider, thinking that everyone in there knew something I didn’t, and that maybe I was late to the party. I think that experience served as the catalyst for the story, alongside the practical consideration of wanting to write something contained for budget reasons.
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).
It’s not a specific film, but Alfred Hitchcock has been a significant influence on me. Particularly when aiming to escalate tension, I often find myself revisiting his movies and asking myself, "What would Hitchcock do?”
Jim Cummings as The Knife Salesman in the western/crime/thriller THE LAST STOP IN YUMACOUNTY, a Well Go USA release. Photo courtesy of Well Go USA.
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?
For my short films, I tailored scripts to locations I had free access to. For instance, a friend's parents owned a desert house near the Salton Sea, so I crafted a story around that setting. My second short film was shot in Oregon, because a friend had a cabin there. I followed the same approach when writing the feature. Searching for locations in Los Angeles, I found Four Aces, a gas station, diner, and motel out in Palmdale. After taking a bunch of pictures and studying the layout of the diner, I began writing the script specifically for this location. Initially, it wasn't a special place, but it’s become very special to me after spending so much time there.
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 film that comes to mind is Funny Games. I saw the American remake in theaters in 2007, and it completely blew me away. It’s one of the movies that made me want to make movies. I was left speechless afterward. Growing up, you watch movies like Back to the Future and Star Wars, and the scale of those films can make filmmaking seem impossible. But with Funny Games, a lot of the movie takes place in one room with just five characters, and yet it has such a profound impact on the audience.
The Last Stop in Yuma County screens Sunday, May 5, at 10:00 p.m, as part of the Chicago Critics Film Festival (May 3–9, at the Music Box Theatre in Chicago). Get your tickets now.