That’s Not Us made it onto our Top 10 LGBT-Themed Films Of 2015 after we reviewed it around the time of its UK premiere at the Raindance Film Festival. Now many more people will be able to see it, as it’s now out on DVD and VoD in the US.
To celebrate the April 19th release, we caught us with some of the cast and crew to discuss the movie, which centres on the issues that arise when three couples – one gay, one lesbian and one straight – go on a break away from the city. It was largely improvised and shot on a shoestring budget, so how did it get made, and what were the makers trying to achieve?
Can you tell us a little bit about the movie?
SARAH WHARTON (Producer, Actor (Al in the film)): Three twenty-something couples – gay, lesbian and straight – travel to a beach house to enjoy the last days of summer, but what was meant to be a fun, carefree weekend transforms into an intimate exploration of sex and commitment. Moment-to-moment, relationships are tested as tensions between the couples and friends begin to simmer. THAT’S NOT US is a romantic comedy that questions what it takes to sustain a healthy long-term partnership. While gender and sexuality may vary, the struggles to make love last do not.
Where did the idea for That’s Not Us come from?
WILL SULLIVAN (Director, Co-Writer, Editor, Executive Producer): After coming off of a much larger and very challenging production, I wanted my next project to be a more intimate, very personal endeavor. I also wanted an opportunity to work with my boyfriend (now husband!), and to try our hands at putting a story on screen that reflected our lives. In the write what you know fashion – we began a multi-month writing process. Our weekends became part study hall, part therapy. We put obstacles and milestones from our lives into each of the couple’s stories. When we finally felt like we had the storyline on the page – and that it was something we could make for pennies – we brought our producers in to help us make it happen.
How about the title, where did that come from?
DEREK DODGE (Director of Photography, Co-Writer, Executive Producer): We had a different title during production, but it didn’t feel right for the finished film. Will and I sat up late one night brainstorming new titles (and drinking wine) and we came up with “That’s Not Us.” It’s something we’ll sometimes say to one another when reflecting on disagreements we’ve had. We watched the film again the next day and lo and behold this line is in the film when Al is making up with Jackie on the dock.
Mark, you both star in and produce the movie. How did your involvement begin with the film, and was it always the intention you would both act and produce the film?
MARK BERGER (Producer, Actor (James in the film)): Will came to me first as an actor, and I was thrilled, because I loved the story and the filmmaking ambition I saw in his eyes – “we’re going to go out to the beach and make a movie in 8 days with whatever we’ve got.” That made me jump in immediately and say, “Yes I’d love to act in this, but I want to produce it too!” Will was game, so we were off to the races. Sarah (“Al” in the film and my fellow kickass producer) and Derek (Co-writer, DP, Executive Producer) were already on board, so I was joining a strong, passionate team.
I believe the film used a lot of improvisation. How freeform was it? Was it essentially created as you went along, or was there a strong roadmap the actors could work around?
DD – Will and I wrote a tight 20-page outline that structured the story from start to finish. Will was keen on doing an improv film but I wanted to make sure we had a beginning, middle and end to the film and that we knew the arcs for each character and couple. From that outline, Will did a lot of rehearsing with the actors and they built the characters together. And then on-set the actors were able to improvise each scene, their actions and their dialogue within the framework of the outline.
Mark, your character has to deal with the fact his boyfriend may be moving away and they may be going long-distance. Do you have experience of long-distance relationships you could draw on?
MB: Yes, I have been in long distance relationships before, and they’re not easy. A lot of pining, a lot of wondering what the other person is doing, a lot of wishing there weren’t so many miles in between. I think we all feel lonely in the world at times, and so I was just trying to tap into that.
I believe this was your first feature film as an actor. Was that intimidating, especially with the improvisational angle? Were you worried whether you would be able to pull it off?
MB: This was my first feature! It was certainly intimidating to not have a normal script to do all of the “actor work” on. I couldn’t go back at night after the shoot and dive into the text for the next day. But this made the text less precious, which can be helpful (and terrifying!) as an actor. I had to rely on the research I had done on the character and imagination work, which comes from my Meisner training. We knew the story points we needed to hit, so it was very freeing at times to let it all go and just be present with my scene partner and listen and react.
Was it a difficult movie to get made/financed?
SW: When we set out to make this film, we had two goals: to tell a story that we cared about with complete creative freedom, and to do it with the people we knew we’d have a good time with. We may have had restricted resources, but we didn’t have to wait for anyone to let us make this film. That was a gift. A challenge, yes, but one that we all felt excited to take on. Ultimately, the obstacles we faced while making the film are what led to its success – our limitations meant that we had to be more creative, more collaborative, and more innovative – we literally turned water into wine. Of course, we couldn’t have done it without A LOT of help from our friends – we are very grateful for our Co-Executive Producers, the supporters of our Seed & Spark campaign, and everyone who loaned us hands, advice, love, and cookies along the way.
The film deals with lesbian, gay and straight couples, but it never feels like it’s ‘about’ their sexuality, while also not trying to make them anything other than what they are. Was that deliberate, and was it a difficult balance to ensure they were true to their sexuality without taking it too far?
WS: It was something we were very conscious of doing. While we were initially nervous about creating a scenario that could sound like the set-up to a bad joke – we knew in our gut that it was an important part of our story. When we hang out with our friends, we don’t think “this is my straight friend… and this is my lesbian friend…” They are just people in our lives that matter to us. With this group of six characters who have a rich history together, and are all having immediate, complex human problems, why shouldn’t the labels drop away?
On the flip side, sexual identify is an important part of each of these characters as well — and I would never want to strip that away. There are certainly subtle (and not so subtle) differences to being in a gay relationship, and hopefully we captured those moments as well.
Do you think there’s still a place for ‘gay films’ or ‘queer cinema’ now, or do you feel those are labels that are becoming less helpful in the modern film landscape?
DD – The short answer is “yes, there’s still a place.” But something Will and I asked ourselves a lot during this process was what makes a film a “gay film”? It’s a label that we fully embrace, because Will and I are gay obviously, and two out of three couples in the film are same-sex couples. But we really hope that the film is relatable to any person, regardless of labels. We’ve been fortunate to screen the film in front of thousands of people during our festival journey, and the best part has been talking to audience members afterwards and hearing which couples they related to the most. And it was always surprising and encouraging to hear people relating to the couples who had sexual identities different than their own.
Are you pleased with how the film has been received at festivals?
SW: We couldn’t be more grateful to all the amazing festivals and their tireless staff for giving us the opportunity to share this film with so many people. They have been incredibly kind to us. We’ve been absolutely honored to play alongside so many great films, from our World Premiere at Toronto Inside Out, to Frameline in San Francisco, to Outfest in LA, and all the way to Hong Kong and Melbourne. Seeing the film in a theater full of people who laugh and cry along with the characters is like finding 800 new family members you never knew you had.
Mark, you’ve also been the associate producer on the likes of the Broadway production of Hedwig – which do you have the greatest passion for – acting or producing? Theatre or film?
MB: That’s a hard question! And I don’t think there’s a simple answer, because I want to keep doing it all. Acting has always been my first and strongest passion. I have known I wanted to be an actor since I was in preschool in the “Shoemaker and the Elves.” I caught the bug early and never stopped. And now over the past 5 years, I have discovered that producing is this parallel track that I love. It demands of me to throw myself fully into a project – creatively and artistically. And it keeps me in the room where the work gets made. I never imagined sitting at a table with John Cameron Mitchell and creating the infamous Hurt Locker: The Musical playbill with him or watching Neil Patrick Harris’ work ethic as he dug deeper and deeper into his character. Those were dreams come true for me. Making the work is the most important thing. Whether audiences experience it in a theatre or in a movieplex or at home on their TV, I want to keep creating entertaining and meaningful work.
What are you working on at the moment?
MB: There’s another That’s Not Us type film coming as well called The Ring Thing – an exploration of queer marriage in 2016. Interweaving documentary with narrative film, we take a look at relationships within the landscape of marriage equality – the good, the bad and the $500/hr divorce lawyer version.
Recently, I produced the new comedy series, People of New York, created by Jessie Komitor, which just closed out its first season. Zooey Deschanel’s company HelloGiggles acquired it, and now Jessie and I are developing the pilot with them. There are a few films in the works as well – both to act in and produce – so I am excited for what’s to come. And as always, I’m on the hunt for something new – a story that inspires and moves me.
What do you hope that viewers take away from watching That’s Not Us?
WS: Our favorite question to ask people after screenings is – “which couple did you relate to the most?” The answers are almost never what you might expect. At the end of the day, our film is an exploration of long term relationships, and there should be aspects of each couple’s journey that are relatable.
I’ve also been contacted by several people that spent a long time talking with their significant others after watching the film. Each of the characters in the film are struggling with communication, and they all have a breakthrough. There seems to be a quality to our film that helps couples begin conversing about difficult subjects. I love, love, love that.
Thank you all.
That’s Not Us is available to buy now in the US, including from iTunes.
Leave a Reply (if comment does not appear immediately, it may have been held for moderation)