This year at The Movie Buff, as you’ve seen, we’ve had the opportunity to do coverage for the SXSW film festival. Over the next week, we’ll be posting some exciting video interviews. On this episode, I was joined by some of the team behind the horror film “Offseason,” which premiered in the ‘Midnighters’ section of the festival, talking with Writer/Director Mickey Keating, Lead Actress Jocelin Donahue, and Actor Joe Swanberg. (My review can be found here).
The plot follows Marie (Jocelin Donahue) who has to return to an island town after learning her mother’s grave was defiled. Once there, she and George (Joe Swanberg) find themselves in a nightmare situation. The film also stars Jeremy Gardner, Melora Walters and Richard Brake.
Minor spoilers follow in our conversation as we discuss some of the film’s world building, the island itself, Richard Brake’s character, how improvisation comes into play, each person’s influence in the mumblecore/mumblegore genre of filmmaking, the script, and what got Jocelin and Joe interested in it—as well as what it was like for Joe wearing a tweed suit throughout the film. There’s more, too.
I’ve included a sample of a question/answer from the conversation (which has been edited for clarity).
Daniel Prinn, ‘The Movie Buff’: The Overlook Hotel in “The Shining” is very much its own character and I very much got that sense from your island, as well, if you wanted to expand on portraying that?
Mickey Keating: Yeah, I’ll take that. [laughs]I’m really intrigued by locations and areas or towns that have this kind-of—I guess they say in “The Shining”—just that kind-of thumbprint of something else. Of a dark past, like burnt toast. That was exhilarating being able to take something that’s so natural like this place that’s meant for tourism, or happiness and sunshine and then reverse it. It’s a very gothic idea and so I think that was where I really wanted to explore it. You see these beautiful beaches and this amazing quaint little town and no one’s there. It’s very decayed and covered in fog and that was really exciting for me.
*Click above to watch the full video either in this browser or YouTube. Stay tuned for more SXSW interview coverage.
