The Extraordinary Ordinary
Three young adults, their history with mental health, and how they cope with it through the arts.
Interview with Writer/Director/Producer Natalie Rodriguez
Watch The Extraordinary Ordinary on Prime Video
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
The Extraordinary Ordinary has been a long time coming – a screenplay that started out in high school I would later revisit in college during my junior year for a screenwriting class. My script sort of became known as that one “darker” project that dealt with mental health, trauma, and recovery awareness. Regardless, it was not the only screenplay that dipped into the dark side.
It has never been all hearts and stars with the making of this project. A lot had to do with running into multiple avenues of pursuing the directorial debut feature on my end: I was not "experienced enough", I am "too young" and/or I am not "famous enough". I used to roll my eyes at either of the three, considering that everyone has to get their start. But this project was always something that I had a difficult time to not pursuing, whether that be the characters kept me up day and night or the itch (the bug, as most refer it to). I was just eager to pursue something and get up and film it. The rest was history when I dabbled into some savings earlier this year and texted my co-producer that we officially had X-amount of money for a budget.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
Mental health, trauma, and recovery have been an ongoing matter since…forever. Each year, more than 40% of the population are affected by a mental health disorder or experience a traumatic event such as sexual assault. I grew up around a lot of trauma, something that took me years to recognize, and accept that what had happened, 'happened'. I suppose that explains a lot of my passion for bringing awareness to mental health, trauma, and the recovery process as one is always healing from either one. And that is okay – it is okay to be okay, or okay to not be okay.
Something that an audience member can take away from the film is the reality that there is no 'pre-requisite' in one’s recovery or coping mechanism when it comes to anxiety and depression. Everyone’s journey is supposed to be different. However, that does not make one "damaged, doomed, or messed up". At the end of the day, we all have "problems", and no one is perfect or better than the other. I hope that is something in which the audience can take away from the characters – Erica, Bianca, and Alex – the core team who are individually coping with their own history with mental health and trauma, including both primary and secondary survivors.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
Personal and universal themes tie into this story due to the backgrounds of the characters. Regardless that the characters are fictional, most are loosely based on myself, something that a few close friends of mine had pointed out. In other words, even while writing the screenplay, I was unaware of how relatable the characters (Erica, Bianca, Alex) were until we got on set and filmed certain scenes. These three particular characters have always been "people" to me due to their similarities and differences, as well as perspective on life, especially when it comes to coping. To me, they are individuals who have a purpose in each other’s lives.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
The screenplay has been through so many edits and rewrites over the years. To be honest, I lost count after changing up the story in college, especially once the core characters became college students themselves VS. high school students. And once I saw films that really served as their own inspiration for The Extraordinary Ordinary, it was all history from there on. The films are Short Term 12, Ordinary People, and The Spectacular Now.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
So far, we have received positive reviews with a few scenes from our rough cut. That has been pretty neat, considering that today we just finished giving our notes with the assemble cut. I am really looking forward to the director’s cut which will be completed by the end of this month.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
The feedback has been both rewarding and also terrifying for its own reasons, especially with the expectations of having this amazing product. But we do! I am more so excited to share the project with everyone once it is completed. Most of the anxiety is coming from seeing the stages literally from the ground up.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
It would just be an honor to share one of the stages of the film with We Are Moving Stories. Especially when it comes to indie films, it is only reasonable to share with both other filmmakers and the general public the stages of taking a feature film from development to post and then, screening. Although there can be many moments of distress, it IS worth it in the end.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
Once the film is completed with its director’s cut, the project will be in need of a distributor. We will be releasing a trailer in the forthcoming weeks as part of our pitch packet. Stay tuned!
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
Personally, I just hope the film can help both primary and secondary survivors of mental health, trauma, and the recovery process. There are too many stigmas when it comes to either and it is truly unfair for the shaming to continue in general. Mental health and recovery should NEVER be frowned down upon. There is no shame in asking for help – that is something I myself had wished someone would have said to me in my earlier young adult years.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
Actually, this reminds me of something that a friend of mine had told me after I had shared two clips from the rough cut of our film about a month ago: bringing awareness. That comment meant a lot to me, especially since it was the first time I was not completely shying away from the discussion of mental health, therapy, and other important subjects that mean a lot to me as well. This friend of mine had admitted of connecting to the material, understanding why the characters were feeling the way they do and why they reacted the way they did. That was a neat compliment.
Would you like to add anything else?
Nope! Well, except to check out my awesome cast and crew. I would give them a follow. I truly could have NOT made the movie myself and it takes a team both behind and in front of the camera: Maddison Bullock (ERICA), Ana Marte (BIANCA), Alex Montalban (ALEX), John Posey (ROB), Trevor Roach (Director of Photography), Antoine Duport (1AC), Shaun Guzman (co-producer & RICARDO), Melina Valdez (Associate Producer), Enrique Buenrostro (Associate Producer), James Elden (DR. MANSELL) and Victoria Taylor (MRS. NEWMAN).
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
Right now, there are a few projects cookin’! One of my TV show sitcoms recently placed as a finalist at Stage 32, The D, which started off as a short film.
Interview: August 2018
We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
The Extraordinary Ordinary
Three young adults, their history with mental health, and how they cope with it through the arts.
Length: (In Post-Production)
Director: Natalie Rodriguez
Executive Producer: Natalie Rodriguez
Producer: Maddison Bullock
Co-Producer: Shaun Guzman
Associate Producers: Enrique Buenrostro; Ambar Kaiser; and Melina Valdez
Writer: Natalie Rodriguez
About the writer, director, and producer:
NATALIE RODRIGUEZ is a writer, director, producer, as well as a mental health and anti-trauma advocate based in Los Angeles, CA. Follow her @natchristinerod for her previous and upcoming writing and film work.
Key cast: Maddison Bullock, Ana Marte, Alex Montalban, and John Posey
Facebook: The Extraordinary Ordinary
Twitter: @TheExtraOrdFilm
Instagram: @theextraordfilm
Funders: Natalie Rodriguez; Anonymous Donors
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? Stay tuned for a 2019 premiere/release